Posted on 08/06/2004 11:17:11 AM PDT by visagoth
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Reuters) - With crude oil prices at a record high, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry on Friday offered a 10-year, $30 billion proposal to move the nation toward energy independence.
Under the measure, aides said, American companies and consumers would receive financial aid to develop and buy more fuel-efficient motor vehicles.
In addition, it would set twin goals to have, by the year 2020, an even 20 percent of the nation's motor fuel and electricity come from alternative sources such as solar, wind, ethanol and biodiesel fuel.
Kerry, on a cross-country campaign tour, arranged to formally announce the proposal during a visit to a family farm outside Kansas City.
The measure would provide $10 billion to help automakers retool plants to build high-technology, fuel-efficient vehicles, and give consumers a tax credit of up to $5,000 to buy them.
It would also earmark $5 billion for a research partnership between government and industry into fuels made from agricultural waste, and $10 billion to transform the current generation of coal-fired utility plants into cleaner and more efficient facilities.
The Massachusetts senator has made energy independence a centerpiece of his campaign for the White House and his proposal fleshed out earlier ones he has promoted on the campaign trail.
The cost of the measure would be partially offset by reinstatement of a tax on polluters, aides said.
Kerry has contended greater energy independence would create jobs, provide for a cleaner environment, bolster security and make sure American soldiers do not have to go to war over Middle East oil.
President Bush has said a massive energy bill blocked by Kerry and other Senate Democrats would help reduce the demand for foreign oil largely by opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
In early trading Friday, oil prices climbed close to $45 a barrel, the highest level in 21 years for U.S. light crude futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Yea, it is called the bicycle!
In other words, he wants to triple my energy bill!
10 year plan:
year 1:raise gas tax .50/gallon
year 2:raise gas tax .50/gallon
year 3:make us buy cows to power our houses by methane
year 4:make the people who work pay for bikes for those who
don't work
year 5:no more air conditioning(the opposite of the Carter
,wear-a-sweater energy program)
year 6:another gas tax
year 7:ban all motors over 50 cc(except for prez motorcades)
year 8: no more boats, only sampans
year 9: only one light per house
year 10: no more coal heat or power-only peat moss.
And here I thought Kerry was against corporate welfare and tax cuts for huge multinational companies.
I was just gonna ask: Is step one gonna be:
1. Vote for Bush
I guess he plans on pulling this out of the same magic vortex o' money that they reach into for all hand-outs.
Quite handy, that.
All the wind, solar, biomass, and other alternative stuff sounds a lot like Jimmy Carter's plan, a real loser. Remember coal slurry, and the billions of wasted bucks that went into that Colorado boondoggle before it was later closed?
You just cannot make this stuff up.
I have a better idea.
1. Bid out acreage in ANWAR to major oil companies
2. Drill ANWAR
3. Build more refineries(that burn cleaner)
4. Pump oil to refineries and refine
5. Distribute to gas stations
6. Consume gas at lower price
7. Tell Saudis to piss up a rope.
The only way these alternative fuels will solve any energy problems is if they are selected by the market to solve them. Wind, solar, and fermentation of corn all have one thing in common. They need government subsidies to close the deal on their use. (California did this under Gerry "Moonbeam" Brown, and I put in a solar hot tub heater because of the tax credit. It would not have made sense to do it otherwsise, so in this case other taxpayers helped me have solar hot water.) I will take this opportunity to thank them.
No one is mentioning Nuclear power, (the choice in France), because we are so wide eyed stupid when it comes to radioactivity. In this case the government is needed, to resolve the waste production issue and set regulations for safety. Since nuclear power is used in Europe, I must conclude that the cost/market issues have been resolved there. This may be the only place where I give any credit to the Europeans. My test for energy policy is (1) let the market decide, and (2) Give consideration to nuclear power generation. Otherwise I just don't look any farther in the article.
The United States becomes energy independant in 2013 during Jeb Bush's second term.
You tell 'em, Doc! 
Old Jeb gets the US such a large surplus of oil, we robots only have to work a 30 hour week.
Y'know, I have a 2-YEAR, 20 JILLION dollar plan for energy independence!
See, senator Kerry, I can play the make-believe game too. I just don't have some shill at NPR to report it.
Now where did I put my 5-minute, $25.00 plan to win the war on terror...?
Or how about we stop burning oil to produce between 8 and 15 billion kilowatt hours of electricity every month, and replace it with nuclear power plants?
Taxes...taxes...and more TAXES!
Woooooohooooooooo!
Don't these idiots ever stop?
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