We are addicted to petroleum. As a country, as a planet, we are hopelessly addicted. The same way a crack addict can't give up the rock, we just can't help ourselves. Every day we get up and get our fix. And it's not just the gas you put in your car. It's the crap we buy, the food we eat and clothes we wear. Most of it gets here from somewhere else, and that take's oil. High gas prices affect us in almost all aspects of our lives. Just check out this list:



1. Airline Prices Climbing

2. Auto Manufacturers Recording Record Losses

3. Delivery/Shipping Costs Rising

4. Education Cutbacks

5. Food and Manufactured Goods Prices Climbing

6. Gas Station Owners Losing Money Due to Drive-offs and Thefts

7. Government Spending Cutbacks

8. Healthcare Costs Rising

9. Housing Market Suffering in Outlying Areas and Suburbs

10. Inflation Rate Climbing

11. Job Market Shrinking

12. Public Transportation Costs Rising

13. Restaurants and Fast Food Suffering Losses From Lowered Patronage

14. Stock Market In Decline Due to Less Consumer Confidence

15. Taxi Service Fees Rising

16. Tourism and Hospitality Suffering Losses Due To Declining Number of Visitors

17. Truck Drivers Suffering From Lower Wages Due to Increased Fuel Costs

18. Unemployment Rate Climbing

19. Slowing Economy Due to Consumers Having Less Discretionary Money

20. Health Risks Increasing Due to Stress and Tension over Financial Burdens Caused By Fuel Prices.

Now, while I was advocating drilling for more oil in my previous rant, ultimately the answer to high gas prices is not flooding the market with more oil. It's breaking our addiction to oil. How righteous would it be to find an alternative fuel source that was highly available that didn't give off carbon emissions? Even more righteous would be sitting back and watching the oil companiesand the Middle East drown in all their oil. Well that fuel source does exist.

Hydrogen is the most abundant substance in the universe. As an added bonus it can be burned in normal combustion engines or be used as fuel in electric vehicles. I'm having trouble finding a down side here. So what's the problem? Why is this solution currently limited to a couple of buses and taxis in major cities and car company concepts? I wish I could say.

I'm sure that the conspiracy nut theories abound, and without trying to put myself too deep into that category, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that big oil and car companies have something to do with it. Just check out the record profits oil companies are making .

Let me give you an example. I live in America. We're supposed to be the guiding light of the modern world. The amount of technology that this country has come up with in the last 50 years is beyond comprehension. Yet we've done basically nothing with how we power our vehicles. Think of the advances in every other industry over that time span. Is this really the best the automotive industry can do? Well guess what, Scandinavians are doing it better. By 2012, Norway will have a highway with a complete network of hydrogen refueling stations throughout the southwest of Scandinavia. Better yet, these hydro stations are completely self-contained and produce the hydrogen onsite from the municipal water supply. No huge refineries, just easily deployed, self-contained hydrogen stations.

So tell me, why is Scandinavia bringing this technology to fruition before the big bad U.S? I mean seriously, Scandinavia? Are you freakin kidding me? Kudos to them for their foresight, and shame on us for our lack of vision. I'll also give some credit to California and Schwarzenegger for putting a couple of hydrogen stations on the map. I guess Scandinavia's government isn't bought and paid for by big oil corporations.

Anyway, the point that I am trying to make is that this technology is real, it's viable, it's something not even the tree huggers can complain about, so why not use it? Let's get ourselves off the big oil addiction and lead this planet in a fuel revolution. Our future economic and personal financial growth depends on it. That's it, I'm done.