Carter had lots of good ideas. He just didn't know how to implement them.

Conservation and energy independence are worth the investment. It might not appear so based on the low gas prices we saw during the Reagan years. But those gas prices aren't the total cost. How much money do we spend on national defense, a large portion of which is dedicated to keeping the oil flowing?

Would we have ever bothered with Iraq or Kuwait if not for the fact that the region is necessary to us for oil? How many trillions of dollars has that cost us that might otherwise have been saved if by the Gulf War we were an energy independent nation.

I'm building a home that will be completely off grid. Cost a bit more at first, but I'll be laughing each time prices for oil go up again or electrical rates rise.