Saturday, September 23, 2006

I thought this was the way to nirvana

So, lots of interesting stuff showing up on the news lately. We watch more tv. We are getting obese. There's a connection. There are people claiming that "Big Oil" gets tax breaks, and kick backs. Blah blah. Take a look at big oil. Most of our cost is taxes. So why is the government going to reduce what gives it solvency? Riddle me that, Batman.

Alternative energy. Yes, wind power is a good concept. But do you know how many windmills it takes to generate a kilowatt? And, how many of the proponents of wind power want a windmill farm in sight of their (chosse one) home, office, city, etc? Those things are ugly!!!

Enough pontificating. Want to solve the energy problem and oil prices? Build a new refinery. Non have been built in 26, yes 26 years!!! So when Katrina knocked a bunch of production offline, we have price spikes, because the other refineries still working in the country are running at full capacity. Doesn't take a genius to figure this out.

But a more permanent solution would be to have people use mass transit, carpool, ride bikes, or walk. Wait, that might mean some type of effort must be extended, so trash those ideas.

Healthcare? HA!!! Why must I pay the same rates at my job as a smoker? Why not make it like car insurance? Better health, lower premiums. This all gets me aggravated.

I actually had some type of witty post in my head, but I lost it, as usual. Guess I'll just go do some laundry and hope for a return to creativity.

2 comments:

Katie said...

"Healthcare? HA!!! Why must I pay the same rates at my job as a smoker? Why not make it like car insurance? Better health, lower premiums. This all gets me aggravated."

You read my mind.

Tom Gray said...

But do you know how many windmills it takes to generate a kilowatt?

Um, one very small one. A typical wind generator today can generate up to 1.5 megawatts (1,500 kilowatts).

And, how many of the proponents of wind power want a windmill farm in sight of their (chosse one) home, office, city, etc? Those things are ugly!!!

I want one, bring it on. First, most of the wind resource is located out of sight of most homes, offices, cities, etc. Second, windmills are graceful, and public opinion polls consistently show that most people like the way they look. Third, they reduce dependence on energy imports and increase energy security.

The potential of wind power to contribute to world energy needs is huge. For more information, see the Plugging the Gap report.

Regards,
Thomas O. Gray
American Wind Energy Association
www.awea.org
www.ifnotwind.org