Agree
 

I agree completely, Billie. A lot of these "green energy initiatives" are way overblown, both in the amount of money actually being spent on them as well as how much effect they will ever have.

In my opinion, if the political leadership of the country really wanted to lay a cornerstone of a new energy policy, they'd do two things...

• Pass legislation that would drive the country towards nuclear power for electricity. Does it make sense that it takes 10-15 years to bring a nuclear powered generating facility online in this country? For crying out loud, France generates 90% of its electricity using nukes and can bring a plant online in half that time.

• Secondly, pass legislation that will drive the U.S. consumer towards buying much, much smaller and fuel efficient cars and trucks. As long as gasoline is reasonably affordable, U.S. consumers will keep driving SUVs, trucks, and other less efficient vehicles. There may be other ways to accomplish this, but passing a stairstep significant increase in federal gas taxes might do the trick. With advanced notice of the stair step increases, the auto companies could prepare for the demand for smaller, more fuel efficient cars. And knowing that higher-priced gas is coming would drive the consumers in that direction as well.

I'm not wed to the idea of a gas tax. Maybe a stairstep increase in CAFE standards could accomplish the same thing. But until we do something that actually reduces our consumption of gas and oil, the flow of money to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East will continue. Doing nothing is not an option.

How Much is Too Much
 

The top six CEO's of the oil companies make more than $1 billion a year, so where is the "free market" for investing in the future of private industry? Exxon brags when it talks about spending $1 billion dollars in research for horizontal well drilling, yet all this discussion centers around Uncle Sam putting out the money to do the research.

This is the problem with unfettered "free" markets- it's not really capitalism, and the CEO's have not produced any "product" and there really isn't any competition. It's just unregulated greed, not free enterprise.

The non-productive rich- the corporate class (not entrepreneurs)- have declared a class war since the days of Carnegie, Kennedy, Mellon and Rockefeller. It's not fought by the little guy or the working person because, other than unions, they have no power to overcome that class.

It's been age old Republican policy since Taft- and now multi-millionaires like Rush & Palin- to make people think these non-productive rich are just plain folks like you and me.

Sally Jo and GatbTester...why dont you go and tell the shrimp and fishermen in La. and Miss. your sentiments. I'm sure they can use more bait. And Donna a "bump in the road?" It might be a little more than that. The next thing I'll here is that BP is innocent it's all the fault of the Democrats or as fat boy Rush claims a plot to prevent future drilling.

Obama Made his money
 

No, that's precisely my point. Obama made his money from sales of his book- and he paid about 30% of his income in taxes and was a very generous donor (To be honest Biden only gave away about $4,000! Cheapskate.)

I don't agree with them, but Beck & Rush MADE their money by selling a product as well. I'm talking about CEO's, execs & traders brought in for multi millions before they even walk through the door. I'm talking about derivative traders and credit default brokers who make multi-millions, evens over a billion in one year, but pay only a 15% capital gains tax (instead of regular income tax), while bankrupting companies and America.
I'm talking about the five Wal-Mart "heirs" who each got 7 billion dollars when Sam Walton died- for doing nothing but having the right bloodlines- and then together got a 2.7 billion dollar tax cut under the Bush plan.

So how much is too much? Considering one Walmart heir received more in a tax break than the total expenditure of oil corporations on energy independence, something's wrong with the system.

Forbes 2010 list of billionairres lists number two and three, by wealth, in the entire world as William Henry Gates III and Warren Buffett. The next American on the list is Lawrence Ellison coming in at number 6. Number 12 and 15 on the list, respectively, are now deceased Christy Walton and Jim Walton. These are the only Americans on the list.

I'm still looking for the Wall Street billionaires on the list. Wait, here's number 1 on the list Carlos Sim Helu' from Mexico City, Mexico. His business is some sort of cellphone and Internet provider. Okay, there's number 4, Mukesh Ambani from India, Bernard Arnault from France, Eike Batista of Brazil, Amancio Ortego from Spain, Karl Albrecht from Germany, Ingvar Kamprad from Sweden, Stefan Persson also from Sweden and Li Ka shing form China.

Let's see, an oil based private corp. in India, a steel company based in India, computer technology companies in the US, the owner of Hennessy and Louis Vuitton, a Spanish Fashion Group,the owner of ALDI discount grocery store; who by the way is richer than the Waltons who own Walmart, but you didn't complain about that family, the owners of Ikea.... there it is EBX Group, a Brazilian holding founded by Eike Batista, the richest man in Brazil. That dirty bast-rizian.

I hate to even look at the list of filthy Hollywood, fashion model, restaurant owner, physician/surgeon, lawyer, small business ower, musician, investor, construction company, real estate owning, sports player, dirty millionaires. Or the dirty rotten scoundrels do nothing families who might benefit from their filthy money!!! Damn them.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes_...f_billionaires

You go girl!!!! Nothing wins an argument better then facts. :a20:

I don't know what school you went to but it was Nero.

Yoda

Cologal getting her "facts" wrong?:rolleyes: Who would have guessed? LOL

Get your facts straight. Kyle Wingfield:http://blogs.ajc.com/kyle-wingfield/...kyle_wingfield