Taking any leisurely Sunday drives these days?

I thought so. Neither am I. The idea of just driving around with the family to look at a sunset or watch the twinkling lights of the city seems absurd when a tank of gas rivals the price of an NBA playoff ticket.

That's why what I'm about to say is going to sound a bit crazy.

We need to increase gasoline taxes.

OK, I've never been a fan of taxes — not unless there is a legitimate need for them. They just suck up resources best used by consumers to do with as they please.

I'm also not much of a fan of government policies that are intended to change behaviors. That's because people are too fickle and complicated. I know a lot of environmentalists who argue that we can end sprawling growth by refusing to build new freeways. And yet, if that were true, it would be awfully hard to explain how the fast-growing cities of Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs have sprouted from raw desert in recent years when there are no freeways to get you there.

We humans tend to do what we want for a variety of reasons, and we're influenced by factors that run the gamut from P.T. Barnum-like sales pitches to the remembered wisdom of grandparents.

But we need higher gas taxes. The sooner the better. Even if, politically speaking, voting for that would be about as smart as lighting a cigarette during a campaign speech in Utah.

However, we need them in conjunction with a strong new federal energy policy that weans our dependence on oil.

During the past two weeks, the Deseret Morning News editorial board has met with two people, former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Sen. Bob Bennett, who, among other things, discussed the biggest foreign-affairs challenges facing the United States. Other than the obvious challenge in Iraq, these are Iran, Russia and Venezuela. And the common thread among each of them is the production of oil and a world demand that has enriched and emboldened leaders who are becoming increasingly dictatorial and belligerent.

North Korea would be the one exception. It presents a unique challenge having to do with the personality of a rather odd and all-powerful ruler.

We need higher gas taxes to fund road repairs and highway construction. But we also need higher federal taxes to finance real incentives for people to develop alternatives to oil or to make vehicles more efficient. I would add that we need to remove barriers to oil exploration in this country, as well. Reducing oil dependence ought to be one goal, but the main goal ought to be to take money out of the hands of world leaders who want to oppress their people and threaten U.S. interests.