To answer your question: Yes - I support human intuition. People need to figure out how to drive less, or pool their resources by carpooling or even slugging as happens in many major metropolitan areas.

I’m a big fan of markets helping societies to make the decisions that are best for them. Scarcity drives higher prices which encourages people to look for short-term alternatives like public transit and carpooling and long-term alternatives like biofuels, hybrids and electric cars.

I know people are hurting right now, and that’s a legitimate and lamentable thing. But if we work to bring down the price of fuel, we risk reducing the public demand for a solution that will be effective in the long-term, and as the laws of supply and demand require, we also risk doing nothing to decrease our consumption of fossil fuels.

Are there any economically feasible policies relating to oil consumption you support?

i don’t know how you imagine the middle east, but it’s not all bazaars and casbahs.

I’m aware. None of the shopping centers I’ve seen pictures of, however, look like American ones. This was basically the joke on Family Guy, I suppose. It wasn’t supposed to be politically [or even factually] correct

like other arab nations don’t already have fast food and mall culture? i don’t know how you imagine the middle east, but it’s not all bazaars and casbahs.

i don’t know if kfc is privately owned and run or if it’s a franchise–i imagine it’s a franchise. in the case of the latter, it sounds like an enterprising iraqi got his hands on a good business deal–good for him (or her?)

i’d like to point out the chinese have already beat the americans there with the restaurants–chinese are freaking everywhere! :-p

and before anyone gets offended at that last comment, a) it’s true and b) i’m half chinese

At the time, I thought it was a joke.

It was a good show wasn’t it. All things must pass, tho.