Two very American responses to a potential oil shortage have emerged from the Iraqi threat. One is to have ``somebody do something'' about it, and the other is to do something about it oneself. In the first instance, elected officials are urged to take action against alleged price exploiters through the courts or legislative bodies, the notion being that sellers should be forced to serve consumers. The process hasn't worked well in the past. If there are no profits to be made, oil shippers, wholesalers, refiners, distributors and sellers won't remain in business. The flow will slow and the pump lines will grow. In the other instance, people examine their own situation and decide what action they can take. They recognize that while high prices or a shortage will hurt them, they can lessen the damage by conserving. Conservation worked in the past, in the 1970s, and the American economy and all those who contribute to it are better off. It raised the quality of homes and automobiles, not to mention the effect on the quality of the air we breathe. It worked well for a decade. More efficient and cleaner combustion engines were developed, doubling the miles per gallon of automobiles. More effective insulation materials were developed, making homes snug with less fuel used. The development of solar power, cleanest of all, was accelerated. Idle water power was put to use. Heat from machinery and electricity was reused rather than vented. Progress was made in the safe use of nuclear power, and while environmental fears thwarted full usage and eventually stalled the program, the advances that were made might be relied on again some day. Lives as well as gasoline were saved when the national speed limit was reduced to 55 miles an hour. In spite of higher prices, some people even reduced their bills by agreeing to car pool their way to work each day. Americans all but abandoned much of the conservation effort during the 1980s. Young, innovative solar power companies went out of business. Utilities abandoned nuclear power plans. The speed limit and thermostats went up. But the effort has shown that individuals could find value in what appeared to be a total negative, and some of those options are still available. Many people can drive less, and more slowly and efficiently. Some can join car pools. Most can turn down thermostats and be healthier for it. They can avoid paying prices that are out of line with those of other sellers. In a business sense, alternative energy sources still represent a private-sector investment opportunity. For the government, the latest crisis could provide an opportunity for measures reducing U.S. dependency on imports. Experience shows that any economic crisis an have important and lasting benefits for individuals, companies and governments. Recessions create conditions for expansions, for example, and fuel shortages lead to fuel-saving. It suggests that initiative in the face of crisis might be more effective than complaining to elected officials, some of whom might be more interested than the oil refiners and retailers in exploiting the situation.
