Students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who drive will probably tell you that their already-slim pocketbooks have taken an extra blow in the past few months. Gas prices in Madison, like those around the rest of the United States, have been skyrocketing lately, and it does not appear as though the trend will be reversed anytime soon.

The United States has long been completely dependent on natural resources that are scarce within its borders. It seems unfathomable that the world’s greatest economic power must constantly appease oil-rich countries and beg for help, but that has been the case since the advent of the automobile.

It seems perplexing then that Americans have not invested their efforts in finding a way to reduce their need for foreign fuel, but instead have constantly searched for ways to obtain the cheap oil that is the U.S. bloodline.

After years of absent leadership on the issue, President George W. Bush recently laid out a plan to increase U.S. energy independence. While it is tempting to give the president credit for a 180-degree policy turn, current events likely played a roll in his massive transformation.

Although last Tuesday’s meeting between Bush and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia made for a cute photo op of the leaders walking through a garden while holding hands, the results of the summit were perhaps less promising than W. had expected. Taking on all-time-low job ratings, partially resulting from high gas prices, Bush had been desperately searching for a solution to relieve the American petrol problem, and he did not seem to get it from the crown prince. Now, with nearly every option exhausted, the president has finally resorted to his last choice: encouraging American energy independence.

President Bush should be held accountable for having promoted an energy policy with inadequate incentives toward energy independence for so long. However, it is the American people who have made change impossible.

Infatuated with their automobiles, it seems as though Americans almost go out of their ways to use as much gas as possible. Driving down any stretch of highway in the United States, one will see an abundance of gas-hogging SUVs, trucks and other vehicles that are totally unnecessary (it’s doubtful many soccer moms take their H2s off-road). When gas prices rise even the slightest bit, the drivers of these ridiculous cars express their rage in letters to newspapers across the country. As Americans call for cheaper gas prices — something they view as an entitlement — it seems they never recognize the real culprit: their own excessive tendencies.

Even if American gas prices were actually high (they’re still extremely low in comparison to those of many other industrialized nations), U.S. citizens could rightfully do little more than blame themselves for having maintained a culture in which bigger cars are equated with status and the use of public transportation is rare. Nobody is forced into buying the behemoths found throughout American streets, and while people don’t like to hear it, their lifestyles will not be drastically affected if they opt for the Toyota Prius rather than the Ford Expedition.

Energy independence could mean great things for the U.S. economy and foreign policy, and it is not too late for Americans to change their habits toward this end. Although President Bush’s new policy is not likely to liberate the United States from energy dependence overnight, it is a step forward. Now Americans must take the lead and swallow a little bit of pride for a lot of national advancement. Eventually, the UW students presently hurting for gas money will be able to stop worrying about choosing between buying a case of beer or filling their tanks.

Rob Rossmeissl ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science.