In light of the United State’s recent bombings of Iraq, I, the Daily science geek, decided to wax political.

Why are we still blowing people to smithereens in the Middle East? Why are U.S. forces there? What can the benefits possibly be?

At least some officials are finally admitting it is because of oil, and not strictly humanitarian reasons.

Within our lifetimes we will undoubtedly see another serious energy crisis in the Middle East that will be damaging to the American economy and our individual lifestyles. Why are we trapped in this cycle of doom?

Because gas is cheap.

It has been said that if everyone in the U.S. rode their bicycle to work three times a week it would eliminate entirely the need for oil imports. Imagine that.

In China and India, nearly everyone rides a bike for the daily commute. According to Bicycling magazine, January, 1996, only one in 74,000 people owns their own car in China. In the U.S. this figure is one out of two.

That’s because gas costs them an arm and a leg.

We live in a country where cardiovascular disease is the number one killer and where doctors and insurance companies are reaming everyone up the tailpipe. Entrepreneurs are making money off the fat, by asking people to pay for their pounds. Exercise is the only effective cure for being fat.

A little additional bicycle riding by Americans has the potential to make us a nation of healthier, environmentally responsible (if not conscious) people.

But I’m not an idiot. I know my opinion isn’t going to change anyone’s attitude. So let’s bring it down to earth for a minute. According to the Motor Vehicle Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation, there are 45,331 cars registered to residents in Story County (about 2 cars for every 3 people). Hypothetically assuming the average car owner in Story County spends merely $10 a month on their car, including gas and servicing, that’s nearly half a million dollars a month that we spend on our cars, collectively ($5 million a year).

Individually, that’s only $120 dollars a year. Not much in absolute terms, but that’s a lot of wasted beer money. And that’s not even considering insurance, parking tickets and the fact that very few people probably spend only $10 a month on their car.

So I say, if you want to lose weight and have more money, ride your bike. I won’t even charge you for the pounds you’ll lose.

As for mileage, bicycles get around 3,000 miles per gallon, if you convert human calories into an equivalent amount of gasoline. That’s 100 times better than the average car. And you don’t need insurance on your bike.

The cost of such a plan would be increasing the number of already scarce bike racks on campus and around town.

Other countries are investing in stable and renewable energies. Unless the U.S. follows suit, we will not be such a great nation after the big energy crisis comes.

If the U.S. could reduce the need for foreign oil, maybe we would be less concerned about Saddam Hussein and the instability of the Middle East.

American oil interests might not make the gargantuan profits they make now, but they’ll get by. Anyway, the world doesn’t revolve around them.

Well…it does actually.