Moral suasion, the act of trying to encourage a certain behavior through persuasion, doesn't do a great job of changing behavior (except maybe during WWII when it was obvious). President Bush urged conservation of gasoline today but I don't expect much about gas demand to change beyond the effect of higher gas prices on consumption:
"We can all pitch in by being better conservers," Mr. Bush said after being briefed on the hurricanes' impact on the energy industry at the Energy Department. "People just need to recognize that these storms have caused disruptions." In addition to urging consumers to cut back to ease the pain of the current supply shortages, he said federal employees should use carpool and public transport and not take non-essential trips.
Thanks to Mr. Nobody for the tip.
