Why should the government 'do' anything? This has been a well known issue for 30 years, and yet Americans took the easy way and didn't bother to actually change their habits. You have control over how much oil / petroleum type products you use. There are no 'quick and easy' solutions. Any action taken today will take 5 to 15 years to implement. Why didn't America and the Bush administration do anything post 9/11? I'm glad to see gas where it is and hope to see it go up yet more. $5 a gallon gasoline seems to be a good price to me. Finally, it is making a dent in the consumption side of the equation.
It didn't have to be painful, but the majority of people stuck their head in the sand while singing Happy Days Are Here Again and buying full sized trucks/vans/SUVs and moving 40 miles away from their jobs. Don't like it? Move closer to your job. Get a new job. Buy a Toyota Prius or Honda Civic. Take mass transit.
A better question is what are you doing? Have you done anything or are you all talk and no action? Why wait for the government to do something?