Their energy policy—and ours.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Lazare, Daniel; Komanoff, Charles
- Source
- Dissent (00123846); Spring97, Vol. 44, p73-76, 4p
- Subject
- Energy consumption
Energy policy
Automobiles & society
Government policy
Consumption (Economics)
Caloric expenditure
Societies
Economics
Economic indicators
United States
- Language
- ISSN
- 00123846
The writer discusses how the U.S. should confront the severe energy crisis that is gripping the country. He argues that U.S. energy policy is profoundly destructive and asserts that the heavily subsidized consumer sector is responsible for the current crisis. He maintains that the U.S. has gone to great lengths to promote and accommodate the car and discusses the consequences of this policy for the economy and for social order. He examines the ability of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and environmentalists to address the problem of energy consumption. He suggests that only socialists can deal with this problem and concludes that the only solution to massive energy externalities is to “internalize” them by forcing customers to bear the full cost.