$730,000,000,000 - Page 5

MMDad · 07-09-2008, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by This_person

It does make sense in some areas, but not at the level his plan was projecting. It's a cafe product in a mega-mall demand. At best, a home brewery in Ireland, if you catch my drift

Oh, I agree it is not THE solution. But it can be part of it, along with solar, nuclear, coal, oil, bio-fuels (that don't steal from the food supply), and so on.

I'd like to see us use tidal energy. Think of a million ton floating platform in an area that has big tidal action. Move that up and down 16 feet twice a day, and drive generators with that motion.

DEEKAYPEE8569 · 07-09-2008, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...per year.

That's what we're pizzing away right now on oil IN EXCESS price of a barrel. That's right, if we just assume oil is worth $50 a barrel, which is what it was ONE YEAR AGO, then we use $150, which is right around the corner, and it stays there for a year, it will dwarf what we spend on national defense. It would be the largest single item on our national tab.

Think about that. Can you imagine a federal program that goes from ZERO to $730 billion...in one year? That's a $2,400 tax on every man, woman and child in this country.

That is nearly double the largest single year budget deficit in our history. That is enough money to retire the national DEBT in about 11 years.

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A good idea in theory would be for all of the U.S. to park its cars for one day; nobody drive. I don't know if it would make a notable impact or not, but it might get someone's attention.

MMDad · 07-09-2008, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEEKAYPEE8569

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A good idea in theory would be for all of the U.S. to park its cars for one day; nobody drive. I don't know if it would make a notable impact or not, but it might get someone's attention.

Symbolic gestures with no real effort are less than worthless. It does no good to park today if I'm going to drive twice as much tomorrow.

If we want to get "someone's attention" we need to drive less, car pool, use public transportation, walk, bicycle, turn the thermostat up in the summer, down in the winter, and all those inconvenient things that will actually reduce our energy consumption.

This_person · 07-09-2008, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMDad

Oh, I agree it is not THE solution. But it can be part of it, along with solar, nuclear, coal, oil, bio-fuels (that don't steal from the food supply), and so on.

I'd like to see us use tidal energy. Think of a million ton floating platform in an area that has big tidal action. Move that up and down 16 feet twice a day, and drive generators with that motion.

Don't know of any research behind it, personally, but makes a lot of sense to me as one more potential alternative on the menu.

*Larry Gude* ^(Premo) · 07-09-2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMDad

I'd like to see us use tidal energy. Think of a million ton floating platform in an area that has big tidal action. Move that up and down 16 feet twice a day, and drive generators with that motion.

...well, that takes care of my laptop...

Think of the cost of getting that dribble of energy.

This_person · 07-09-2008, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMDad

Symbolic gestures with no real effort are less than worthless. It does no good to park today if I'm going to drive twice as much tomorrow.

I strongly agree

Quote:

If we want to get "someone's attention" we need to drive less, car pool, use public transportation, walk, bicycle, turn the thermostat up in the summer, down in the winter, and all those inconvenient things that will actually reduce our energy consumption.

Yes, the attention this would garner is our own. We would be inconveniencing ourselves for someone else.

The real way to get "someone ELSE'S attention" is to drill for the oil and other supplies we can use from our own shores, develop internally our own alternatives, and continue to live how WE choose to live without THEIR product.

*Larry Gude* ^(Premo) · 07-09-2008, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMDad

Symbolic gestures with no real effort are less than worthless. It does no good to park today if I'm going to drive twice as much tomorrow.

...you mean like giving the peasants $150 billion to 'stimulate' them while taking $730 billion from us due to poor policies and leadership?

MMDad · 07-09-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...well, that takes care of my laptop...

Think of the cost of getting that dribble of energy.

Your laptop runs on hundreds of megawatts?

There are other ways to harness the tides. The floating platform would be good at the community level. It would take other methods to power regions.

The startup expenses are large, but after that the energy is free except for maintenance. Kind of like a nuke plant, except that there is no waste to dispose of.