Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy
Submitted by Nick D on Sat, 05/17/2008 - 3:19pm.
In the weeks following the 9/11 terrroist attack on the U.S., President Bush had a rare and precious opportunity to ask the American public for real sacrifice on behalf of their country. He could have gone to Congress, and demanded a $1/gallon increase in the federal gas tax to pay for the war against terrorism that our country would soon embark on, while at the same time encouraging conservation and smarter city design.
He could have demanded intensive research into alternative fuels, and set a goal to get the U.S. off foreign oil by 2010, pointing out that 16 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, the U.S.' number two oil source, and that when you send hundreds of billions of dollars overseas to buy oil, it is inevitable that some will fall into the wrong hands.
He could have asked for a new national service program, enlisting thousands of ordinary Americans in the service of their country. He could have demanded increased security around critical infrastructure assets, chemical plants, oil refineries, and others.
Instead, he did none of these things. He assured Americans that no sacrifice was needed, and that instead, they should just go shopping. Yesterday, he got his comeuppance for coming up very small in a large spot. Yesterday, President Bush went to Saudi Arabia to beg for that country to increase its oil output in order to lower oil prices. They told him to get lost.
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Lots of Blame
Submitted by Nick D on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 7:31pm.
Randy, I agree with you that there's more than enough blame to go around on this issue. Presidents of both parties have failed to muster up the courage to ask Americans to sacrifice on behalf of their country. It's just that Bush had a rare opportunity to do it after 9/11 and he failed miserably.
It isn't ethanol research that's causing food shortages, Randy, its the subsidies for corn-based ethanol. This I agree with you on: We should do away with these subsidies. The type of biofuels I'd like to see researched are so-called "second generation" biofuels that don't use foodstuffs, like cellulosic ethanol and algae biodiesel.
Finally, by national service I meant something like AmeriCorps, not the military.
Save My Gass
Submitted by raz on Wed, 05/21/2008 - 2:18pm.
You're more right then wrong because I remember the oil embargo and how you were damn lucky to find any gas and when you did there was a limit.
Building standards were change as well as almost every energy eating appliance. We never had triple glazed windows or insulated doors before the Carter Administration.
The oil and auto people put an end to his mpg standard and him so we never had a chance to see the results.
When gas fired furnaces changed in the seventies to high efficient appliances it was hailed as remarkable and the fact is that they haven't gotten any better.
But why should the government
Submitted by Randy on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 8:25pm.
Fund all the research? Why not the private market. Seems to me that Exxon and brothers ought to be real interested in the possibility (conspiracy theories aside). As the world moves to some replacement for gasoline (and we will someday), they will lose market share to gas-part-2. And when they lose market share, their profits go down.
As for the AmeriCorps, I have no problem, but isn't that like the peace corps (which I mentioned) and other service organizations? Frankly, I'm against conscript labor completely, whether it be in armed service or unarmed.
Not All, But Some
Submitted by Nick D on Tue, 05/20/2008 - 9:57am.
because developing alternative fuel sources is extremely capital intensive, and if the government doesn't assist in the research, then there is a high risk that other countries will get ahead of us.
Let's also take a moment to recall the inventions whose research was partially government funded: everything from ballpoint pens, to jet engines, to the Internet. Clearly, gov't funded research has been beneficial to our economy.
Where do I start?
Submitted by Schmennis on Tue, 05/20/2008 - 9:44am.
You guys discuss things in finite terms with definite outcomes.
Where So I start?
"[Bush]could have gone to Congress, and demanded a $1/gallon increase in the federal gas tax to pay for the war against terrorism. How well would THAT have gone over? "encouraging conservation and smarter city design"
Each of the last seven presidents and all three candidates..