Unfortunately, a stronger economy may also signal that energy demand will increase, driving up the price of crude oil and gasoline.

Higher crude oil prices and other factors mean consumers are in for another year of price volatility.

The angry men know that this golden age (of fossil fuels) has gone; but they cannot find the words for the constraints they hate. Clutching their copies of Atlas Shrugged, they flail around, accusing those who would impede them of communism, fascism, religiosity, misanthropy, but knowing at heart that these restrictions are driven by something far more repulsive to the unrestrained man: the decencies we owe to other human beings.

If oil stays where it is, then the economy will slow, and the market will take up some of the Fed tightening that is priced into it.

As long as the oil market remains buoyant, as it does for other commodities, then the Russian economy will prosper. The consumption boom is growing on the back of the wealth being produced by commodity growth.

Last month, the Energy Department almost doubled its long-term oil price forecast. That means gasoline prices will continue their upward trend. At the same time, the signs of global warming are clearer than ever. Simply by choosing the most efficient vehicle in each class, we could cut our average gasoline bill by $510 a year, while cutting carbon emissions more than 30 percent. So whether it's for your pocketbook or for the planet, there has never been a better time to buy a green vehicle.