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Draconis · 08-11-2005, 07:50 AM

A large portion of the cost of gas could be eliminated using the following methods:

New, more efficient refineries
Eliminating the multitude of blends
Cutting gas taxes

Now, in order to do that, we would have to use the gas tax for the thing it was meant to be used for and nothing else: roads. Gas tax is supposed to be used for roads, no more, no less. That would also mean getting rid of a lot of government programs and thus spending. I say we are long overdue for that.

Other things:
With new technology, personal commuter aircraft is becoming more and more of a possibility. Some of these new planes are being designed to run on alternative fuels such as ethanol distilled from corn in the US.
Given adequate research and progress is made in the realm of rechargable batteries which have long lifetimes, are lightweight, and hold a strong charge for long periods of time, electric cars may be viable. In order to do so, we would have to go with the most feared but safest and most environmentally-friendly mode of generating electricity: nuclear power. Unjustified fears of meltdown (impossible with the levels of U-235 in non-weapons grade uranium) and possible but extremely rare contamination have restricted nuclear power expansion. In doing so, we would cut ties from countries which are home to extremist religious groups who seek to destroy us. By taking American funds and putting them into domestic energy production instead of foreign energy, we would generate jobs, eliminate environmental pollutants from using fossil fuels, and cut the funding for the extremist groups we ourselves have been providing drastically.
Zero consumption housing is also another good idea, where a house is designed to generate as much energy as it consumes by using solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. Unfortunately, the most viable option, solar, is still prohibitively expensive due to the high cost of solar panels. New technologies to produce solar panels cheaper are currently driving this cost lower.

08-11-2005, 07:50 AM	#27 (permalink)
Draconis Insane Location: Normandy, June of '44	A large portion of the cost of gas could be eliminated using the following methods: New, more efficient refineries Eliminating the multitude of blends Cutting gas taxes Now, in order to do that, we would have to use the gas tax for the thing it was meant to be used for and nothing else: roads. Gas tax is supposed to be used for roads, no more, no less. That would also mean getting rid of a lot of government programs and thus spending. I say we are long overdue for that. Other things: With new technology, personal commuter aircraft is becoming more and more of a possibility. Some of these new planes are being designed to run on alternative fuels such as ethanol distilled from corn in the US. Given adequate research and progress is made in the realm of rechargable batteries which have long lifetimes, are lightweight, and hold a strong charge for long periods of time, electric cars may be viable. In order to do so, we would have to go with the most feared but safest and most environmentally-friendly mode of generating electricity: nuclear power. Unjustified fears of meltdown (impossible with the levels of U-235 in non-weapons grade uranium) and possible but extremely rare contamination have restricted nuclear power expansion. In doing so, we would cut ties from countries which are home to extremist religious groups who seek to destroy us. By taking American funds and putting them into domestic energy production instead of foreign energy, we would generate jobs, eliminate environmental pollutants from using fossil fuels, and cut the funding for the extremist groups we ourselves have been providing drastically. Zero consumption housing is also another good idea, where a house is designed to generate as much energy as it consumes by using solar, wind, or hydroelectric power. Unfortunately, the most viable option, solar, is still prohibitively expensive due to the high cost of solar panels. New technologies to produce solar panels cheaper are currently driving this cost lower. __________________ STEVE MCKENNA!