[Homestead] Shaking the grid

Leslie cayadopi at yahoo.com
Thu Feb 25 09:31:26 EST 2010


>>>>>PS: If global climate change is manmade, we can probably quit worrying -- We'll probably run out of fossil fuels before we kill everything>>>>>

I agree.

>>>>.I don't think that people are wired to accept as real that which has
not happened>>>>>

Agree.  That is why I found this quote so interesting.  "The irony, of course, is the public acts in a manner consistsent with what has already happened, not what is about to happen." ~ Brian Pretti

There is some awareness about conservation, that is why Detroit came out with more fuel efficient engines, and significantly reduced emmission pollution since the time that I was a kid.... however, it backfired in a way, that people drive more miles, and have multiple cars per family now - and completely wiped out the goal of reducing oil consumption... 

You can't give Congress anymore tax money - they will squander it.  They always have, they always will.  They will do things like the local congressman did, give $50M grant to a buddy to employ a handful of people max, and a $50M very low interest loan, which will result in a lowering of the water table.  Venture capital money should be used for that, not taxpayer money.   Why:?  Because venture capitalists know that not all ideas work out, they know up front they might lose all of their investment.  When taxpayer money is used, the taxpayer doesn't have a clue that their money is chasing potentially bad and unsound ideas, or appearing to do something when it is just a funnelling off of money to friends to those in power.


 

________________________________
From: Marie McHarry <mmcharry at gmail.com>
To: homestead at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Tue, February 23, 2010 6:23:36 PM
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Shaking the grid

On Sun, Feb 21, 2010 at 7:28 AM,  <Clansgian at wmconnect.com> wrote:
>
> In fact, the prospects of, for example, there being no more oil is so
> horrifying that most people could deal with proof that their spouse was cheating
> on them, their child had died, or that there is no god better than they
> could deal with proof that oil reserves are declining.
>
I don't think that people are wired to accept as real that which has
not happened. As a young person, I sketched out some ideas for novels:
one was about a virus that selectively killed young people (in the 18
to 20-something range) and one was about a world were oil was so
scarce that most people hadn't seen a private motor vehicle. Pity I
didn't write one or both; I'd either be considered a prophet or the
spawn of the Evil One.  :)

I think my parent's and grandparents' generations were conditioned to
expect that a technological fix really would appear to fix
contemporary problems. After all, they grew up with kerosene to light
the evening and lived for 30 or more years after the beginning of the
nuclear age.

I'm a lot more skeptical, especially considering that I don't see any
awareness that we ought to at least start conserving oil and
installing solar and wind power where we can, which would at least
keep us going for a few more years. Everyone from the President to
teenagers salivating over their new cars act like this won't end. Were
I Dictator in Chief, I'd put a $1 tax on gasoline and raise it every
year till it got up to, say $10, and dedicate the proceeds to
improving the conventional and alternate energy that's available.

It would take a dictator, though, to bring that off. Half the
CongressCritters would want to give new tax breaks, half would want to
fight a new war, and half would find some new program to fund. Yeah, I
know that there aren't three halves in a whole, but this is my
fantasy, dammit.

Marie, living in a 150-year-old house with two working fireplaces, one
of which already has a fireplace insert

PS: If global climate change is manmade, we can probably quit worrying
-- We'll probably run out of fossil fuels before we kill everything
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