Lew Hodgett wrote:

If we don't get serious and start developing alternative energy
sources NOW, our $700M+/month expenditure for foreign oil will just
get larger.

When it gets too large, alternatives should pop up like wild maple
trees. I say "should" because government involvement can always throw a
monkey wrench in the gears of the free market.

BTW, the source of that $700M+/month number comes from T Pickens.

He may have his own axe to grind, but he is in the neighborhood.

If he has his own ax to grind, why would his figures mean anything?
I saw him on TV pimping natural gas, so I figure he is selling natural
gas? Not that there is anything wrong with him selling gas or using
natural gas, but for some reason, I think he has more invested than save
the world, save the country type stuff. Am I wrong?

I don't know what you call it, but I call it a $700M+/month TAX being
paid to offshore countries, most of which, don't particularly like us.

That is a nasty tax, but our own country taxes the hell out of that
$700M also. Watch what happens when all that tax money goes away and
everyone is driving "cheap" electric cars. Do you think your wonderful
government will simply eat that huge (windfall profit) tax loss?

If I'm going to pay that $700M+ TAX every month, would jut a soon see
it paid in the USA to develop alternative energy.

There is already a ton of alternative energy, and much more on the way,
particularly if big brothers stays out of the way.

$4-$5/gallon gasoline is a bitter pill to swallow, but it seems the
only way to get at our oil gluttony problem.

True, but then the cost of gasoline doesn't need to be artificially
inflated. Normal supply and demand will take care of it all, just as it
has for most products not controlled by government and monopolies.
Microsoft comes to mind first and fore most when thinking of getting
screwed by a monopoly...

Our economy has been built on cheap oil.

The gays of cheap energy, especially oil, are history.

Depends on your definition of "cheap". If the government taxes the
**** out of each gallon of gas you buy, and pays you to run inefficient
solar or wind power, things can get out of whack in a hurry. On the
other hand, if Morris comes up with an efficient solar panel, or wind
turbine or anything that is better than oil, it will be available simply
do to supply and demand that always works well over the long run, with
minimum government involvement.

Time to get up off our dead and dying, and get to work.

That time seldom needs defined by Big Brother.

Now, if we can only get an alternate energy policy established by our
gov't to create and nurture alternate energy development.

The only time you need government to get involved in this crap is if
someone monopolizes things (like Microsoft has the OS market) Otherwise,
there are plenty of capitalists willing to take the risk of getting rich
on alternate energy systems that make sense.

Without a stable environment over the long haul, private capital will
NOT invest the billions needed to solve the energy problem(s).

Private capital is always right around the corner, looking for ways to
get rich making you happy.

--
Jack
http://jbstein.com