The Left vs. Conservation

I was on NPR's "News & Notes with Ed Gordon" today to discuss gasoline prices with Julianne Malveaux. It was a rather bizarre experience. Apparently, the Left is of many, many minds when it comes to energy conservation---and all of those minds seem to coexist in the same head.

On the one hand, Dr. Malveaux was quite adamant that we need to "incentivize people" (her phrase) to use mass transit. But, on the other hand, she was equally adamant that gasoline prices were too high and had to be brought down by hook or crook.

Question 1: Wouldn't increasing the marginal cost of driving provide the most powerful incentive for people to use mass transit?

Question 2: Wouldn't decreases in marginal driving costs reduce the incentive people would have to use mass transit?

I tried to press her on those points but couldn't get a straight or even understandable answer out of her.

When I tried to point out that how much people spend on gasoline is largely under their control and that high gasoline costs will do more to encourage conservation than anything government could do, I was treated to a rather loud rant about why most people had no option but to keep buying gas and that only ivory tower, doctrinaire Cato types would ever believe to the contrary.

Now, this is really something. Up until recently, environmentalists and conservationists have gone on at quite some length about how people can and should conserve energy. When I took a page from that book and suggested that people could sell their SUVs, pickups, and luxury sedans for more fuel efficient cars, I was told that this would be too expensive for working Americans to even consider (huh?). When I suggested that people could move closer to work or to mass transit hubs if they wanted to cut their commute costs, I was accused of crazy talk. When I suggested that car-pooling is always possible for those who don't want to pick up stakes, I was informed that this is yet more crazy talk. When I suggested that people may want to rethink how often and how far they drive around town on errands or the nature of their summertime vacations, I was accused of peddling nonsense. When I argued that high gasoline prices are actually something that conservationists and environmentalists should embrace, I was dismissed as a nutcase.

Apparently, all that talk about conservation from the Left was smoke. It's actually an impossible task, quite beyond the capabilities of mere mortals.