unfortunatley we are beyond the days where conservation can do much to influence price. Certainly it can lower your personal cost, but it won't lower the overall price. Any oil conserved by a particular group will be quickly grabbed up by new groups of consumers (developing countries). In a few short years about 500 million chineese will be demanding goods and services of their own, not just producing for others. Imagine what that will do to the price of all raw materials, not just oil. My retirement accounts are heavily invested in raw materials funds. I just don't see any way the price of raw materials can do anything but rise dramatically over the coming years.
Here's something for consideration though: The price of any given item is based on Material cost, labor cost, transportation cost and selling cost. Exchange rates need to be factored in as well. As material and transportation costs rise, labor cost becomes a less meaningful part of the equation. Eventually the cost of transporting a couch from china may overtake the labor savings of producing it there. Depending on exchange rates, you may see manufacturing shift once again and return closer to home. A strong U.S. dollar over the last decade has helped send a lot of production out of the country. The weaker current U.S. dollar could help to reverse that.
The next president will probably get much praise for "returning jobs to America". But it will really have little to do with presidential decisions.
