Get used to paying $4 per gallon, possibly more, at your neighborhood fuel pump. Stop your incessant whining, abetted by congressional theatrics around supposed gasoline price-gouging, about "excessive" oil industry profits.

That is also why oil companies are smarter than consumers. Oil companies aren't pretending today's reality is tomorrow's truth. Instead, they are preparing for an inevitable shift in how the world will be powered in the future.

Demanding car companies give us vehicles that are more fuel-efficient-those that do more work per unit of fuel used. Confusing cars that have good fuel economy-those with the lowest annual cost of fuel consumed-with cars that are cheap. Never mind that it costs the automobile industry billions of dollars to deliver those more efficient, more fuel-economical vehicles.

It matters not that they make it by selling oil, natural gas, solar power, hydrogen, geothermal energy, or nuclear power. In a world where oil prices have topped $110 per barrel; people are fighting and dying daily to secure oil reserves; and fuel prices for passenger vehicles are rising astronomically; we continue to worship-and remain willing to pay more for-the least efficient, least fuel-economical vehicles.

Gasoline prices
Oil reserves