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We already burn more of this precious but cheap commodity than U.S. refineries can make.

This of course is not an unstoppable force of nature. High prices under normal economic rules is the incentive to build and expand refining capacity. The inability to do so is purely political. You can ignore economics but you can't escape them. If you effectively outlaw expanding refineries you guarantee high gasoline prices. You can escape the political fallout by blaming the oil companies, but the energy bottleneck can't be finessed.

We buy more thirsty SUVs than thrifty sedans.

Oh, the SUV canard. People buy the vehicle they need and pay a price for it. The shortage of gasoline doesn't come because your neighbor needs a station wagon and can't buy one, it comes because your elected and unelected leaders won't allow a refinery in your neighborhood. The same problem applies to other energy projects. We have an existing generating plant in our town that is being shutdown because the local leaders won't allow it to operate anymore; they want the plant razed and replaced with shopping centers. Only a few months ago we were beset with blackouts and importing power at enormous cost; memories are short, though.

Most foreign refineries are unable to make gas that is suitable for sale in the United States

This again is not a law of nature. The problem of politically designed gasoline is self-inflicted. We can't import gasoline from one state to the other for the same reason. Elect morons to office and this is what you get. If you imagine that eggs come from the supermarket and electricity is your birthright, and gasoline is evil and should nonetheless be cheap, you are a candidate for manipulation by people who aren't fit to rule you, but will.

It takes three years to build and install those big, costly, complex units.

Three years is nothing. This is what a lot of people do for a living. Open the gates and get out of the way. The sky is not falling; people are throwing rocks in the air and blaming the sky.

An early warning could allow people of moderate means to buy efficient vehicles in time

People don't need to be encouraged to buy efficient vehicles. At three dollars a gallon people will do it without one dollar being spent on a PR campaign.

But if people don't get realistic about where oil and gas come from, the price will only continue to rise and no amount of bellyaching will prevent it. Only a change in political attitudes toward energy production can do that. Either you're for it or you aren't. If you aren't, get ready to pay a lot more.

Marron: "People buy the vehicle they need and pay a price for it."

Oh come on! Certainly you aren't making the claim that people buy transportation based solely on NEED? I can only speak for myself, but I own a high-performance vehicle that I most certainly do not need. I bought it because I like they way it snaps my neck when I punch the accelerator. It's pure luxury--completely unnecessary--both a lot of fun to drive and expensive to feed. NEED isn't the top concern on most buyer's minds, I think. Otherwise, how do you explain all of the Hummers, Mustangs, Exhibitions (or is it Expeditions?) and other similar vehicles on the roads today?

"For the past two years, imports climbing toward 1 million barrels per day have kept supply in step with consumption. But within three years, we'll be extracting as much from foreign suppliers as they can spare. At that point, demand cannot continue to grow at the current pace. It cannot exceed supply. "

Do you think immigration has any factors involved in the increased usage of gasloine?

Hello Washington, are you listening? Tell El Presidente Fox to pay our fuel bills because were paying his welafare, education and medical bills!