You can hear them from a mile away — literally. Some trucks chugging around Baton Rouge send screams through the exhaust pipe as they slurp gasoline from their industrial size tanks.There was a brief period when even the most zealous truckers were considering the implications of their urban tanks. That was July, when gasoline prices peaked at around $4 a gallon.The skyrocketing fuel costs brought our nation’s future energy security to the forefront of public discourse and dominated the news cycle.Across the country individuals showed their solidarity by walking more, carpooling, and — gasp — using public transportation.Sales of SUVs and trucks, which were never shy about their need to feed, quickly flatlined.Gas prices are now edging down to $2 a gallon, which for many shortsighted individuals has meant their previous reservations about driving off the lot in a new truck or SUV have melted away.Despite the fact that several plants that produced SUVs have closed across the country, recent weeks have seen an increase in SUV sales — although they are down overall from previous years.Earlier this month, a General Motors factory in Arlington, Texas began working overtime to meet the recent upturn in demand for its SUVs. This is a serious problem, as it not only perpetuates an unsustainable behavior, it detracts from the needed attention to energy policy and political discussion.While there are many legitimate reasons to buy a truck or SUV — whether it’s for towing or work — there seems to be plenty of drivers who simply buy them for the comfort, style, and safety (in size).Many will say the choice of what one drives is purely personal. Neither I nor the government have the right to tell them what to do.”It’s a free country.”And that argument works — for a fifth grader.But from a financial perspective it makes sense. We live in a capitalist society, and even though the way people spend their money is often stupid, it’s still their money to burn.After all, excess seems to have become an American value.However, because we live in a society — particularly a country called the United States of America — the social contract mandates that other considerations be brought up.The unnecessary use of oil isn’t just a stupid act by individuals that we more efficient people chide in private. It’s an issue we discuss as a serious threat to our nation’s future prosperity.First of all, America’s current oil use is unsustainable.With only 5 percent of the world’s population, the U.S. uses about 25 percent of all oil produced — and with the emerging economies of countries like India and China, demand for oil will only increase  — as will the price.While we still have untapped resources here in the U.S., it’s a fantasy to suggest opening up offshore drilling will somehow ease our pain. We haven’t built a new refinery since 1976, and most estimates say the price of gasoline will fall just pennies in 10 years at the earliest.Second, because we are importing nearly 70 percent of our oil, that money is leaving our country — often times to go to countries which are not friendly toward us.Much of it goes to countries like Saudi Arabia — the home country of 15 of the 9/11 hijackers.  And because we can’t get all of our energy domestically, it forces our foreign policy to make strategic concessions which would otherwise not be made.It’s also an issue of national security.Having our economy based heavily on a resource that is out of American control and erratic in price is insecure for our country. Just about every good and service uses fuel as input, which means prices across the board in our economy are subject to the whims and stability of foreign countries.While personal vehicles are just a piece of the energy crisis puzzle, they are an important one.Individuals can make a decision about what vehicle they chose to drive today without any new technology or laws. They can take into consideration factors other than affordability when choosing their vehicle.Hopefully, the drop in gas prices will not silence the discussion about America’s energy future. One thing is certain — oil is a limited resource and will run out.The best way to ensure America’s future livelihood and security is to begin breaking the addiction to oil.We will need to invest heavily in what New York Times’ columnist Thomas Friedman is calling E.T. — or energy technology.While these changes are further down the road, we can do things immediately — beginning with our attitudes about what it means to be “green.”It will start with individuals choosing not to be wasteful — even though they can afford it — because they love their country and their planet. —-Contact Mark Macmurdo at [email protected]