Not even a little bit. On April 5 of 2012 a McClatchy Newspaper article claimed that financial speculators are gambling on oil prices much like they did on subprime mortgages bringing down the entire financial world in 2007, according to Michael Greenberger, professor of law at Maryland University and former federal regulator of financial markets. Republican presidential candidates are all too ready to blame Obama for $4.00 gas but it is pure political negative baloney. This speculation could bring to a halt the current recovery and lead to a deepening of the recession which finally seems to be responding to some of the things that Obama, did such as rescuing the auto industry and bailing out some of the financial institutions, all of which prevented a much worse economic crisis. They always seem to forget that George W. Bush bears the major blame for the 2007 melt-down. Presidents from Bill Clinton back to Ronald Regan can also share some of the blame by allowing the gutting of a lot of the financial regulations that help prevent financial disasters like that of 2007

Running on Empty was submitted to the 18th Annual Writer's Digest Self Publishing Book Awards. While it didn't win an award it did receive a good rating. The reviewer thought the cover needed improvements  but overall the book got high marks. The following is excerpted from the review. No name was given for the reviewer.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning "poor" and 5 meaning "excellent," Running on Empty was rated 5 for structure and organization and 5 for grammar. The cover was rated 2.

Comment: This book is extremely timely, and I'm glad the author has decided to strike while the iron is hot. There's never been a bigger market for original and incisive material in the fields of energy and energy conservation. I urge the author to continue to retool and market Running on Empty to get the notice it deserves. Greene is obviously a master of the material, and I felt in capable hands all the way through. The writing is clear and punchy (though a bit technical at times for a general readership), and thanks to great organizational tools the text is easy to follow. This book has the best table of contents I've encountered among this year's entries, and that's carried through with excellent non-narrative elements including ample subheadings, accessible illustrations, and a fat glossary. Overall, a strong entry that would benefit from a little update of appearance. Best wishes!