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The more I hear from this man, the more I like him. Chris Matthews asks Alan Grayson if the Republicans are going to go after him for his statement on the House floor that their health care plan is for people to die quickly. Grayson says he’s been told he’s their number one target for the next election but he’s not worried about that. He’s worried about doing the right thing with getting our system reformed and that he’s received an overwhelming amount of support as opposed to negative comments about what he said.

Matthews: Are they circling around you because you’ve shown some cajones on this thing—they think they’ve got you?

Grayson: Well, we’ll see. You know, we’ll see how it goes but certainly if they don’t feel that way already (crosstalk) they sure will because I’m going to continue to speak out.

Matthews: Are they… I’m looking for some insight here. I’m a reporter. I’m trying to find out what you know and I don’t know. When you walk around the floor, when you walk past the Republican’s cloak room, when you get on the elevator, when you get on the subway over there, in the capital building, do these Republicans come up to you and say “Your number’s up buddy”? What do they say to you?

Grayson: Yeah. I hear that all the time. I get dirty looks from the Republicans all the time, but I can’t decide on my vote. I can’t decide on health care, on energy independence, on jobs, on the economy based upon dirty looks from people who throw hissy fits all the time and expect that we’re supposed to decide America’s policy on that basis. And that’s what they’ve been doing time after time. This feigned indignation time after time—we can’t let America be run in that way.

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On CNBC's Squawk Box Tuesday, energy analyst Robert Hirsch warned that $4.00 per gallon gasoline will be viewed in the not-so-distant future as "the good old days" because $12 and $15 per gallon is not far away.

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Business and Media:

“[T]he prices that we’re paying at the pump today are, I think, going to be ‘the good old days,’ because others who watch this very closely forecast that we’re going to be hitting $12 and $15 per gallon,” Hirsch said. “And then, after that, when oil – world oil production goes into decline, we’re going to talk about rationing. In other words, not only are we going to be paying high prices and have considerable economic problems, but in addition to that, we’re not going to be able to get the fuel when we want it.”

I included the analyst that spoke before Hirsch to illustrate an important point. His "solution" to the astronomical rise in energy costs is, of course, to "drill more" -- never mind that drilling in ANWR would reduce oil imports by a whopping 4% and could irreparably damage the environment and surrounding wildlife. He says this is necessary "while we wait" for alternative energy sources. The only thing we're waiting for is a President with a long-term, big picture solution to a problem that impacts everyones lives in nearly every way on a daily basis.

Can you imagine a day when you never again have to pay for gas for your car? Or never pay for a tune up? Or never pay for the electricity that powers your house? Well, with some actual leadership from our elected officials, the days of cheap and clean energy are not some far-off pipe dream. Read this article from the SierraClub and imagine the possibilities.

SierraClub: (h/t Bill W.)

"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."

Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"

$45,000 is no doubt a significant amount of money. But if we invest in this now -- like we should have been for the past 20+ years -- the price will naturally come down. Darrell Dickey hits the nail on the head when he says we need to think of this modest investment in contrast to the billions of dollars that leave our treasury every year for oil.

Here's my favorite quote:

My wife has not been to a gasoline station in seven years and 70,000 commute miles—not once!"

Imagine the possibilities.