Times are tough in the newspaper business. For example, The New
York Times used to have a robust fact-checking department.
Either the staff has been laid off or maybe they can't keep up
with the errors, either of which could explain the op-ed piece
"Europe Energized." Hill's piece is classic cheerleading. He
would have us believe that Europe has significantly reduced its
reliance on oil, as its governments have enticed the citizenry
out of cars and into mass transit and planes. Starting with the
contention that Europe has the same standard of living as the
United States, he indicates that Europe has made much greater
progress in reducing energy use and carbon emissions. In fact,
Europe does not enjoy the same standard of living as the United
States. In 2009, the gross domestic product (purchasing power
parity) was approximately one-third less ($14,000 less). For
most households in Europe and the United States, that is a not
an inconsequential amount of money. One reason for Europe's
lower rates of energy cons