George Epstein

How do we make decisions? Which of the facts before us do we use? How, in practice, do we determine the sources we trust to provide us with facts? Whose opinions do we value enough to include in our decision-making? You’ve come to the right place in your quest for answers to these questions.

***************

Just over 30 years ago, I drove out of a Portland, Maine gas station because they had the nerve to charge 50 cents for a gallon of gas. While I really struggled with a buck a gallon, I can’t complain much about the relatively slow progression to $2 gas — but it will continue to get worse, a lot worse. In 1973 when America was brought to its knees by an Arab oil embargo, we imported 30-percent of our oil. Now it’s 60-percent. Natural gas will help us generate electricity for a while since we only import 15-percent of that, but imports are growing fast and who but our friends in Russia and Iran control 43-percent of world's natural gas.

In addition to the economic impact of oil, it is central to our foreign policy. You don’t have to believe that the war in Iraq is some oil company plot to understand that oil revenues make their way to the terrorists with whom we are at war. We didn’t buy Volkswagons or German beer during WWII, but every time we fill up our tanks, funding for Al Qaeda looks a little bit better.

TV pundits keep swinging back and forth as to whether voters will pick a president based upon how the economy is going or how we are faring in Iraq. The voter should take a step back from this week’s news on both fronts and decide which candidate might actually have an energy policy. If you believe that retaining the SUV exemption from the fuel economy penalties that cars must comply with is a good idea Bush is your man. If you think that his opposition to improved efficiency of appliances is smart — stick with the incumbent. But consider the fact that the savings from the improvements to refrigerator efficiency (required by federal regulation) over the last 30 years have saved as much electricity as we get from all of America’s dams. Consider that Fortune magazine estimates that we spend $50 billion just patrolling the Persian Gulf — not including the cost of the war in Iraq. Of course, after dismissing the Bush energy policies, you’ll have to find the Kerry energy policies.

*********************

That energy stuff is hard. Let’s go back to basics. It will soon be time to start picking candidates. How to pick your candidates? You can use the old fashioned approach. You know — study their positions on the various issues and pick the person closest to your ideology. That won’t get you to the character of the individuals though. Unless you have the opportunity to get to know the candidates before election day — and you may have that opportunity if you’re willing to make the effort – examining how these folks conduct a campaign can tell you a lot about what kind of people they are.

Those electioneering signs are beginning to pop up. If someone takes a candidate’s sign a puts it up in her yard, that tells you something good about support for that politician. If a candidate’s team puts up signs in a public right-of-way, that also tells you something. It tells you the candidate is so desperate for name recognition that he needs to do something illegal. Every time you see one of those pieces of roadside litter, subtract a few points from the candidate who is responsible for it.

And speaking of responsible — don’t pay any attention to candidates who claim they have no control over ads attacking their opponent. All the guy has to do is call up the folks running one of these ads and it will be gone. When in 2002 Republican Party hacks ran those foul dancing Martha Fuller Clark ads on behalf of Jeb Bradley or in 2004 some Swift Boat guys run ads attacking John Kerry’s war record, Bradley and Bush are just as responsible as if they paid for them themselves. Hold them responsible! George Epstein, chairman of The Echo Group, lives in Madison and can be reached at gepstein@Echoman.com.