Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Come up with an energy policy- or, the need for long term vision for politicians

dy156 · 03-31-2004, 01:09 PM

Another thread that could be titled "More Deep Thoughts by Dy156" Still related, but only very tangentially, to current political events.

High gas prices got me ta' thinkin'-
What are we gonna do about oil runnin' out?

Seriously, whether it's thirty years from now, fifty, or a century away, mankind is using more oil than it's producing. I know the current gas price uptick has nothing to do with an impending shortage, but it's something to think about. I had a long talk with a relative that's a geophysicist about this. Someone with a PhD who's on the tip of the spear in trying to find new oil and more oil in old fields thinks we're running out relatively quickly. There is the argument that some day soon the technology will be available to tap into the stuff in Canada that we can't now, and of course that we won't run out of oil because our technology in finding oil will also improve. He thinks these things might prolong the inevitable, but are not long term solutions. Still others think that by the time this gets to be a real issue, the marketplace will have come up with a solution. (something I'm inclined to think myself) As many have said, we'll never "run out" of oil, it will just get too expensive for consumers to consume it at today's rate.

I know this has been discussed before, but the purpose of this thread is to provide your input on what can be done politically about things that need to be addressed, but cannot fixed in the 4-8 year timespan of a presidency. I'm troubled by the fact that the closest this issue has come to being addressed is whether we should allow drilling in ANWR, and its effects on carribou. Hydrogen cells are not really the answer, as from my understanding, they have to store energy that's produced in typical powerplants run by fossil fuels. The closest thing I can think of to a long term vision that has been addressed is a need for a ballistic missile defense system. Reagan hatched it, Bush has supported it, but twenty years later, it's still not there. I for one am glad it's being worked on, and I wish more long term vision of a better America was being voiced and acted upon by our elected officials. Like it or not, fringe fears like asteroids or antibiotic resistant diseases, or an impending global oil shortage are things that need to be worried about and have a solution attempted. Even libertarians' dislike of government concedes that protecting its citizens is the primary reason for government. I don't see the government attempting to protect us from any of these issues.

My question is this, if you were running for office, or were elected president, what would you do to begin addressing the long term energy policy or anything else that would require a long term solution or fix, bearing in mind that it would likely take decades to come up with an effective solution. How can we change our government so that it is more effective at thinking about and addressing long term problems?

Or if you think I'm crazy for even thinking about these things, and just need to stop worrying about them, let me know that, too. I'd usually be inclined to agree with you, but that's why I talked about deep thoughts, not everyday thoughts.

03-31-2004, 01:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
dy156 cookie Location: in the backwoods	Come up with an energy policy- or, the need for long term vision for politicians Another thread that could be titled "More Deep Thoughts by Dy156" Still related, but only very tangentially, to current political events. High gas prices got me ta' thinkin'- What are we gonna do about oil runnin' out? Seriously, whether it's thirty years from now, fifty, or a century away, mankind is using more oil than it's producing. I know the current gas price uptick has nothing to do with an impending shortage, but it's something to think about. I had a long talk with a relative that's a geophysicist about this. Someone with a PhD who's on the tip of the spear in trying to find new oil and more oil in old fields thinks we're running out relatively quickly. There is the argument that some day soon the technology will be available to tap into the stuff in Canada that we can't now, and of course that we won't run out of oil because our technology in finding oil will also improve. He thinks these things might prolong the inevitable, but are not long term solutions. Still others think that by the time this gets to be a real issue, the marketplace will have come up with a solution. (something I'm inclined to think myself) As many have said, we'll never "run out" of oil, it will just get too expensive for consumers to consume it at today's rate. I know this has been discussed before, but the purpose of this thread is to provide your input on what can be done politically about things that need to be addressed, but cannot fixed in the 4-8 year timespan of a presidency. I'm troubled by the fact that the closest this issue has come to being addressed is whether we should allow drilling in ANWR, and its effects on carribou. Hydrogen cells are not really the answer, as from my understanding, they have to store energy that's produced in typical powerplants run by fossil fuels. The closest thing I can think of to a long term vision that has been addressed is a need for a ballistic missile defense system. Reagan hatched it, Bush has supported it, but twenty years later, it's still not there. I for one am glad it's being worked on, and I wish more long term vision of a better America was being voiced and acted upon by our elected officials. Like it or not, fringe fears like asteroids or antibiotic resistant diseases, or an impending global oil shortage are things that need to be worried about and have a solution attempted. Even libertarians' dislike of government concedes that protecting its citizens is the primary reason for government. I don't see the government attempting to protect us from any of these issues. My question is this, if you were running for office, or were elected president, what would you do to begin addressing the long term energy policy or anything else that would require a long term solution or fix, bearing in mind that it would likely take decades to come up with an effective solution. How can we change our government so that it is more effective at thinking about and addressing long term problems? Or if you think I'm crazy for even thinking about these things, and just need to stop worrying about them, let me know that, too. I'd usually be inclined to agree with you, but that's why I talked about deep thoughts, not everyday thoughts. Last edited by dy156; 03-31-2004 at 01:13 PM..