Dave Heil wrote:
wrote:
K4YZ wrote:

wrote:

K4YZ wrote:

"THOSE" cars have been pretty much standard for 20 years now...

Yet they still burn gasoline and other petroleum based fuels. The fleet
mileage standards are not improving. The USA imports much more energy
(almost all of it in the form of oil and natural gas) than in the
1970s.

My mileage standards are doing fine. I'm on my third Dodge
Neon.

In how many years?

The 2
liter engine delivers about 33 mpg on the highway. I'm tall
but I have
4 or 5 inches of space between the top of my head and the roof of the car.

For 17 years I drove a VW Rabbit Diesel. Over 40 mpg in the worst kind
of city driving, well over 50 mpg on the highway. Met all the pollution
requirements too. With technology from the late 1970s.

Yes, the U.S.A. imports more oil than it produces. It looks as if we
*do* have an energy policy and part of it seems to be, "Let's
use theirs before we use ours".

Yup - also "we'll pay whatever it costs" and "we'll support all kinds
of not-so-nice regimes, even fight wars, as long as they keep the oil
flowing"

Most of all: "We don't have any sort of plan to become
energy-independent or even less dependent in the long term"

Why isn't there a massive program to solve our energy
problems? The
White House has been in the hands of a former oilman for more than half
a decade now. You'd think there's be some understanding of
what needs
to be done for the future, but where's the leadership?

Well, we aren't going to be driving electrics because of
limited range.

Lots of people could use an inexpensive electric car for local use. But
there's no serious program to develop one. GM had some electric Saturns
for a while, and their owners loved 'em, but they ended the program
early.

The hybrids are quite expensive.

New technology usually is - at first.

The hydrogen-powered car won't be
viable until we can produce hydrogen cheaply.

Don't hold yer breath...

What kind of leadership
would you like to see?

How about:

1) Tax credits for energy efficient investments, such as high MPG cars,
high efficiency heating and cooling units, high efficiency appliances,
etc. We used to have them...

2) A long term program to *seriously* develop energy efficient systems
like electric cars, wind and solar energy, new energy sources like
thermal depolymerization (TDP), etc.

3) Community planning that makes us less dependent on cars. Transit
systems that work. Design for sustainable technology rather than for
show.

4) An emphasis on conservation and efficiency rather than conspicuous
consumption.

I say the best thing to do now is to *not* rebuild the parts of NO that
are below sea level. Salvage what can be saved, and move away.

Will Our President exhibit leadership and say that's what should be
done? Or will he make exorbitant promises, pouring much more money into
rebuilding than it would take to relocate?

Do you really think that the POTUS has the clout to declare
that NOLA won't be rebuilt?

He seems to have the clout to say it will be. Why not the opposite?

*WHY* should we all pay to rebuild a city below sea level in a
hurricane zone?

73 de Jim, N2EY

wrote in message
oups.com...

He seems to have the clout to say it will be. Why not the opposite?

*WHY* should we all pay to rebuild a city below sea level in a
hurricane zone?

73 de Jim, N2EY


OMG!!!!!!! Howdy all and Happy Thanksgiving coming up. I know this is an
old post (from Oct) and I'll see if I can follow it to current, but just
opening messages randomly and saw this sentiment.

Hooray, Jim, for saying that. Exactly. Man, down here in the Dallas area,
people are seething (OK, maybe not seething, but they're pretty darned
po'ed) about this whole situation. We have people out of work, homeless,
distraught, etc., every day all day here. And, when the disaster happens,
suddenly compassion must go out.

Not saying the poor folks wrapped up in this tragedy don't deserve
compassion. They do. But, what in the world is the deal with this? As I
said, people are struggling every day--and it didn't take a disaster to ge
them the they live this every day for whatever reason. News around here
shows the evacuees (they didn't want to be called refugees) are thankless,
asking for more, and say they DESERVE whatever "we" can get and give for
them!!??

PAH!!! I'll tend to myself and they can, too. We've got motel/hotel rooms,
apts, homes, etc., with the folks living in them who've been sitting on
their royal you-know-whats and, now that FEMA said assistance would end Dec
1--they (the evacuees) have decided that they need to go find work, find new
homes, etc. EXCUSE ME??!! Shoulda been out there longer ago than now.

I don't know. It's one huge messed up siteeashun down heeya. And, those of
us who were forced (by way of tax dollars) to support the lunacy that's been
behind the assistance, are fed up. NO, we DON'T need to support any
rebuilding in a hurricane zone. Period. (Although a lot of trade and
commerce goes through the port...what about that?)

Kim W5TIT



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