Hah! I got two letters. I sent the first back with some remarks and NO money. My remarks were about how offensive the platitudinous crap for questions were regarding what I'm supposed to believe in. All the same damn sound bite crap about health care and the rest of the bread and games dreck ad nauseum. I crossed all that crap out and said that once McCain and the RNC woke up to the major, single issue facing us; energy! and the lack of the balls to put forth a sane, forward thinking solution (which is so obvious, it's painful) I'm gone. Throw McCain to the curb and find someone who actually is living in the 21st Century. Start making America energy independent and the rest of the problems will solve themselves as we grow stronger, both economically and in our spirit.
The second letter I sent back to sender, addressee is asleep till 2009.
I'm just wondering, what do you think the best way to become energy self-sufficient is?
For what it's worth, and it's not worth much because I'm just a crabby 64 year old from Michigan, we need to exploit the resources we have available to us in or near America. There is no conversation going on about that in our political system. All we have is defeatism by talking about conservation. That is stupid. What made America great was our defiance in the face of adversity and plowing ahead full bore. Those who call for conservation are really calling for defeat, to give up and move backwards. I spit them out of my mouth. The 21st Century Know Nothings barrage us with "Save the Earth", Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint, Alternatives to "fossil" (if they truly are..) fuels, woe is me, America bad. We are not bad, we are a great nation and great people. Consider what the world would be like if Americans were not here. I submit it would look like the Middle East and Africa; chaos.
Certainly it makes sense to be concerned about our surroundings. We should not waste anything. Not wasting doesn't mean not finding, processing and using. One should not pee in one's bed for sure. There is a large difference however, between careful and deliberate exploitation of resources for our benefit, sober judgment about how important energy is to our freedom vs the nonsense that is going on now regarding destruction of our planet, mostly spouted by hypocrites of the highest order, or scientists looking for ways to confirm preordained notions.
If I were president, the morning after my inauguration I'd call to the White House the decision makers in charge of the American oil, gas and coal exploration companies, the refinery bosses, American and French nuclear engineers, CEO's of the companies that manufacture tooling, supplies and equipment for the those aforementioned businesses, the bright minds that are thinking about harnessing the ocean currents, river currents, the waves in the oceans, wind, hydrpgen and solar power.
We'd settle in and flesh out an energy policy for the next 50 years that would exploit the vast resources that go untapped in the oil shale in the Green River watershed, (2 trillion barrels, 1.2 trillion extractable at a profit with today's tech at a profit at $40.00 a barrel), ANWR, the Dakota/Montana/Canadian oil find, off both coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida. There are vast reserves of gas under the Great Lakes, we have coal up the oogotz. We should build at least two nuclear power plants in each state. I wouldn't subsidize a dime of what it would take to exploit those resources except with a tax credit up to eliminating any tax entirely, given only if certain benchmarks were met.
As for the niche resources such as waves, currents, wind, solar and hydrogen I'd do the same. No subsidy, only a tax credit based on performance.
Then I'd address a joint session of the congress and point fingers and name names. I'd remind them that what we are doing is in the best interests of America and Americans. You want to keep the America safe, powerful and not dependent on tin pot dictators and evil governments? I'd invite any of our Western Hemisphere friends to join with us as well as a hand in friendship to the French who have nuclear tech down pretty pat. I'd remind the congress that they serve all of America, and start thinking about unemployment if they didn't start putting our needs as Americans ahead of their election. In fact if they'd do that, they'd not have much trouble getting re-elected. I would point my fingers at and name names again while spelling out the obstructionism they have and are engaging. I would televise much of the energy deliberations that would not endanger certain proprietary advantages companies happen to have and for sure the address to the congress. I would ask the American people en mass to contact their congress critters to advise them regarding their employment.
I'd also announce the formation of a group to explore the efficacy of a national program to create a high speed electrical elevated rail system using the interstate highway rights of way which would provide safe, inexpensive travel and shipping around the country.
But since this is just me and this is just the internet, it's just another fantasy.
