WASHINGTON -- Welcome to Year One of the time thereafter. If there is a constant in the commentaries on Sept. 11, it is that it was a day whose events changed the way we will live forever.
Certainly there are constant reminders of change. Anyone who has to travel runs into time-consuming and aggravating delays due to new security procedures. The costs of terrorism are intruding into our daily lives as insurance rates go up, local and state government budgets increase to accommodate additional security expenses and stronger protective services become routine.
Transportation experts expect that the entire air-transport system will change. They predict there will be fewer flights to fewer destinations at higher prices as people travel less and security measures add costs at all levels of airline operations. Some also predict the end of the SUV, America's favorite car, because of its fuel consumption. It is time once again to worry about oil reserves and America's thirst for imported petroleum.