How Dumb Are We?

Well, pretty darn dumb. So dumb that we're demanding our candidates lead us in our stupidity. Instead of listening to reasoned debate, we charge lemming-like towards the cliffs demanding offshore oil drilling so we won't pay as much for gas.

No, the problem doesn't seem to be our insatiable desire for giant cars that are little more than funnels for pouring money into oil companies' coffers. Nor our need to drive everywhere, as often as possible alone, car-pooling being inconvenient. We're Americans, damn it. If we want to drive wherever we want, whenever we want, in whatever vehicle we want, it's more than just our right, it's almost our duty!

So when we're stuck with another summer of high fuel prices, we strike at the "easy button" target - offshore drilling. No it doesn't matter that it would take years before any of that oil would get anywhere near our trucks and SUVs. Nor that we could take bigger steps towards faster energy and price relief by looking at ourselves for answers.

So let's just keep pushing our candidates for that easy answer to high fuel prices - offshore drilling. After all, that's another sign of modern Americans. If the answer isn't easy or has to be explained in more than a 10-second sound bite, we're just not interested.