Listen to "Keep It In Vermont's" Robin McDermott on "Marketplace Radio."

Sounding good, Robin! 

Distractions from political leaders make it more difficult to focus on relocalizing the economy. When politicians who know better propose solutions to high oil prices that ignore the fundamental causes of the high prices, then the time it takes to debunk them eats away from the limited time during which we have abundant energy to use in relocalizing the economy.

Oh yeah, we could suggest that Vermonters keep their federal rebate checks in Vermont.

Right. We're not a Gannett-owned giant corporate commercial behemoth for nothing.

Check out the story.

And remember - KEEP IT IN VERMONT. 

Just a day before Valentine's Day, the current occupant of the White
House demonstrated his love for United States citizen/consumers by
signing the so-called “Economic Stimulus Act of 2008” into law.
Sitting behind a small desk with a banner that shouted "Boosting Our
Economy," he inked a $107-million spending package that will send (any
week now) tax “rebate” checks ranging between $300 and $1,200 to
middle- and low-income taxpayers (which is to say, most of us).
Joining in the photo-op were Congressional Democratic leaders Nancy

To reference and adapt Barbara Kingsolver's newest book on localvore living...

Animal.

Vegetable.

Pants.

Or underpants.

Whole Systems Design, Inc. describes its work as “occurring at the interface of people and land --
where the built and biological environments meet.” Based in Vermont’s
Mad River Valley, Whole Design Systems integrates ecology, landscape
architecture, site development, construction, farming, education and
other disciplines. Founder Ben Falk holds a master’s degree in
landscape design and has taught at the University of Vermont and
Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. Vermont Commons Editor Rob Williams
conducted this interview.

Richard Heinberg, one of the foremost peak oil educators in the US, will be coming to Vermont this week. On Wednesday evening (April 23), he will speak in Brattleboro, and on Thursday evening (April 24), he'll be in Montpelier. Details on the places and times for these events, plus how to arrange transportation to the Montpelier event, are at the Vermont Peak Oil Network web site.

Heinberg will also be speaking to legislators at the State House on Thursday at 9 am, and the talk will be broadcast live and streamed by WGDR, 91.1 FM Plainfield. The topic will be "Energy Overview: Navigating the Transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewables."

In the northern half of the state, you can hear me interview him live, Wednesday at 1:05 - 2:00 pm on Equal Time, on WDEV 96.1 & 96.5 FM/550 AM.

In addition to his four books on peak oil, Heinberg writes a monthly Museletter. Several recent Museletters are especially interesting for Vermonters.

According to economists Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, each
American houseold is spending approximately $100 per month toward the
current operating costs of the Iraq War.

Read more about their book The Three Trillion Dollar War here.

Happy Tax Day - might be a good time to consider joining S.E.C.E.D.E.

Read more about the Keep It In Vermont campaign in this April 11 Times-Argus article.

Take the Keep It In Vermont pledge here.

The automobile matured as a means of transportation just over a century ago, after a Vermonter bet he could drive one of the contraptions across the country. Now the bets are on how much longer they'll be on the roads.

In 1905, the automobile was considered a fad and a rich-person's toy. Horatio Nelson Jackson, on a visit to San Francisco from his home in Vermont, decided to show that the automobile could make the same transcontinental trip that the train could, and he bet $50 that he could drive a car to New York City.

Jackson won his wager, after nearly two months of adventuresome travel in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car which he dubbed the Vermont. Horse-mounted cowboys towed his car out of sand drifts, bicyclists provided him with maps, and he himself bicycled in search of fuel when the Vermont ran out of gas. When spare tires were not to be had, he continued by winding rope around the wheels. Horatio Nelson Jackson and the Vermont arrived in New York City on July 26, 1903, having burned 800 gallons of gasoline. Jackson was $50 richer from his bet; I don't know how much poorer he was from the gasoline and all the wear and tear on the car.

Since 1903 was also the year the Wright brothers used petroleum to fuel the first airplane flight, you could call it the year the age of petroleum dawned.

Since at least 1980, variations on a different type of wager have been placed: When and how fast the age of petroleum-fueled abundance will come to an end.