Big Lizards:Blog:Entry “The American Genius”

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August 5, 2008

The American Genius

Hatched by Dave Ross

I find it fascinating that, in spite of the fact that the U.S. has endured the body blows of the terrorist attack in 2001 and the current high oil prices, our economy isn’t actually in the toilet. Instead, it's merely teetering on the edge, not yet fallen into recession.

Neither of these causative events can be laid at the doorstep of the Republicans, although the Democrats would sure like to try. While both parties have been in the pocket of the environmentalists for decades, so that we have gradually allowed domestic production of energy to erode, it is demonstrably the Democrats who preach a policy of salvation through deprivation, of virtue by doing with less.

And they oppose any solution that doesn’t require us to “sacrifice” our way of life. Oil? We can’t drill our way out. Nuclear? Too dangerous. Mega acres of coal? Too threatening to the environment. Natural gas? Ditto.

Instead they suggest two technologies that can only make a slight dent in our energy needs:

Wind -- Even with all the hot air coming out of Washington, we will never have enough of that.

Solar -- The technology for efficient solar is just as far away as it has been for decades.

There’s nothing more plentiful in the universe than energy, yet small minds and small politicians constantly talk about how we have to learn to do with less of it. That’s not the American genius. The American genius is finding ways to make the impossible happen. That’s what we’ve always done. That’s what we have to do again.

Hatched by Dave Ross on this day, August 5, 2008, at the time of 11:00 PM

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In response to Dave Ross' post below... actually, we could power the entire planet's energy needs in perpetuity by solar power alone. But only if we generate that power via vast solar arrays in high Earth orbit (HEO) and beam... [Read More]

Tracked on August 6, 2008 5:24 PM

Comments

The following hissed in response by: Karmi

I find it fascinating that, in spite of the fact that the U.S. has endured the body blows of the terrorist attack in 2001 and the current high oil prices that it’s economy isn’t actually in the toilet, instead of merely teetering on the edge, although not yet fallen, into a recession.

Agreed! Any other country would be broke by now, especially if they had been fighting a War on two-fronts-PLUS, and whilst half of their country was supporting the enemy. Amazing!

And they oppose any solution that doesn’t require us to “sacrifice” our way of life. Oil? We can’t drill our way out. Nuclear? Too dangerous. Mega acres of coal? Too threatening to the environment. Natural gas? Ditto.

The WHACKO environmentalists and their Democratic Party have caused a lot of problems besides just oil. Forests burn because no one is allowed to care for them (e.g. clearing out dead and dry trees and brush), and WHACKO environmentalists got a free-pass on many of the problems their policies caused during and after Hurricane Katrina. Fortunately, their exuberant push for biofuel and/or corn based ethanol solutions are proving to be a disaster, and have led to people starving. When that news broke, people started to wake up…then gas hit $4-a-gallon, and the Dems had no other solutions other than a ‘tire gage’. Now they face angry voters, who are realizing that they have been duped, and that the Dems are still trying to dupe them!

Great post...

The above hissed in response by: Karmi at August 6, 2008 8:22 AM

The following hissed in response by: Geoman

It is simple really - environmentalists want to KILL you. The sooner we all realize that their plans involve the death of 3/4 of the world's population, the sooner we can start ignoring them and make rational decisions about our future.

The above hissed in response by: Geoman at August 6, 2008 9:31 AM

The following hissed in response by: kimsch

I read this somewhere and it really sums up the situation:

Liberals look at the pie and say, "There's not enough, everybody has to take a smaller piece!"

Conservatives look at the pie and say, "There's not enough, let's make a bigger pie!"

The above hissed in response by: kimsch at August 6, 2008 9:37 AM

The following hissed in response by: Dan Kauffman

The technology for efficient solar is just as far away as it has been for decades.

There is a way for solar energy to be effective. Years ago I read a book The Third Industrial Revolution.

It suggested Solar collectors in ORBIT with the Energy beamed down to desert areas via microwaves.

An inexhaustable Energy supply and now that I think about it a really good means of acheiving Border Security.

I now set back and wait for the screams of outrage from the Sierra Club and Illegal Alien proponents.

The above hissed in response by: Dan Kauffman at August 6, 2008 1:18 PM

The following hissed in response by: snochasr

A heavyweight mathematician puts the numbers on that "alternative energy" idea, and concludes that it can be done easily, so long as we can get around the "political and economic objections" to such trivialities as paving over the land and ocean with windmills and burning up 3/4 of our agricultural output.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/20/mackay_on_carbon_free_uk/

The above hissed in response by: snochasr at August 6, 2008 1:47 PM

The following hissed in response by: Geoman

Alternative energy is largely bunk. But hey, it is mostly in response to global warming, which is also bunk. A non-solution to a non-problem.

20%. Thta is the most alternative energy will ever contribute to our power usage without a crippling reduction in our qulity of life.

The above hissed in response by: Geoman at August 6, 2008 6:38 PM