Stop whining, America!

Dylan Smith wrote:
On 2005-08-26, ls wrote:

(it's no accident that our fearless leader GWB is suddenly pushing
hydrogen fuel cells and alternative energies - he's spoken with Simmons
on many occasions recently).


Trouble with hydrogen as a fuel... the only economical way we have of
making it is using fossil fuels, so it is NOT a solution for peak oil.

Not without a major investment in nuclear powerplants (so hydrogen can
be obtained by electrolysis).

Agreed...

In fact, all of the currently available alternatives are unworkable for
all practical purposes, at least at the current time.

To make a quite long story short, the only alternative we have at the
current time is conservation - and we know what that means vis-a-vis the
oil-consuming economies....

Also, for what it's worth, I saw a very complete presentation on the
peak oil issue by a senator on CSPAN not long ago. The senate was
virtually empty at the time, but at least it appears there's some
awareness of the problem creeping even into congress now....

As I said, in light of all this, my ownership plans have certainly
changed dramatically in the last year or so. And I've also noticed the
local RV's do a lot more sitting on the ramp all of a sudden...

LS
N646F

Well, all that may be true, but rising fuel prices are now cutting into
corporate profits, which will affect the stock market. See the NYT piece
http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news... 474107&rfi=6

I like your point about the fact that we're now using energy about twice as
efficiently as we did 30 years ago. Note that the economy hasn't suffered
as a result. Which raises the question, what the hell was the administration
talking about when it refused to promote further conservation measures on
the grounds that they'd hurt the economy? Could it be because this
administration is a parasite on oil industryn profits?

Hey, I'm as guilty as anyone. In addition to the airplane, I put fuel
through two (smallish) automobiles and a motorcycle. But this summer I've
been riding the bike a lot (40 mpg) and commuting on my bicycle (because I
can). And I put a solar hot water heater on the roof, which should cut my
electric bill by about 20%.

I am flying less, using the plane only for necessary trips and making my
hamburgers at home.

Seth
Comanche N8100R

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:%kvPe.279433$x96.36565@attbi_s72...
Everywhere, every day on the radio, television, and in the newspapers, all
I hear is how the "Record Price of Oil" is killing America.

Yet, strangely, Americans keep driving *more*. And I don't see anyone
flying less.

How can this be?

Here are some encouraging stats from the current issue of Newsweek:

- Oil, at $66 per barrel, has set a "nominal" record for high price.
However, in real, adjusted-for-inflation dollars, oil would have to top
$86.72 per barrel to beat the price record set in 1981.

- For a gallon of gas to set a record, it would have to cost $3.12 per
gallon, which was set back in 1981.

- Or, for that matter, it would have to cost $2.67 per gallon, which is
what it cost way back in 1935.

- Since the first "Energy Crisis" in the 1970s, our economy has become
MUCH more energy efficient. Total energy consumption per dollar of GDP
has been cut almost in half since 1973.

- Since 1980, the percentage of consumer spending that goes for energy has
*declined* from 9 to 6 percent, despite "record" prices.

- At the current rate of growth, our economy will DOUBLE in size in 18
years. (This is why, BTW, that even after President Bush's tax cuts,
federal revenues are still 17.5& of GDP -- just one percentage point below
the post-World War II norm.)

- Over the last 40 years, increases in productivity have averaged 2.1% per
year. Since 2001, it's averaged 3.9%.

- Even though rising productivity means that the economy can grow without
adding jobs, we have added over 4 million new jobs since July 2003.

So why is everything doom and gloom in the media? Why are none of these
facts brought to the fore? Is it a not-so-hidden agenda? An ax to grind?
Or is it that Americans are just not happy unless they've got something to
bitch about?

Personally, having been in the business, I think it's just this simple:
Bad news sells newspapers; good news sucks.

Get out and fly, people! Life is good!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I like your point about the fact that we're now using energy about twice
as efficiently as we did 30 years ago. Note that the economy hasn't
suffered as a result. Which raises the question, what the hell was the
administration talking about when it refused to promote further
conservation measures on the grounds that they'd hurt the economy? Could
it be because this administration is a parasite on oil industryn profits?

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental regulations
of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

Remember when America used to actually *make* things? If you're under 35,
probably not.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental regulations
of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

Remember when America used to actually *make* things?

And an equally serious argument can be made that we just pay Americans
far more than they are worth, and it's catching up to us, which is
what's really hurting the economy (and driving the jobs overseas).

Remember when we used to actually *fix* things?

Jose
--
Quantum Mechanics is like this: God =does= play dice with the universe,
except there's no God, and there's no dice. And maybe there's no universe.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

I was an executive for a manufacturing company that used a ton of resins to
make products of fiberglass. We met very stringent environmental regs.
That's not what sent the jobs overseas: What sent the jobs overseas was
Chinese labor working for 50 cents an hour, six days a week. That's why we
no longer make things: because Americans want weekends and a living wage.
And I gotta say that if Americans were willing to work for that kind of
money, no one over here would ever have been able to afford our product, and
our factory would never have got started in the first place.

Seth

"Jose" wrote in message
...
Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental
regulations of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

Remember when America used to actually *make* things?

And an equally serious argument can be made that we just pay Americans far
more than they are worth, and it's catching up to us, which is what's
really hurting the economy (and driving the jobs overseas).

Remember when we used to actually *fix* things?

Jose
--
Quantum Mechanics is like this: God =does= play dice with the universe,
except there's no God, and there's no dice. And maybe there's no
universe.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jay,

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental regulations
of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.


I don't think they are made to benefit the economy. By definition, one might
think. Economy isn't all there is...

Remember when America used to actually *make* things?

Well, what do you expect in a country where the president publicly denounces
science and the scientific method? What does that do to science, which
ultimately is the very foundation of "making things"?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Thomas Borchert wrote:

Jay,


Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental regulations
of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.



I don't think they are made to benefit the economy. By definition, one might
think. Economy isn't all there is...


Remember when America used to actually *make* things?


Well, what do you expect in a country where the president publicly denounces
science and the scientific method? What does that do to science, which
ultimately is the very foundation of "making things"?

The president has done no such thing and has actually funded science and
technology reaonsably well.

And man was making things long before the scientific method was formalized.


Matt

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental
regulations of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

It can if one ignores the economic benefits of a clean environment and
unrealistically magnifes the impact of environmental regulation.

China is now faced with the very serious public health and productivity costs
of ignoring environmental protection over recent decades of industrial
growth. The former Soviet block nations also provide many awful examples of
just letting things slide.

Remember when America used to actually *make* things? If you're under
35, probably not.

Blaming the loss of America's industries on environmental protection is talk
radio bs. Cheap foreign labor is what's taking American factories away.
When Americans are willing to work for ten bucks a day, we'll get our
factories back. If that day comes, I hope I'm long gone.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental
regulations of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

It can if one ignores the economic benefits of a clean environment and
unrealistically magnifes the impact of environmental regulation.

False alternative.
http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/distract/fd.htm

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:bNEPe.283840$_o.83175@attbi_s71...

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental
regulations
of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

Not environmental regs per se, but the pletoria of abysmally
stupid/bureaucratic ones. They not only tell you WHAT to do, but HOW to do
it.

It used to take companies something like 6 percent of employees to handle
government paperwork (and that included taxes); now it takes something like
30-45 (depending on the industry).


Remember when America used to actually *make* things?

Yeah, before Japanese firms had 3 defects per hundred and US manufactureres
had 117.

If you're under 35, probably not.

America has sure priced itself out of the world markets...and it's pathetic
QC records only worsens the situation.