The First Thing You'd Do if You Were President

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by LSPoorEeyorick

You speak as though there is no way of decreasing our dependence. This is not so. I get 33 mi/gallon in my little car. When the Metro orange line is put into place by September, I will hardly be using my car at all.

And you state outright that there is no other option for fuel. But what about hybrids? Wind power? Vegetable oil? Mr. Fusion? Why won't they increase funding for such research? The technology exists. Somebody up the ladder is squashing it, and it seems to me like it'd be somebody with their fortune tied up in oil. Hmm. Who do I know who has his fortune tied up in oil?

Meanwhile, scientists have come out and bloody well said that this planet won't be long for this world. It simply cannot support life at this rate for years to come. Our children, and our children's children, are going to suffer. And it will all be our fault.

I hardly drive at all. I have a home office. My wife teaches school less than two miles from our home and our kids go there.

I said there is no other viable option, yes. I am speaking of at present. Hybrids still burn gas, though less of it. Without gas, they don't work.

In a capitalistic society, when the technology exists it will be exploited for profit. As sad as that may be, that is what will drive new sources of energy moving to prominence. Why aren't there more wind farms? I would suspect, though I have not researched it, that there isn't enough profit in it. When there is enough profit in it, it will be done. It has nothing to do with the person you are implicating suppressing it. I believe that wind power and vegetable oil were around prior to his Presidency and yet somehow were still not developed into something that could replace oil comsumption. There was a propsed wind farm off of Martha's Vineyard. "What!?!?!" cried the elite living there. "I don't want MY view spoiled!!!".

Scientists in the 70s were saying we were experiencing global cooling and that we weren't going to be able to grow crops because of it. Now, with global warming, the Kyoto garbage even admits the restrictions proposed will only make a difference of something like on tenth of a degree over the next 50 years. There are also scientists who do not spout doom and gloom regarding the condition of the environment.

There are ways of decreasin our dependence on foreign oil. How about drilling for our own?

[Name]

or we could just build more diesel cars and convert them to run off vegetable oil....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7646412/
and
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7603085/

sure, it uses diesel fuel to warm the engine, but once its up to operating temp, just flip a switch, now your running with a renewable, cleaner burning fuel that doesn't rely on foreign oil.....what a concept.
of course the price of oil would probably drop drastically if these were mass produced and many people started buying them, and that just wouldn't be good for the investors in those oil companies

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Name

or we could just build more diesel cars and convert them to run off vegetable oil....

There's more to it than that. It's an issue of existing infrastructure as well. Where would someone go to purchase enough vegetable oil to run their car? Can there be enough mass produced to power all the vehicles now using petroleum based products? There are no pumping stations. No vegetable oil pipelines. Who will make the investment to provide such things? Cars can run quite efficiently on propane as well, and in Phoenix there was a big push for this (even with virtually free cars provided at tax payer expense), but there are about 4 propane filling stations in the entire Phoenix metro area. Who wants to drive 20 miles to a filling station?

I am all for cleaner burning fuels. But nothing will come without some sort of side effect. The buzz about hydrogen sounds great. The exhaust is water vapor. However, I've read that there is a concern that in major metro areas there would be so much water vapor produced it would actually change weather patterns.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I am all for cleaner burning fuels. But nothing will come without some sort of side effect. The buzz about hydrogen sounds great. The exhaust is water vapor. However, I've read that there is a concern that in major metro areas there would be so much water vapor produced it would actually change weather patterns.

Not to mention what the high humidity levels would do to my hair!

(It could be argued that pollution has done it's fair share of changing weather patterns...)

[CoasterMatt]

Where are the researchers from Argon when you need them?

(anybody who doesn't get that obscure reference, go watch the Kentucky Fried Movie)

[HTHBellcaptain]

If I were president I would disband congress and create a demented bellhop impersonator dictatorship, with myself as Bellcaptain.

Then I'd declare a Peeps! holiday. Everyone would have to celebrate the wonderful food group know as Peeps. There would be songs, poems and sagas written about Peeps.

I would create a law that forced everyone to have garden gnomes in everything they own (House, car, refridgerator, shower.) Garden Gnomes would become a status symbol.

Next thing I'd do is get rid of the U.S. Mint, and replace it with the U.S. Chocolate Mint. That's right, the new currency for my bellhop dictatorship would be Chocolate.

The final thing that I would do on day 1 of being President/Dictator/Bellcaptain would be to shoot Carrot Top.

[sleepyjeff]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

There's more to it than that. It's an issue of existing infrastructure as well. Where would someone go to purchase enough vegetable oil to run their car? Can there be enough mass produced to power all the vehicles now using petroleum based products? There are no pumping stations. No vegetable oil pipelines.

Not to mention the poor rain forests that will be clear cut to grow said veggie oils

[sleepyjeff]

I would split the government into Three sectors for Tax purposes. Two of the sectors would be controlled by the 2 largest political parties and the third sector by a coalition of all remaining political parties. Every citizen would be required to belong to one of the 3 sectors.

Because National Defense is Paramount all citizens would pay into a Defense fund(this fund will only be for the military defense of the US not its allies or overseas interests)

Beyond that each sector would tax only the members of the sector and only for those things which they are interested in. This would promote competition between the sectors to keep taxes relatively low in order to retain members so pork spending would go bye bye. People who think a foriegn war is important would most likely join a tax sector that supports such action. People who think a ton of money thrown at education will fix its problems may join a sector that supports that. People who don't want the government spending money on anything may wish to join yet different sector.

Right now we have Rs and Ds trying to outspend each other and that can't be good for the country; With tax sectors implemented they would be competing to see who could spend the least instead of the most....and that can only be a good thing

[Name]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Where would someone go to purchase enough vegetable oil to run their car?

KFC, Jack in the Box, McDonalds, Burger King, the many mom and pop restaurants around town, Carls Jr., All the taco stands that are in my neighborhood, Hooters, Uno's, Baja Fresh, Pick Up Stix, California Pizza Kitchen, TGI Friday's,Kripy Kreme, Other Donut shops, any other restaurant/bar that serves anything fried, as well as several industries that use vegetable oils for their products.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by CoasterMatt

Where are the researchers from Argon when you need them?

(anybody who doesn't get that obscure reference, go watch the Kentucky Fried Movie)

I've got a barrel full of combs and fast food containers just waitin' to be turned into fuel.