Dear Editor:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
So said Abraham Lincoln, a man who definitely knew both emotions to their depth. Our recent election was called the most important in history by many. Doubt it compares to either of President Lincoln's elections, both facing the literal splitting the country in half. Still, it no doubt portends a notable difference in how most will lead their lives. And, such different attitudes, as there are, consequential to us all. The party that has been declared the winner say they are going to eliminate the one single most important products we all depend on, oil.
Think it is not all that important in your life? Try spending one day not using anything oil-based or dependent. Unless you use only foot or horsepower to get around, you eliminate all transportation. Even if that is your transportation mode, no roads or sidewalks can be used as they require substantial oil involvement. Certainly you could use nothing requiring electricity, for obvious reasons. Hope you grow your own food, because there would be no food stores packed with all your favorites. Also, pray that it is warm out as you can use none of those clothes in that overcrowded closet, as every one of them required some form of fossil fuel to become material and then clothes.
The other side in the battle for the presidency recognized it would be great to have a source of energy that could/would replace oil, but knew it did/does not exist, so continuing to use oil just makes honest and intelligent sense. Wind and solar are out there and do show some promise but have so many negatives, like neither is necessarily available when needed and we have only very limited storage capabilities for either (oil can be stored in its natural state, like forever).
I do not like to be lied to any more than most, and, given the factual data that exist today, anyone who says they are going to eliminate oil use is either lying to you or telling you a "yeah-but," such as, "Yeah I said I was going to eliminate oil, but I did not mean in your life time."
It is going to be an interesting and likely very expensive four years seeing just how this gets the political spin from those given the power.