State Of Denial Address

Under Eisenhower we invested in a nationwide Interstate highway system. Now we need a comprehensive, long-term, renewal energy, light rail program for the entire US. Individual vehicles still dependent on liquid fuel is not an answer!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Wildkow @ Jan 24 2007, 12:21 AM) [snapback]379907[/snapback]</div>

Thanks, I caught it on youtube.

 

Did anyone watch Dick Cheney? During most of the speech, he had on his usual half-sneer expression (if you can call him at all expressive). But when Bush talked about reducing "foreign oil" and "gas usage", it was all he could do to keep himself from laughing out loud.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(larkinmj @ Jan 24 2007, 10:31 AM) [snapback]380161[/snapback]</div>

I didn't see it, as I've avoided almost every "talk" of the president (I don't think he deserves upper-case), in the past 3 or more years.

Was his (GW's) usual smirk gone? Will they have a video online of Dick Cheney?

Dave M.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Erik Tkal @ Jan 23 2007, 07:18 PM) [snapback]379843[/snapback]</div>

At this stage, I agree with you. Hillary has been "too war positive" in my opinion.

Dave M.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Wildkow @ Jan 23 2007, 09:21 PM) [snapback]379907[/snapback]</div>

Do you have the entire thing, including Cheney's reaction?

If so, I'd be interested.

Dave M.

 

The US should reduce its gasoline consumption by 20 percent in ten years.

For crying out loud, I reduced my gasoline consumption by more than 20 percent in two hours, the time it took to fill out the paperwork to get the keys for my new Prius. And that's going from a fuel-efficient conventional Civic.

Twenty percent is way too low a goal, and there was nothing to suggest how to get those savings in fuel use. Yeah, raise average fuel ratings on the manufacturers. Where have we heard that before?

Harry

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Jan 24 2007, 09:43 AM) [snapback]380012[/snapback]</div>

I know that. That's why I put a link to a transcript of Bush's speech in my reply.

 

What about rainforests? Biodiesel needs to be made mainly from rapeseed oil. Europe and North America destroys rainforests of powerless countries for their energy! I suppose destroying Amazon-brazil (plants-animals also) does not help our environment...

Check these...
An effect you didn’t expect

Crop Shortages Could Curb European Biofuel Growth

http://forests.org/blog/

Europe Must End Their "Deforestation Biofuel" Energy Policy

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Jan 24 2007, 04:57 PM) [snapback]380357[/snapback]</div>

I couldn't agree more. The proposed 20% is absolutely ridiculous. I would expect fuel economy to improve 20% in 10 years WITHOUT government intervention. This shows that the current administration has no intention of truly decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. I CAN HARDLY WAIT! - In a "mere" 10 years, I will be able to buy a ford excursion that gets 13.4 mpg instead the measly 12 mpg it gets now!!! The future is truly upon us.

Good grief. I think they just count on the vast majority of folks being morons, which I am not so sure isn't pretty close to the truth. For the "environazis," he includes talk of renewable energy development and improved fuel economy standards. Of course the issue of lifestyle change is completely skirted, such that the hummer driving "amurikuns" (imagine american in an extreme country drawl) won't get nervous. He truly has something for everyone, until you realize he didn't say anything at all. The whole speech was a lot of buzzwords with little to no substance.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Jan 24 2007, 05:42 PM) [snapback]380288[/snapback]</div>

Whenever he got applause (and they write these speeches specifically to draw out applause at regular intervals), he was smirking, as if he thought he was really saying something important. The rest of the time, he was staring at the teleprompter.

 

The Bush speech writer / teleprompter author is to blame ... not Bush. He's just a poor mindless pupet of cheney & crew. Whomever the author REALLY was though ... their thoughts are as real as GM telling us how progressive they are.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Beryl Octet @ Jan 24 2007, 12:19 AM) [snapback]379905[/snapback]</div>

Thanks. That link is a kick. No surprise...the words "diplomacy" and "bipartisan" occurred a total of only six times in seven years. Emotional buzzwords are a different story. The word "Free" was used 117 times during the same period.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jmccord @ Jan 24 2007, 09:19 PM) [snapback]380478[/snapback]</div>

Yeh. As in "Free Iraqis from that awful oil supply they have. They really shouldn't be burdened with that."

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Jan 25 2007, 09:26 AM) [snapback]380555[/snapback]</div>

I wish we would - damn we could use cheaper gas. While we are at it, Venezuala is closer and easier to occupy. How about easiest of all - drill ANWR and offshore - no need to kill for that oil :lol: We could even build a nuke plants and free up a lot more fossil fuels.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Jan 25 2007, 06:32 AM) [snapback]380557[/snapback]</div>

Even better yet. Neutron bombs on all other countries with oil.
Doesn't destroy any oil reserves, but frees all those people from any further worries about anything.


Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Jan 25 2007, 10:32 AM) [snapback]380557[/snapback]</div>

Drilling for more oil domestically will help only for the medium-term, and will only help suppress prices, not reverse the trend of oil price increases for the long term. Moreover, it does nothing to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The only remote positive of drilling at home is geopolitical, and that will last as long as the reserves just run out.

Improving fleet wide fuel economy in our vehicles, and promoting a change in our culture in the way we drive, live, and consume energy are LONG term strategies that will make drilling for oil irrelevant.

I know Bush is an oil-man and all, but even he must know that drilling more holes in the ground will only be a band-aid.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Jan 25 2007, 10:43 AM) [snapback]380587[/snapback]</div>

U R Good! Totally forgot about that option.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LaughingMan @ Jan 25 2007, 01:18 PM) [snapback]380668[/snapback]</div>

You need a combo of short, medium, and long term strategies. Drilling at home reduces what we buy from Middle Eastern countries - helps stop the flow of $'s to terrorists - that is a good thing, no?

Suppressing prices - why do you think oil is dropping in price??

 

Domestic drilling is not a logical answer to address the duration of our energy needs. It's thought that we only have less than 3% of the world's remaining reserves domestically and that 80% of this is already tapped.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Jan 25 2007, 10:25 AM) [snapback]380671[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Jan 25 2007, 02:25 PM) [snapback]380671[/snapback]</div>

Oil prices are dropping, but we haven't been drilling for more oil yet. Oil prices are dropping this year because investors put money into a hedge fund expecting a repeat of last year. Sadly for them, it didn't work out, but for fortunately for us, it meant the price of oil went down. Next year, it may not be the same story.

Furthermore, drilling at ANWR will likely not contribute much to the global oil market, not likely dropping our dependence on foreign oil. Few people realize that much of the "foreign oil" that we import isn't directly from middle eastern countries, but because of the global economy, our demand affects the global price of oil.

Drilling in ANWR will amount to a drop in the bucket compared to what the middle east has, so don't expect prices to budge too much.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LaughingMan @ Jan 25 2007, 02:05 PM) [snapback]380699[/snapback]</div>

I read somewhere that if we started drilling for oil in the ANWR today, the refined product wouldn't be available for use for a decade...and, even with the most optimistic predictions, would reduce our dependence on foreign oil by less than 5%.

Sounds like a winner to me.