jfnance,
Re: your response to The_Onion.
1. The true costs of coal and offshore drilling are not included in their price to consumers. Conservation of existing fossil energy supplies offers a much bigger and cheaper resource than coal, nuclear, or offshore drilling combined. Besides which, the US doesn't have sufficient oil reserves (even in ANWR) to appreciably affect the price at the pump.
2. The cost of federal tax per gallon of gas is 18 cents; whereas the recent cost increase in gasoline due to investors (current "commodity bubble") is about 80 cents per gallon. (Yes, these are the same rapacious investors that brought us the recent "housing bubble"). The_Onion is correct that taxes on these finite fossil resources should increase to reflect their true value and true environmental costs.
3. You misread The_Onion's comment. It is Oil and Gas (not renewables) that have been the beneficiary of billions of dollars of subsidies over the past 50 years. The_Onion suggests diverting this subsidy money to renewables.

With renewables, it is the "economies of scale" that need to come into play. As more PV panels, wind turbines, and electric cars are produced, the more these costs will come down. The US can be a leader in renewable technology, or a dinosaur. So, let's exit the Mesozoic and enter the future!
sam55

The angry name-calling in these comments never ceases to amaze me. How about a civil discussion instead?
It is the devaluation of the dollar (interest rate cuts) that has really ramped up our costs at the pump. Combine that with the current "commodities bubble" (brought to us by the same investors who gave us the "housing bubble"), and you have increases in energy costs. Commodities speculation has increased gasoline costs by least 80 cents per gallon, so stop blaming folks who are trying to wean us away from the use of fossil fuels. The cheapest and quickest way to extend fossil energy reserves is to promote conservation AND alternative renewable energy. Americans have no inherent right to consume 25% of the world's energy.
The "drill more here" proponents are mistaken if they think that will help. For example, the most optimistic estimates of oil reserves in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) state that it would provide us 3 years of our oil consumption (it would take 30 years and untold environmental damage to extract it, however). Geologists know that we simply do not have the oil reserves we need in this country. Besides which, one could argue that we should consume everyone else's energy first and save ours for the future!
So please, let's be civil in this discussion, let's stop blaming those people who care about the future of the world, and let's stop putting misinformation out there.
We must begin paying the true cost for our fuel, and that is $4 per gallon or more for gasoline. Americans need to be more energy aware, drive less, drive more efficient vehicles, and think about the kind of world we'd like our grandkids to inherit.
Thanks, sam55