The Consequences of High Gas & Oil

The rising gasoline and utility (natural gas) costs are having another adverse affect on taxpayers and their pocketbooks. Besides the direct affect of your daily commute going up, your home heating costs are going up precipitously as well. As a result many cities and school districts are looking for creative ways to cut costs. Many school districts are going to a 4 day school week in order to balance their fuel budgets. Working parents are finding this to be a disaster because it means increased day care costs for smaller children.

The month, the state of Utah got into the 4 day work week program. Earlier this month, many state agencies went to a 4 day work week in order to save energy. Some Utah Counties are also considering the change because the state agencies that they work with are closed on Fridays.

While I have long been an advocate of allowing businesses to provide employees with flexible and creative schedules (4 10 hour days, telecommuting, off shifts) to help reduce the number of cars on the road however, the creative schedules are not without challenges (see the day care challenge mention in the first paragraph). Many state employees find themselves having to choose between day care providers and jobs, between getting kids ready for school and jobs, between family and job. These are reasons why creative scheduling has not taken hold in the business community. As hard as it is for employees to balance the needs of work life and personal life, it is equally difficult for business owners to juggle the needs of the employees with the needs of the customer with the needs of the business!

Which leads us back to the root of this problem....the soaring costs of energy! The reason for the scheduling changes are due to high energy costs. Until Congress gets their act together and passes a comprehensive all-of-the-above energy plan, a plan that includes wind, solar, conservation, nuclear, geo-thermal, hydro AND additional domestic drilling, we will continue to have to make sacrifices.

Two years ago, when gas was $2.10 a gallon, Speaker Pelosi promised a "common sense energy plan". Gas peaked at double that and still the House Leadership has not delivered on that plan. It is time for Speaker Pelosi to quit promoting her own self interests and get back to DC and promote the interests of the American people.