The Time For Leadership
Again, Obama and McCain have this strange belief that we can invest in offshore drilling, nuclear power, clean coal, and as an afterthought, some renewables.
Obama thinks that $15 billion a year will do the trick for the green economy. McCain doesn't know what a green economy is, unless it glows green in the dark.
The energy payback time; i.e., the time it takes to return the energy required to build and operate an energy system, is over ten years for nuclear power. There would be no net contribution to our energy needs by a massive expansion of nukes, but a new giant deficit. There is no such thing as clean coal, as we know to be true. Global warming is not some parlor game, it's a matter of survival. If we don't kick Big Carbon out of the game, we all die. It's that simple. Drilling our way to "Independence" is an absurd and dangerously suicidal notion.
Energy payback for solar thermal and wind technology is about 6 to 9 months. Ocean power systems are around one year. Other solar technologies, like photovoltaics and biofuels, are somewhat longer and more resource intensive. The capital intensity, and by definition the labor intensity of renewable solutions, is nearly 100%. We are talking about 30 million new jobs as the potential!
So, if the only answer is renewable energy, then why not focus all of our resources to get it done?
It will take over ten trillion dollars to do the job in the U.S. alone. The global solution is nearer to 30!
$15 billion a year is factor of 20 too low. Obama has his heart spread too thin. McCain's is in the wrong, dark place.
How can we achieve the desired result?
We need real commitment.
We need new alliances.
We need new leadership.
Obama thinks that $15 billion a year will do the trick for the green economy. McCain doesn't know what a green economy is, unless it glows green in the dark.
The energy payback time; i.e., the time it takes to return the energy required to build and operate an energy system, is over ten years for nuclear power. There would be no net contribution to our energy needs by a massive expansion of nukes, but a new giant deficit. There is no such thing as clean coal, as we know to be true. Global warming is not some parlor game, it's a matter of survival. If we don't kick Big Carbon out of the game, we all die. It's that simple. Drilling our way to "Independence" is an absurd and dangerously suicidal notion.
Energy payback for solar thermal and wind technology is about 6 to 9 months. Ocean power systems are around one year. Other solar technologies, like photovoltaics and biofuels, are somewhat longer and more resource intensive. The capital intensity, and by definition the labor intensity of renewable solutions, is nearly 100%. We are talking about 30 million new jobs as the potential!
So, if the only answer is renewable energy, then why not focus all of our resources to get it done?
It will take over ten trillion dollars to do the job in the U.S. alone. The global solution is nearer to 30!
$15 billion a year is factor of 20 too low. Obama has his heart spread too thin. McCain's is in the wrong, dark place.
How can we achieve the desired result?
We need real commitment.
We need new alliances.
We need new leadership.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Dr. Paul A. Curto on -
Both. We will import the needed equipment, fuel, and labor, if we can't find it here.
Just like everything else we do.
-
Permalink Reply by WALTER REED on -
Yes Paul, indeed.
We still have no idea of what or where the banking / Wall Street $700 B, plus commitments for another $800 B bailout monies went - and with no such questions asked or demanded for answers. But we do know that not one Dollar was spent to address energy independence via renewable energy.
Looking at the new appointments, I see 'business as usual', as dictated by well funded lobbyist, marching us through the next four years. I would be shocked and delighted to see a 'long-ranged energy plan' formulated and funded with time-lines, but that is just dreaming. Reality; they (Obama and Congress) will throw a chewed over turkey bone to us as and promote it as politically expedience demands.
Real change will be a grass-roots movement; to fire Congress in two years would be step one. This country desperately needs a third political party to represent the people's will, put a check on government and to restore our constitution. That also seems to be a dream, given the nearly non-response of third party support by the 40% of registered Independents. The die seems to have been cast and only a ground-swell of the people can influence any change of direction.
Just turn loose, the great American resource we have, the American Inventor and repair our unfair trade agreements to be fair on a level playing field with our own industries.
Walter
-
Permalink Reply by Dr. Paul A. Curto on
-
I am truly disappointed in Obama's judgment, but what did we expect? Just another politico with no technical or scientific training, and trillions of dollars just waiting to be stolen from the world's banking system on the whim of morons. God help us. We are doomed.
-
Permalink Reply by BurgessKJ on -
What do you mean? We know where the money went:
Emperor Paulson's buddies were first in line for the handouts, just as Cheney's croneys were there for the fattest government contracts in the last 8 years.
The new Commerce Secretary will hand out what little is left to latin labor in every continental American (South & North) country EXCEPT the United States, in the interest of 'free trade' & NAFTA.
No worries, pennies from heaven are coming soon! Socialized medicine will take care of everyone in the bread & cheeze lines, waiting for handouts, because between boomer retirees & bad business there will soon be fewer citizens employed than under or un-employed.
-
Permalink Reply by Kelly Crosby on -
Unfortunately the reality is going to be at least some of all the worst expressed here, I'm afraid. As for a third party - a rising up of the multitudes for change.
It will take media exposure and lots of it - that's what got Perot as much success as he had - all that money he spent on television exposure.
We need Hollywood on our side. A public figure who knows how to raise funds for third party candidates. I'm afraid that any businessman wealthy enough to instigate a 'Perot' type media blitz will be in it for himself.
I say find a bored, wealthy, motivated musician with lots of extra cash and the media draw...
But before that - we MUST have a solid ideal - well prepared and presented. As an EXAMPLE - see this website: http://www.uscentrist.org/
This is an apparantly 'dead' site - with no interactive activity - but notice how well laid out and presented each ideal for each issue is...
We need a ning site where the masses can gather and share as we do here and join the Party and then we blitz every money prospect we can think of to that site.
What do you think?
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Tucker on -
so what is the address of the website?
-
Permalink Reply by Kelly Crosby on
-
I think we can easily set up a .ning site. The problem with the conservative party site that was set up is there are like four of them there and I think we need to separate ourselves from the stigma of "conservative party" just because it's the Republican domain. But we need name - Energy Party is already used by someone here and it has something to do with vitamins I think???
How about something that combines Center or central and energy -
maybe...the Synergy Party???
I don't know - just throwing it out there - completely vague on a name for our party right now...
maybe...Consolidated Party - to bring in the idea of bring together the independents??
Toss some around. And I think Lainey knows how to set up the Ning stuff - if not there's another guy here who has done it.
-
Permalink Reply by Ray Phillips on -
Effort on the part of all Americans toward the survival and betterment of this country.
-
Permalink Reply by Dr. Paul A. Curto on
-
Update on July 10, 2009, six months into the Obama Administration...
Nothing has been done to promote renewable energy in a meaningful way. The Nuclear Energy advocates want taxpayer money to replace their aging plants and clean up their mess, and Pickens has announced that his plan has failed. Big Carbon has a chokehold on Congress, the banks have stolen trillions of taxpayer money for covering gambling debts to foreign interests, oil prices have more than doubled in recent months, and the stock market is poised to repeat the Crash of 1929-1932.
It's Deja Vu all over again.
-
Permalink Reply by Dr. Paul A. Curto on
-
I wondered what happened to nearly half the posts from cool folks like you, Dennis. 3rd party politics may be the remedy. Too bad all the money's gone. We could have used it to save the USA, but the dollar is becoming worthless. We'll need euros, yuan, and yen. Learn Mandarin!
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Tucker on
-
Too bad you have abandon your own ning community.
-
Permalink Reply by Bill Tucker on
-
I was not referring to your removal from here but to your own ning community Energy Party.
http://energyparty.ning.com/
I can see how what happened here would knock the wind out of your sails for a while but that does not explain why you have given up on your own web site. You were the glue with out you most people fell away.
So my brother of another mother quit your bitching and get back to work. Many of these ning conservative groups are fanatical and slanted. There is not much we can do about the national government for a while but there is on the local level. Stop whinning about what we can't do and dust your self off and get back into the fight.
Featured Discussion
Twitter Feed
© 2009 Created by PickensPlan
Badges | Community Guidelines | Report an Issue | Privacy | Terms of Service
