Oil and Al Gore

FIRST DRAFT

I don’t believe in ESP as in magic; though I experienced enough déjà vu and coincidence to remain agnostic as to its existence. So just the other day while shaving I had part one of my most recent odd events. Like déjà vu I have my own version of repeating events where I have a great idea that I have neither the capital nor the desire to develop beyond the mere idea stage.

Numerous times in my life these ideas come to fruition through someone else’s desire and, more importantly, capital. A recent example goes back to an idea I had a few year ago’s. It was soon after my first experience with an iPod.

Like so many others, the sheer simplicity of the controls were, and continue to be, the defining characteristic of the iPod. This simplicity, combined with the existing scrouge of TV/DVD/Cable/Stereo remotes, led me to conclude that Apple should make a universal remote. Now this wasn’t some great breakthrough, merely a hope. I did email Apple, and never received beyond an automated response. I’m sure they get dozens of product suggests a day and perhaps my exact idea was contained in many other emails.

It was a good idea that is now a reality. In fact, it is not only free on the Apple “App Store”, but it’s also the most popular download. Trivial I know, but just as example of possible ESP. I had the idea and knew it would happen without my effort and it did.

Just the other day I was shaving when I had a light bulb moment regarding the price of oil. You have to understand, I think “Big Oil”, BO, is a true oligarchy that controls the price of both oil and gas. Once you turn that thought from a conspiracy theory to a reasonable assumption it allows for easy proofs of its validity.

Getting back to my new idea. Let’s review the status quo: BO isn’t an oligarchy that controls the Whitehouse and Congress. If that’s true, then there must be no way to immediately lower the price of oil and gas. Surely, simple me, can’t have idea that no one affiliated with either the White House or Congress thought of?

Strangely, I have lots of these kinds of idea. Some are eventually voiced by other, much more prominent, individuals and some I read letter were penned earlier by some other voice from the wilderness. In the eighties, I was happy to see Dennis Miller voice my idea during one of his rants on HBO. It the idea of paying teachers retirement by having their students pay residuals based on their future earnings…say 0.01% for every year taught. The doctoral student who graduates after twenty years will face a 0.20% tax, but the twenty year teacher with twenty students each year will retire with 0.01% of four hundred students. Average salary of forty-grand yields $160,000 per year. Not bad and the better the teacher the better the salary residuals.

The teacher idea has yet to come to fruition but at least it’s out their in the ether just as the subject of this post, my most recent “ESP” event.

So I’m standing in the bathroom trying to think of ways to lower the price of oil. Al Gore. Not just Gore, as in him running for President, mind you. My goal is to lower the price of oil immediately, not months from now. I had recently seen T. Boone Pickens ad for his “Pickens Plan” for wind farms so I knew some people outside Government and the BO board rooms were working on the same problem I was now contemplating in a cramped but comfortable bathroom.

My idea is pure simplicity, would be undisputable successful, might resuscitate GW’s legacy and thus, will never be implemented. What do you think would happen to the price of Oil of the Whitehouse and Congress established a one trillion dollar fund to be spent over the next five years solely on alternative energy administered by an autonomous “Energy Czar”. And to insure the future success and effect an immediate impact this new program will be headed by the previously mentioned Al Gore. Good by high oil and gas prices. We may even have an electric car before the 2010 if this happened.

Of course the assumption the oil is a “free” market driven by supply and demand is probably not correct. We won’t see Al Gore working for George Bush. My suggestion, arguably preposterous even if correct, will not come to pass.

Or will it?