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"Drill, baby, drill"?

I don't understand people who say alternative energy sources aren't ready yet. If we're talking about cars, we've had electric ones for at least half a century, and we have all sorts of means of creating electricity, including existing alternative energy technologies, such as solar, wind, and thermo; all of which could be more efficient (kind of like our internal combustion engines), all of which could benefit from further investment in research and infrastructure, but which are already being used now.

It's funny to hear the Republicans attack some Democrats for their tendency towards protectionist rhetoric, to hear Republicans deride Democrats for not accepting the forming global economy, and then to hear Republicans complain that we're giving too much money to foreign countries for their oil, and that we should be self sufficient when it comes to such matters.Then they briefly endorse alternative energies (which they never really want to talk about, unless it means nuclear power plants can be constructed) before getting to what they really like: the idea of drilling for more oil in places previous generations, largely unaware of the looming environmental crises, would have considered unwise.

Instead of the short term, protectionist solutions favoured by the party in the pocket of big oil--solutions which won't even begin to show their meager results for years--we should work with any companies and countries willing to implement, improve, or create new and existing 'alternative' technologies with an eye to more power and better efficiency. As we debate, methods of so called greener living are being explored and implemented. We should encourage this at home and abroad. It should be among our top priorities. Finding new, environmentally sensitive sites to drill for oil should not.
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Comments

  1. Polusplanchnos9/07/2008 6:38 AM

    One of the unmentioned benefits of having more electric cars on the road is that, due to the nature of the vehicles themselves, the slower speeds where they tend to operate more efficiently will mean a decrease in the extent of injury and death resulting from crashes.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown9/07/2008 12:12 PM

    I hadn't thought of that. That's a major benefit, especially considering the money and productivity that will be saved as a result.

    ReplyDelete

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