I use a lot of oil... you use a lot of oil... america uses a lot of oil... i am not stopping, are you?

according to the USA Today of a few days ago America, meaning the United States of America (founded in 1776) has only 5% of the world's population but is using about 25% of the world's oil, daily. 

Yes, we are number 1! 

so with this fact in mind I became bold and overconfident and I will continue to use oil. Yes, i carpool when the opportunity allows. Yes, i am thinking about purchasing a scooter, vespa or moped with the hopes that 60+ mpg will not only help the environment but my wallet. 

I use oil and I use a lot of it. I believe in central air and heating, as well as other forms of accommodation. As an american, a member of the great superpower (or evil) am I not bestowed with the right to purchase oil thus using as much oil for my benefit. Yes, i do! I pay for gasoline to fuel my car and heat my house. I buy products made by oil and similar fuel resources. If I pay for it, should I feel guilty that I only leave 95% of the world with only 75% of the oil available? Am I being selfish? maybe. Am I being heartless? possibly. Am I wrong? megh. 

I don't mind how much oil I use or how much OIL the United States of America (founded in 1776) uses, what I do mind is that we don't read about alternative fuels used. Maybe if Americans discovered that we only use 2% of the wind power available compared to (let's say) Egypt which uses 14% of the world's wind then maybe we would try harder at developing wind power. After all, America can not come third, second or fourth best to Egypt or any other country. Random thought - I want a statistic stating how much wind power exists if at all possible. 

I don't know about you but I love statistics. I once read that 66% of statistics are made up and that could be true but when I read any statistic about oil consumption, baseball batting averages or Cosmo sex survey, I feel miles smarter. 

I want to read a statistic stating how much of the energy used is provided by nuclear, wind, solar or pure sweat. (sweat = manual labor) Reading a statistic about how greedy we are doesn't do anything for my guilt reflex. USA Today should put a picture of poor children without shelter, without warm water on a broken bicycle next to the statistic if they want real guilt. 

Maybe if people stopped reading about the amounts of oil used and start reading about the benefits of alternative fuel sources then the hesitation to use wind, solar, nuclear or manual labor might dissipate. I want more statistics. I want to read that of all the energy used in this country 2% of it is powered by wind, 8% by nuclear, 9% by coal and .5% by solar. 

the United States is a greedy country that consumes more and more and more with no stop in sight. Tell me something I don't know. I do know is that the fair amount of comfort I have is brought on by the consumption of fuel and as much as I can do to conserve or promote green living is not going to change what I read in the papers or how many mpg my car allows. 

I am not suggesting that green living is bad but there is a bias. People are resistant to change, naturally and we all must do our part to convince one another that the world must behave more properly and green is more proper. But how? I think once we start to focus on what we should be doing and what we aren't doing instead of all the bad that goes unnoticed then we can start making some changes. You aren't going to convince people to conserve or learn more about alternative fuel by telling them how much oil they use.  It is like telling a hunter to stop hunting because he/she has killed too many animals when all you have done is state how much of an accomplished hunter he/she is.

but heck what do i know, i could be wrong but i might be right.