Well, what I mean when I say or write alternative fuel or energy sources is simple - supply and demand. If there wasn't such a demand for petroleum products, be it for gasoline, home heating, the manufacturing of plastics, etc. then there wouldn't be such high pricing. If there were realistic alternative sources, then the price would be expected to come down.

As for sales tax, I live in NY. The gas tax here is about 30 cents per gallon and a repeal of such a tax this summer is expected to cause a budget shortfall of $500-$600 million dollars. Who do you think will pay for that??

I mentioned solar energy. Why is it so completely and totally unaffordable? It costs tens of thousands of dollars to install enough panels to make a dent in a household's electric generation. Why? Why are the tax credits given to the purchasers of hybrids so little? Yes, these are not LESS expensive alternatives, but why not? Why wouldn't the government INCREASE the incentives at such a time?

Decreasing demand would not only drive prices down, but it would decrease our dependence on Middle Eastern oil-producing nations and give us the added benefit of making our planet a healthier one.