Reducing our demand for foreign oil and reducing the amount of carbon we release into the air are indeed matters of National Security.
No kidding about the carbon being released into the air. Global warming has had a huge impact where I live in the past 4-6 weeks. The average temperature has gone up about 40 degrees! We’re all gonna die!
“Maybe Obama and I didn’t live through those times, but my parents and grandparents did.”
Not only was he too late, he also didn’t live anywhere near where these activities took place. He live most of his life before college in Hawaii and Indonesia. He was better accepted by native Hawaiians because he was not white. He would have been as well accepted in Indonesia as any other foreigner, possibly better if the Indonesians equated white people with the European colonists.
“It’s very fair system as is.”
You mean that have learned to live with it the way it is. It is not fair to all people, and can’t be. Fair isn’t possible in groups of any size; someone always gets left out. Large group dynamics are too inefficient to allow for fairness. All you can hope for is that when your rascals get elected, they give you a little of what you want.
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Cures for cancer are a direct result of government research.
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The computer you communicate with us on is the direct result of space research.
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After about 9 more missions, the Space Shuttle will be retired. NASA says that will be by 2011, but will probably go on at least another 6 months to a year. That gets the hiatus down to about 3 years. But that is only for manned space missions on US Government rockets. There will be no drop in unmanned missions. Actually, there could be an increase, since smaller (less expensive) launch vehicles are becoming available.
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing! Canada and Mexico are the biggest EXPORTERS of crude oil to the US. Mexico has a shortage of refining capacity due to under-investment. As a result, some of that imported oil is refined and re-exported to Mexico. Makes a great deal of sense for both countries.”
Outstanding post! Neighbors helping each other out is a great way to get along. This is why NAFTA is a great thing.
“This is what I’m talking about.”
That is one way to increase the fleet mileage. Greater dependence on diesels is another; large increases in hybrid sales is another. And hybrids are changing wit increased energy density in batteries. There will probably be more small cars, too, but there are several ways to increase fleet mileage.
“I happen to be among those who believe that Obama would appear to perceive the presidency as the “Top office” with absolute power and the executive branch as having powers superceding the legislative and judicial branches.”
George W. Bush incarnate! No, really! Look at the similarities:
- Young, inexperienced politician with a slim track record.
- Willing to use the full powers of his office to accomplish the goals he thinks are most appropriate.
- Ready to push the envelope at any time if those full powers aren’t enough.
- Declared an older, well-seasoned politician as his second in command to help him through the tough spots.
Are you sure that Bush and Cheney aren’t under all that makeup? Andy Kaufman would be all over this.
Xebadaih, Relax, The Temperature Does That Every Year! You Are Correct, Though. We Are All Going To Die.
Here’s what gets me. We have just had the coldest winter (season - 6 months +) where I live, since I moved to this house, 22 years ago and last winter was very cold, too. We have people in our area that had their geothermal furnaces begin to fail because the ground became too cold. The weather wouldn’t let up enough and the ground loops for the system could not recover enough to provide adequate heat. Some had no back-up and many will have to buy a back-up furnace or re-engineer their systems before next winter. By the way, we are now in one of our coldest spring seasons on record.
I, for one, am already fuming over this cap & tax idea that some in all 3 branches of our government are going to shove down our throats. My energy costs were $400 higher than last year. Now our Governor is going to punish people for using electricity (This was actually stated.) by taxing (surcharging) electric bills. Our president and legislators are going to punish us for using energy in our cars, homes, all products, by taxing and capping. I’ve insulated, replaced appliances, water heater, furnace, light bulbs, dialed down to 63 degrees in the winter, etcetera. We don’t have A/C. We don’t get enough sunlight to make solar feasible. I am looking at open-loop geothermal for next season. Why punish me? I’m doing what I can. Our family is driving less, too.
We’re doing all this as the climate is cooling, the economy in much of the country is in shambles, and people in the country are demonstrating a savings in reduced energy consumption, by driving less, heating less, cooling less and doing what they have to do to afford to live. We don’t need a punitive government!
We need nuclear and we need it ASAP. The United States government, right now, is helping the Saudis develop their nuclear energy program and is doing nothing here for our own people. Does that make sense to anybody?
Does it occur to anybody that I and others like me don’t want to fight global warming? I don’t believe in manmade global warming, I mean climate change, sorry, I forget it had to be renamed because of cooling. I would however, make a donation to help cause warming if I thought it was possible. Have you ever looked at the pros and cons of cooling vs. warming? I need a little warming right now.
As long as this government thinks the answer to our energy problems will be solved by solar, wind, and battery powered cars and ignores nuclear and oil & coal exploration (for the short term) and doesn’t consider hydroelectric as renewable energy (I guess that’s so the producers of it get hit by the cap & tax), then I will not take them seriously.
This is not a partisan thing I’m talking about. It’s a lack of common sense leadership. It’s the lack of sound leadership from members of all three branches and both major parties.
Have A Nice Day, CSA
History lesson, Reagen, and both Bush’s blew out the economy and left office with record deficits. Clinton’s admin (with an assist from Gingrich) balanced the budget. Republicans talk a bunch of BS about fiscal responsibility and then keep spending. They talk the talk, and don’t walk the walk on budgets and deficits.
Money is being spent now to fix the mess created by the previous administrations. If it works Obama is a good guy, if it doesn’t he’s a bust. He is taking the risk and we won’t know the result for years. It is too early to judge, but I’d rather have Obama in charge than the republican of the day Dick Cheney. Is that the best guy you got now?
“I am basically against the mileage standards only, but am strongly in favor of the tax mechanism to tax heavy and thirsty vehicle, the way it is successfully done in over 30 foreign countries.”
I tot ally agree with jts… However I would bet that 99% of the people reading this will hate the idea because:
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It is already done in another country and since we did not do it first it can’t be any good
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It has the word TAX in it. Let’s face it, we are all going to pay one way or another. Taxes can be very good things. Without them we would have no roads, no army no police fire public schools etc. I agree that for a large part today’s taxes are not well thought out, but let’s fix them not just grumble about it.
jtsanders makes an interesting point.
To that, I would add that our national policies and priorities, since they are impacted by political parties with differing memberships and differing agendas, are like a pendulum. And, like a pendulum, the policies of our former chief executive swung all the way to the right. Now, under a different chief executive, they appear to be swinging sharply to the left.
Personally, I would prefer if national policies would achieve a good balance between left and right, but like that pendulum, they will probably have to swing toward the left for a while before some kind of balance is hopefully achieved.
How is it unfair? And how are the new CAFE standards going to make things even more “fair”?
That’s great that you found vehicles that you enjoy and that get good fuel mileage. Not everyone wants to drive around in small, slow cars. My daily driver has 4.6L supercharged V8 which returns 18 MPG overall. From a HP to MPG ratio standpoint, it’s quite efficient. However I fear that with the new CAFE standards relatively inexpensive, yet powerful cars will go away. Legislated out of existence. We are going to be basically forced into buying small, slow cars that not everybody wants to drive.
common sense, Man made global warming is the biggest and most expensive lie ever. The whole thing is really sick. Oh and while I’m at it I don’t want to forget to mention that we were supposed to run out of oil, be massively over populated and in an ice age 30 years ago. And Y2K was going to end the world. Now excuse me, my polar bear steak is getting cold.
I’m not sure Biden is going to help anyone through any tough spots. The poor old guy could not find his way out of a wet paper bag I’m afraid.
“The poor old guy could find his way out of a wet paper bag I’m afraid.”
Why are you afraid of that?
Would you prefer that he could not find his way out of a wet paper bag?
" How is it unfair? And how are the new CAFE standards going to make things even more “fair”?"
For one thing, trucks don’t pay a gas guzzler tax, no matter how they are used or how bad the mileage is. How many non-military H1s or H2s are used for anything but personal vehicles? Yet a Honda S2000 owner must pay a guzzler tax when he buys a new one. Is it fair that your favorite Mustang V8 pays a guzzler tax and an F350 doesn’t?
I don’t believe that new CAFE standards will make things fairer. They will just be different. Your rascals are out, and some other rascals are in.
I agree, Xebedaih. VDCDriver, you said that the vote was along party lines, but it was clearly one of the biggest bipartisan winners ever, and signed into law by a Democrat president. This supports my suggestion earlier that there is plenty, and probably equal, blame to go around for the banking mess.
Well I would prefer that he could.