Originally Posted by billethkid

Just one more reason to research and invest away from carbonbased fossil fuels.

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.

Originally Posted by billethkid

based fossil fuels.

I know, how about spending a few billion $$$ on research to be 100% oil free in 20 years? All the nay sayers will jump front and center and say it can't be done in 20 years. Well if it had the same emphasis of need as did the Obama need for health care reform....it can and will happen. It will not only put us strategically in the right direction it will create untold new jobs.....and maybe as importantly allow us to attain world leadership again.

Now just why is it not many are in support of this approach? Maybe when gas hits $4++++ per gallon it will be a priority for fickle Americans and politicians trying to sooth them......too....too bad.

btk

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.

Originally Posted by re-tire

You forgot Obama on your list of multi-millionaires

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.

Originally Posted by cologal

This is going to be worst environmental disaster in history....this thread kind of reminds me of Caesar fiddling while Rome burned.

I wasn't actually there but I did study it in school.

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

Yoda

Originally Posted by Yoda

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

Yoda

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

Originally Posted by ptownrob

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.

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

In fact, the $2.4 billion in total earnings of the 100 highest-paid CEOs, regardless of industry, barely beat out the $2.1 billion of the twenty-five best-compensated celebs (living ones, that is). Just seven of those 100 CEOs worked in the financial industry.