Don't ask, because I will tell you.
Posted on 01/30/2006 9:07:06 AM PST by neverdem
I'm all for free market too within reason. With record profits, high prices, lack of development; doesn't take a genius. Maybe when gas is over 5 bucks, the repubs will do the right thing. Trouble is then the dems will be in for 8 years and then look out everyone. Repubs only have themselves to blame.
I find this statement lacking something when I look around and see that our country's leaders are predominently Republican. We control the House, the Senate, the Presidency, the governorships and have appointed six of the nine SCOTUS justices. We the people are reacting to the lunacy in our government, but the "conservative" pols we've put in charge aren't doing the things we put them there to do. I know that Bush has made a small attempt to drill in Alaska, but I haven't seen him turn it into the extremely important national security issue that it really is, and hammer away at the brain-dead Kerrys and Kennedys who stand in the way of making America energy independent.
Upon reflection, I think you're right:)
Oh, but it will.
Projected global energy demand will require the discovery of 87 new Saudi Arabias to supply the energy required by 2100. Think we'll discover even one? 20?
What will make up the shortfall? Not corn, not windmills, not anything. Except nuclear.
America has vast deposits of uranium, and if someone would reverse Commie Carter's Executive Order forbidding breeder reacters it wouldn't matter anyway.
America is going to have that discussion about nuclear power. It has no choice.
Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases
From time to time, I’ll ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
Thanks for the link.
Don't ask, because I will tell you.
Some stories that generally follow the theme of this article:
http://www.neoperspectives.com/gasoline_and_government.htm
"He was complaining that the government didn't dictate what kind of cars we could drive and bashing "big oil". I thought this is the most ill informed and illogical idiot I ever heard. Several callers had called him Bill but that didn't ring a bell. Finally one called him O'Reilly and the light went on."
This is correct - Big oil does not drive the train of what cars we as individuals drive. Personally, I refuse to drive vehicles that get poor fuel efficiency. I drive a VW Jetta turbo Diesel - 45mpg, year 2000. my car before that was fuel efficient as well as the previous one.
When oil - and by extension gasoline - was cheap, no one cared about fuel efficiency - now, with prices the way they are, the populace at large cares - this population (voter constituency) as well as the other way we vote - with our check books - will ultimately drive fuel efficiency on a loarge scale, and we are seeing it happen right now - Detroit doesn't know what to do with all the power-pushing gas guzzling luxury SUV's sitting in stock. Used car dealerships get more and more in on trade every day.
I just laugh.
This is the wakeup call. NOW is time for the blow-hards in congress to ACT - not pontificate upon the merits of this technology over that. That's the job of business - to develop new & improved technology.
Sorry for the rant.
Thanks for the link!
And, now, they've discovered that the continental shelf off the California coast is virtually paved with methane hydrates.
What will it do to Babs' Feng Shui when Exxon (or Peabody Coal) starts mining it?
Superb article.
Thanks for the post and for the ping.
Excellent observations by many posters too!!
He should have made the argument against solar, stronger, though.
Solar heating works because the 2nd Law of Thermo allows essentially 100% efficiency. However, solar produced electricity is limited in efficiency. Because the produced energy density is low, there is a very high recirculating energy.
In order to make 1 silicon solar cell that will produce 10 kjoules of energy over its lifetime, you need 5-6 kjoules of energy to make the damn thing. You spend all your money and energy making more silicon cells... and very little net energy.
That is why solar is so expensive. Moreover, the advertised cost of solar is much below the true cost. They base the cost on cheap energy from oil to produce the cells. It is not a self consistent calculation.
Nuclear is the only way to go.
Thanks for the ping!
But, as other posters have noted, the GOP isn't making much of its current opportunity to change things.
Without 60 reliable, conservative or libertarian votes in the Senate, what's the GOP going to do?
Absolutely nothing, apparently. They could at least go on a fact offensive to help educate people who have only heard one side of the story.
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