I no more like our oil dependency or environmental degradation than Tom Friedman does. But waiting for government to act is never the best course of action. Friedman himself demonstrates that waiting for governmental action is not the course Americans choose. Indeed, the ability to act without government involvement is one of the strengths of the American system. So, Texas Instrument builds a green building and I am sure others will follow.

In the meantime, the Financial Times reported that"Over the weekend, leading power equipment makers suggested that the world was on the verge of a switch from gas to coal as the preferred fuel for power stations."

I believe that, governments aside, the high price and insecurity of oil and gas supplies are going to end our oil dependence sooner than most experts think possible.