Wanted: Adult in the White House

[teach1st]

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/17/Columns/Wanted__Adult_in_the_.shtml

By ROBYN E. BLUMNER, St. Petersburg Times
Published July 17, 2005

I'm not a big worrier by temperament. The recent terror attacks in London would not put me off public transit. I had no qualms about boarding an airplane after 9/11. In my various jobs, I've received personal death threats that I've shrugged off.

But now I'm worried.

I'm worried about our staggering deficit (which the White House is celebrating because it looks like this year we'll come up only $333-billion short - whoopee), a record-breaking trade imbalance and an economy that runs on cheap oil as the world's production is about to peak.

But mostly I'm worried because our leaders are not. Every day that President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Congress whistle Dixie while fiscal disaster looms only advances the day of reckoning and demonstrates they are not fit to lead.

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[The Backlash Cometh]

1. kick

[NEOBuckeye]

2. Pretty Damning Article

Very well written.

[cornermouse]

3. Its the truth.

[Poppyseedman]

4. Very good first half of the article

Second half of the article shows a complete lack of understanding of this country energy problems and how we got to the place we are today.

It is no use blaming China and India for horning in on a world oil supply that had been our playground. The real culprit is our own attachment to gas-guzzling cars.

If everyone switched to hybrids tomorrow, it would be a meaningless gesture. It would not even remotely solve the problem

During those precious decades we should have been preparing for the end of oil.

There is no technology developed in the last 30 years proved that will allow us to convert off petroleum based energy. Not even close.

The answer is to build clean oil refineries and nuclear power plants, both which we have the capabilities to do very environmentally friendly and clean

That's probably not very popular idea around here. But, it will work to get us off the the middle east teat.

[glitch]

5. Simplistic. There is no single solution that will solve our energy problem

There are many solutions practiced together that will.

[Poppyseedman]

8. I never claimed that it would solve our energy problems

nor was it simple. Our energy problems are multi faceted and need to be confronted on many levels

Clean oil refineries and nuclear power plants is a good place to start getting some of our energy independence back or are you O.K. with us being held hostage to every whim from the middle east ?

[bpilgrim]

6. nuclear power plants are not "environmentally friendly and clean"

i don't know of any energy waste material more hazardous to man kind so i don't know how you came up with that claim :shrug:

peace

[Poppyseedman]

7. The French seem to be able to generate about 40% of their

power needs from nuclear energy.

If the French can do it without harming their environment, we can too

[bpilgrim]

9. chernobyl

thats what i'm talking about... one slip up and then what, for how long :shrug:

peace

[Pystoff]

10. You gotta be kidding

France uses a fraction of the power this country needs. That'd probably equate to 150 new nuke plants in this country to achieve 40% of our total power. The waste disposal would be out of control and where to put it would cause protest like weve never seen. And not to mention the possability of accidents geez. What we need is a harder look into fusion power NOT fission. About 10 years ago I do believe Yale U proved that fusion power was doable...good investment if you ask me for the gov. here. No Waste from fusion and alot more energy produced from a single plant as well. But has any gov. investment taken place? Probably not.