Re: European Union cuts back Biofuel use

Neon John wrote:
On Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:23:45 -0700, "Frank Howell"
<fphowell@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


I know that the government is a big impediment in many areas, but I
don't think they are blocking any private efforts for oil
replacement.

Sure they are. One example is the (improved but still) irrational
nuclear plant licensing laws. Nuclear is the only energy source now
or in the foreseeable future that has any chance of scaling enough to
replace a significant amount of oil.
Since I am not knowledgeable on all the licensing laws, it would be
difficult for me to agree or disagree with your statements. If our present
energy sources continue to decrease in availability and increase in cost,
then Nuclear energy might be looked at more objectively and it's associated
regulations that are not only costly but more important time consuming.



Example 2. The obstructions on all levels of government to electrical
transmission line construction.



Example 3. I want to start a company to build electric city cars.
Not a do-all vehicle that tries to emulate a gas vehicle but that
SECOND car that statistically can handle over 90% of most people's
trips. A basic small, light and inexpensive vehicle in the spirit of
the original Beetle. Drive it to work in the day, charge it at
night. Use it to go to the C-store for cigs and beer. Something that
would sell for less than $10,000, preferably much less. A car that
will run 70 mph and do it for 100 miles.

The technology is available now. I know how to do it. I can raise
private capital. There is only one reason why I can't do it
tomorrow. The federal government. It would take millions of dollars
to comply with all the obscene safety requirements imposed on new
cars, not to mention the staff required to fill out all the paperwork
and deal with the hordes of bureaucrats. Or the bureaucratic BS that
it takes to site and construct a plant these days.

Now, some folks want two dozen air bombs and the ability to drunkenly
drive into a bridge abutment at 60 mph and survive. That's fine.
That's why they make Volvos. For them, maybe someday someone will
build that $80,000 electric car. Many more don't, especially for a
city car that rarely sees the interstate. The well-designed seat
belt, collapsing steering column and crumple zones built into my 1975
Datsun SO saved my life when a drunk hit me head-on at 60 mph. That
was good enough then and it's good enough now.

What business is it of the government if I want to make something
that other people want to buy? None! The only possible role the
government should have is to make sure that my dealings are honest.

I think that the real problem is not government per say, but our fellow
citizens who vote in legislators that enact these forms of overzealous
regulations designed to make a perfect world. An example would be that car
that was recently unveiled in China. A modest means of personal
transportation that would be economical to buy and use. A car like that for
sale in the US, would only energize Ralph Nader to the point we would
resemble perpetual energy in his efforts to protect his fellow citizens from
themselves.



If we had a
race between the realization of two ideas, one being a president with
absolute true unparalleled leadership and a new energy source
invented by some unknown person, I would have to give the odds to
the latter. But in the event there is no replacement for oil;
invented, discovered or anything else, it would be nice to have a
rational plan for that eventuality.

I bet that the Soviets worked in good faith, thinking that their
obsessive central planning would work too. It didn't. It never
does. All it did was suppress innovation. The same thing government
does here. The government doesn't need another plan. All it needs
to do is get ad sack out of the way and let us smart folks do our
things. Some of us will fail. Many of us will succeed. Some will
succeed spectacularly. We'll all be better off for it.

Alas, I'm afraid that nothing short of an armed revolution will
disentrench this monstrous tumor called government that we've allowed
to grow unchecked for so long. I hope that I live long enough to see
it.

John

Once again many of our fellow citizens are in cahoots with the government as
they are the genesis for a great deal of the 'perfect outcome in all
matters' syndrome.

--
Frank Howell


.

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