As you all know, I talk a lot on my Christian financial blog about the problems that continue to persist for all Americans due to the ever increasing gasoline prices that we all have to endure. I thought that it was really great as I was reading the news this morning to see that the the government is finally starting to think about doing something about it. Oh no, no, no...that doesn't mean that the government is going to impose some kind of intervention where we're going to start seeing the gas prices fall. They are actually looking into some more responsible long-term ideas though. From what I've read in the article, it appears that the government is trying to raise the standards and re-evaluate the policies that automobile and truck manufacturers have to follow when designing the fuel efficiency capabilities of the vehicles they produce. Sure, that isn't going to help that many of us out at the moment, but perhaps in the long run, we will start to see ourselves buying less gasoline, rather than paying less for it.

I have to admit that such "far in the future" thinking is really difficult for me to wrap my head around. I would imagine that I'm not the only one who feels this way. Maybe I'm just an impatient American, but when I'm sitting here (like many of you likely are) thinking about what bills and expenses that I have to account for over the next month, I would be far more interested in seeing immediate results at the pump the next time I have to fill up my tank. I'm sure that the way our legislative planners are thinking is that the types of responsible planning that they are attempting will allow us to save more money, both as individuals and as a whole nation. I'll be interested to see what kinds of changes continue to be made as shakeups abound in the state of the government. The debates on both the Republican and Democratic side of the spectrum have now begun, and although the focus thus far has been on the foreign policy agenda of the country, at some point they will have to begin talking about things more in tune with domestic concerns. I suppose that most people would say that the foreign policy agenda is pretty much intimately linked to domestic concerns, due in great part to....surprise...the crazy happenings that our government has gotten us involved in in both Afghanistan and Iraq. We can only pray that God gives our leaders the wisdom to make the right decisions in the next year or so, since they have now freely admitted the bad qualities of their previous decisions. We must also pray that they know well enough to start mending relationships with our allies and other supporters, rather than flying by the proverbial "seat of our pants" in all situations. Finally, we must pray most of all that we don't get involved in another conflict, especially those brewing in Israel, Iran, or even North Korea. I'm sure that a lot of you out there are probably not in agreement with me about what I've been saying about the government lately. I really can't help voicing my opinion about the poor qualities of the government...and in particular the administrative branch of it. Now that the debates have begun, many Americans, myself included, have started to look forward to what might be, as well as back to what could have been if things had turned out differently in the last presidential election. I hope that you all will look at what I'm writing with an open mind, and accept that you can be "not a Republican" or "not a conservative" and still be a good Christian. I assure you that it's a possibility, and I'm living proof of it. I would love to hear any responses to what I've said that you might have. I think that it's important that we can successfully look at things from opposite ends of the spectrum and to gauge what all the options that Americans have really are. Drop me a note and send me a challenge!