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Greed and lethargy father energy and emplyment crisis
23FEB2011 | Mike Acker

Posted on 02/23/2011 12:43:49 PM PST by Mike Acker

we are looking right down the barrel -- of an empty barrel, of oil.

Gasoline at $5/gal will affect the ability of our people to get back and forth to work. At higher levels it will put a lot of us out of work due to a lack of transportation. Ration cards, perhaps?

We didn't have to come to this point: we could have built a synthetic fuel industry. The process for making gasoline from coal has long been established and we could have started with that, and moved on to algae, or garbage -- both of which have already been tested

I liked the algae plan: it's carbon neutral and we can continue to use existing vehicles and fueling stations

We could have built THORIUM reactors to produce ALL our electric power from nuclear by now -- with much less risk than uranium. Oh! you can't make bombs in a thorium reactor. oh well.

And doing all of this would have put a lot of Americans to work, helping with un-employment, and trade deficits. and budget deficits except, yes: the demirats can blow any budget. alas.

Where is the planning that we should expect from our leadership? Oh, alas, I forgot: we have all be taught that incompetence is normal in government and we just have to "deal with it"

When this crisis comes home to roost, and it's looking like that is going to be sooner now, rather than later -- well, we will all have to just deal with it


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: deficit; energy; synthetic; unemployment

1 posted on 02/23/2011 12:43:54 PM PST by Mike Acker
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To: Mike Acker
There was just an article last week(?) about a heavily subsidized oil from algae company that went bust.

I liked the algae plan:

2 posted on 02/23/2011 12:48:08 PM PST by DManA
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To: Mike Acker

A lot of “we-s” in your piece. Are you advocating throwing Federal Tax dollars at the problem?


3 posted on 02/23/2011 12:49:41 PM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

hope they didn’t scrap the plant and equipment


4 posted on 02/23/2011 12:49:40 PM PST by Mike Acker
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To: DManA
Are you advocating throwing Federal Tax dollars at the problem?

I think we should be able to adjust regulations a bit to make the new industry viable

It's very late now, but there are two days left this week and we could work Saturday

5 posted on 02/23/2011 12:54:12 PM PST by Mike Acker
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To: Mike Acker

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2668372/posts


6 posted on 02/23/2011 12:54:38 PM PST by DManA
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To: Mike Acker

The history of government meddling with industry is they inevitably back the wrong technology, and actually delay promising ones.

All that will happen is the politically well connected get richer and people with people with promising ideas get screwed.

I don’t think I’m being cynical. I think I’m being realistic.


7 posted on 02/23/2011 12:58:30 PM PST by DManA
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To: Mike Acker

I’m all for electric cars powered by nukes, American coal or whatever generates the juice.

Also nat gas cars.

That doesn’t get much love here on FR but it’s a way to help wean off oil from people that want to kill us.


8 posted on 02/23/2011 12:59:46 PM PST by nascarnation
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To: Mike Acker

It is the fault of one word that the SCUM in the ALL of the media and ALL of TV (including Fox cause they are ALL scum) - never mentions - Obama.

This is THE problem.

The news media and TV have created this false reality about their hero who they fawn over daily. The idiot public buys it like brainwashed fools. Amazing.


9 posted on 02/23/2011 1:02:36 PM PST by Frantzie (HD TV - Total Brain-washing now in High Def. 3-D Coming soon)
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To: nascarnation

There is nothing to be against with those good things. What doesn’t get love here is the idea that the Federal Government can wave its magic wand and make all these good things happen.


10 posted on 02/23/2011 1:04:36 PM PST by DManA
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To: DManA

I agree. We just need to get the FedGov the hell out of the way (as far as more power plants).


11 posted on 02/23/2011 1:08:18 PM PST by nascarnation
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To: Mike Acker
We didn't have to come to this point: we could have built a synthetic fuel industry.

Yes we could have but the oil producing nations have been careful to price crude oil at levels below what it would take to economically justify these plants. One plan that I've seen and support would have been to put a tax on imported oil that would price it at a point where gasoline (or diesel) from coal or natural gas would be competitive. At least the money would be kept here at home and not sent abroad. It could have been a successful clamping mechanism on the price of oil as well. The OPEC countries would not have the leverage they now have.

But many have balked at the idea of additional taxes on imported oil. They don't think of such a tax as having a positive long term benefits. So we've lived and died with the wild ups and downs of the oil markets. We could have had a lot more security if we had gone ahead with these programs.
12 posted on 02/23/2011 1:23:40 PM PST by truthguy (Good intentions are not enough.)
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To: Mike Acker

Is the Obama Administration still in contempt of court for not issuing drilling permits?


13 posted on 02/23/2011 1:23:56 PM PST by PrincessB (Drill Baby Drill.)
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To: truthguy

=”Yes we could have but the oil producing nations have been careful to price crude oil at levels below what it would take to economically justify these plants.”

quite true

which is why I lament the lack of planning and leadership in our senior people

deeper still I lament that We the People are inured to incompetence and racketeering on the part of our senior leadership. we should not accept that

who was it said “In a democracy people get the government they deserve” ?


14 posted on 02/26/2011 6:15:14 PM PST by Mike Acker
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