Gas inquiry: Voters will need information to make energy decision

There might be a good reason -- a logical explanation for why gas prices are jumping around more than a cat on a hot tin roof.

And as the candidates continue to talk about the future of energy policy in the United States, there will be more than a few reasons for those who are charged with leading this nation to make a firm recommendation about what to do next.

The roller coaster that gas prices have become is scary for many working families who now must try to juggle their budgets to leave a cushion -- just in case.

And for many, there simply isn't any more wiggle room.

There will be much debate over the next few weeks about where to get more oil and what measures should be taken to reduce consumption in the future. And each candidate for president and vice president of the United States will have his or her own view.

But what is important to determine as we pick a leader to take us into that future is whether what they are proposing is realistic and can really be implemented quickly.

The gas price war is not over. Suppliers are predicting that there will be even more concerns as the hurricane season progresses. Although it is not the main reason for the situation we are in now as a nation, perhaps the storm threats will be the push legislators need to get something started.

And they need to do so soon. The nation's budgets are at the breaking point.

Published in Editorials on September 12, 2008 11:15 AM