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Please do not brush off nuclear power because it is difficult to understand and growing corn is not. It has its place in the overall discussion.
Has anyone seen the stats on our new nuclear powered aircraft carrier CVN76? I must admit that I was blown away by the numbers:
The ship is powered by two reactors. They will go for twenty years without refueling. The top speed is over 30k. It has the capacity to generate 400,000 gallons of fresh water daily from sea water, enough to supply 2,000 homes. It weighs over 100,000 tons.
And this is just a ship. I'll bet we need a lot of windmills to generate this much power. Let's make sure that nuclear is on the list of total energy generating solutions.
What happens when the demand for oil increases as the world's oil reserves get depleted? The price goes up, naturally. But is it possible that we really could run out of oil or that we won't be able to pump enough oil out of the ground to meet demand? For a good time, learn about Peak Oil. You guys should see what folks talk about on the Peak Oil discussion forums (becoming a survivalist, how to fend off bandits, subsistence farming, mass die offs...).
What happens when the demand for oil increases as the world's oil reserves get depleted? The price goes up, naturally. But is it possible that we really could run out of oil or that we won't be able to pump enough oil out of the ground to meet demand? For a good time, learn about Peak Oil. You guys should see what folks talk about on the Peak Oil discussion forums (becoming a survivalist, how to fend off bandits, subsistence farming, mass die offs...).
People who buy hummers have to make up for the little pants snake.
Not necessarily. I don't have a hummer, but I DO have three kids and three grandkids to at least indirectly prove that I seem to be adequately equipped in that department. . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by jedisdead
There is no reason to have a big truck, I guess people in europe have no big jobs?
Fortunately, I've noticed that most folks in Europe are smart enough to drive Diesels, which seem to be MUCH MORE popular in Europe than they are here in the USA -both in cars AND trucks! I guess most folks in the US are just put-off by the smell and the clatter of a Diesel engine, plus the additional cost premium. Some people also remember the ill-fated GM Diesels built on a 350 block and the Diesel VW Rabbits that were both junk.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jedisdead
This argument is just trying to create a reason to have what they should not.
As the owner of a Ford F-350 Super Duty Quad cab with a PowerStroke Diesel and 6 Speed manual transmission, I completely disagree. There is NO WAY I could possibly function without it.
As a matter of fact, I have had to have my left leg immobilized due to a fall I took on December 26 where I tore the tendons off my knee cap and had to have them surgically re-attached. I've still been trying to work, but it is completely impossible for me to function very effectively without my truck. I'm trying to make-do with my wife's Tahoe, which has SOME carrying capacity but not NEARLY as much as my F-350 has.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jedisdead
You are free to buy gas hogs, but we need to tax the crap out of people who refuse to by High MPG cars. If you put a 2000$ a year tax on each one of the hogs you would reduce them by leaps and bounds, and if you reduce demand enough you will make the car industry not even attempt to build them if they can not sell enough, and than the idiots who would buy them even if gas was 5 a gallon would not be able to.
This is the same thing as trying to legislate morality. Get a clue: this is a FREE COUNTRY and people who buy these things have to pay for the fuel. If they can't afford it, then they'll get something smaller. If they're using them as work vehicles, then you're only punishing someone for trying to do their job. How pathetic!
My wife also owns a tiny little Ford Focus ZX-3, which is a complete JOKE to drive any appreciable distance in. Before I messed-up my knee (which means I can't fit into it now at ALL!), we took a trip to NY state in it two summers ago and it was the most MISERABLE trip I've ever taken anywhere in my LIFE!! I could hardly walk when I would get out of the vehicle, and I found I had to stop and stretch at least once an hour. I've made trips to New Orleans in the F-350 and could drive all DAY in that thing without the necessity of stopping.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jedisdead
I also worked in construction and I could do most anything I needed to with a toyota truck, it got 26 MPG,
You must not have to haul very much to a jobsite, do you? I've been renovating my daughter's house and I often load the bed as full as I can go and tow a trailer loaded with job supplies and tools on an almost daily basis -at least I *did* until I got hurt. Now I'm coming to realize just how MUCH I depended on that set-up now that I can't make use of it like I used to. It has slowed down what I am able to accomplish exponentially.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jedisdead
No one needs a 8 MPG ford or chevy.
I can get 18MPG out of my 4 ton truck, so please don't talk to me about getting 8 MPG out of the typical pickup. NO ONE is going to buy that line of B-S. Maybe at one time, a long time ago (1960's) that was true, but all of the newer models I'm familiar with do SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER than that!
If that's all you're getting out of any truck that's new enough to be equipped with fuel injection, then you'd really better get it into the shop because there's gotta be something majorly wrong with it. I could easily get at least 10 MPG out of my F-350 when I was towing my 26' work trailer down the highway at 70 MPH!!
Muskegon becoming the Windmill Capitol of Michigan?
Quote:
Originally Posted by UpperPeninsulaRon
We've read threads about Muskegon becoming the wind power capital of Michigan by ringing the Great Lakes with floating windmills.
Really? This is NEWS to me.
Last I heard anything about this from my brother who lives in Muskegon, all of the "sand-huggers" were trying to do everything possible to keep windmill production completely out of West Michigan. Onshore. Offshore. Anywhere. Period. Unlike here in Central IL, where we have a LOT of windmill farms coming on-line. Good for them!
Not necessarily. I don't have a hummer, but I DO have three kids and three grandkids to at least indirectly prove that I seem to be adequately equipped in that department. . .
Fortunately, I've noticed that most folks in Europe are smart enough to drive Diesels, which seem to be MUCH MORE popular in Europe than they are here in the USA -both in cars AND trucks! I guess most folks in the US are just put-off by the smell and the clatter of a Diesel engine, plus the additional cost premium. Some people also remember the ill-fated GM Diesels built on a 350 block and the Diesel VW Rabbits that were both junk.
As the owner of a Ford F-350 Super Duty Quad cab with a PowerStroke Diesel and 6 Speed manual transmission, I completely disagree. There is NO WAY I could possibly function without it.
As a matter of fact, I have had to have my left leg immobilized due to a fall I took on December 26 where I tore the tendons off my knee cap and had to have them surgically re-attached. I've still been trying to work, but it is completely impossible for me to function very effectively without my truck. I'm trying to make-do with my wife's Tahoe, which has SOME carrying capacity but not NEARLY as much as my F-350 has.
This is the same thing as trying to legislate morality. Get a clue: this is a FREE COUNTRY and people who buy these things have to pay for the fuel. If they can't afford it, then they'll get something smaller. If they're using them as work vehicles, then you're only punishing someone for trying to do their job. How pathetic!
My wife also owns a tiny little Ford Focus ZX-3, which is a complete JOKE to drive any appreciable distance in. Before I messed-up my knee (which means I can't fit into it now at ALL!), we took a trip to NY state in it two summers ago and it was the most MISERABLE trip I've ever taken anywhere in my LIFE!! I could hardly walk when I would get out of the vehicle, and I found I had to stop and stretch at least once an hour. I've made trips to New Orleans in the F-350 and could drive all DAY in that thing without the necessity of stopping.
You must not have to haul very much to a jobsite, do you? I've been renovating my daughter's house and I often load the bed as full as I can go and tow a trailer loaded with job supplies and tools on an almost daily basis -at least I *did* until I got hurt. Now I'm coming to realize just how MUCH I depended on that set-up now that I can't make use of it like I used to. It has slowed down what I am able to accomplish exponentially.
I can get 18MPG out of my 4 ton truck, so please don't talk to me about getting 8 MPG out of the typical pickup. NO ONE is going to buy that line of B-S. Maybe at one time, a long time ago (1960's) that was true, but all of the newer models I'm familiar with do SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER than that!
If that's all you're getting out of any truck that's new enough to be equipped with fuel injection, then you'd really better get it into the shop because there's gotta be something majorly wrong with it. I could easily get at least 10 MPG out of my F-350 when I was towing my 26' work trailer down the highway at 70 MPH!!
Well,i have a v6 firebird and i don`t get much than your 18 mpg 4 ton truck.I get the same mpg and american cars are a waste of money.I think european cars are too.The only country that is bringing something real is japan.I really made a fatal mistake when i bought this v6 firebird in cash.Who knew that gas prices were gonna go high so quick and that jobs wouldnt be here anymore.
I seriously doubt that cars that are more fuel efficient are the answer. I think that it’s time that America ends its love affair with the automobile and moves back to rail. Trains, trolleys, and light rail can haul people and freight far more economically than any car; moreover, the energy wasted on the building and maintaining of roadways is phenomenal. A train's service life is in an altogether different league than any truck or car; furthermore, autos are full of materials that aren't easily recycled. Trains are mostly steel, running on steel wheels, and on steel rails; therefore easily recycled. For those that think electric cars are the answer, think again. Electric cars still consume a lot of energy to produce, maintain, and let’s not forget about what happens when they end their service life; furthermore, electric cars still generate used tires.
If we switched back to rail, we could chop out a significant portion of the oil that we use. The problem is that nobody is willing to give up there personal convenience that a car gives them; however, I’ve been questioning this so called convenience that my car affords me. With the burgeoning number of aggressive drivers yapping on cell phones, speeding, tailgating, sitting in traffic, more and more traffic lights, cops, and all the expenses that autos bring, my car is beginning to become inconvenient…
I seriously doubt that cars that are more fuel efficient are the answer. I think that it’s time that America ends its love affair with the automobile and moves back to rail. Trains, trolleys, and light rail can haul people and freight far more economically than any car; moreover, the energy wasted on the building and maintaining of roadways is phenomenal. A train's service life is in an altogether different league than any truck or car; furthermore, autos are full of materials that aren't easily recycled. Trains are mostly steel, running on steel wheels, and on steel rails; therefore easily recycled. For those that think electric cars are the answer, think again. Electric cars still consume a lot of energy to produce, maintain, and let’s not forget about what happens when they end their service life; furthermore, electric cars still generate used tires.
If we switched back to rail, we could chop out a significant portion of the oil that we use. The problem is that nobody is willing to give up there personal convenience that a car gives them; however, I’ve been questioning this so called convenience that my car affords me. With the burgeoning number of aggressive drivers yapping on cell phones, speeding, tailgating, sitting in traffic, more and more traffic lights, cops, and all the expenses that autos bring, my car is beginning to become inconvenient…
I wonder how I would get to work without a car. No mass transit goes from where I live to where I work. To even get close to where I work via commuter train, my commute one way would go from an hour to nearly 3 hours. That would increase my commute time from 2 hours per day to 6 hours. That is not feasible and I suspect that many commuters fall into that situation.
The worlds oil reserves reached "peak oil" a few yars ago. From today going forward the production of oil will decline as the demand will increase sending the price higher and higher.
Hydrogen fuel cell technology is the answer.
Hydrogen fuel cars are not the answer. It would require more energy to extract the hydrogen atoms then the amount of energy those atoms would create. The only advantage would be zero emissions.
I dunno, I was taught in a college geography class that the Earth is constantly producing oil. We may use up some reserves, but it will never run out--at least not in our life time.
Oil is a huge political rallying point for every side of the political spectrum. You got to keep in mind that the side that has money invested in oil companies (Republicans, Neo-Con Democrats) stand to lose money if the world goes 'alternative energy', while those who have investments in alternative energy (non Neo-Con Democrats, Greens) have the potential to make bank by turning the world into a green energy space---which I am all for, but keep in mind that a politician is a business person and has his/her own agenda (pocket book) in mind--not you.
Scare tactics are the most effective way to control someone. Religion does it. The Right does it. The Left does it.
I wonder how I would get to work without a car. No mass transit goes from where I live to where I work. To even get close to where I work via commuter train, my commute one way would go from an hour to nearly 3 hours. That would increase my commute time from 2 hours per day to 6 hours. That is not feasible and I suspect that many commuters fall into that situation.
Herein lies one of many reasons why rail will not make a comeback until it’s too late. Again, it’s personal convenience.
Preceeding autos, most of America’s rural, small town, and suburban population used to be based along transportation routes. Highways encouraged suburban sprawl. These highways were what killed rail. Many have moved into areas that aren’t close to an abandoned line. How convenient is the car? Once you look at the total cost of roadways and cars, you should be appalled at the price you’re paying for it. The only reason why trucks can even begin to compete with trains is due to the government subsidizing roadway construction and maintenance. If trucks had pay for the construction and maintenance of their own routes, nobody would haul a thing by truck. Everybody is funding roadways whether they use it or not. What are you going to do when fuel and roadway maintenance becomes so expensive that you can’t afford it? I guess you’re just like the rest of us, we’re simply hoping that things stay cheap enough, and that the day will never come.
I don’t mean to be rude, but the bottom line is that America would have to change its ways drastically. If it were too uneconomical for private enterprise to run trolley or bus service to your area, it would simply be abandoned and your property would become worthless.
Purely for conjecture, even if cars ran for free off photon equilibrium rays from the cosmic aurora, cars are still too uneconomical in comparison to rail. All the junk tires and materials that cannot be recycled that these cars generate is huge; moreover, the price roadway construction and maintenance is still phenomenal. It seems as though we’ve become a land of hypocrites. Everybody talks about getting green, but when it comes down to brass tacks, nobody wants to give up their personal convenience.
In my area, traffic would be considered light by those from huge urban areas; however, since 1981, the year I began driving, traffic has increased exponentially. In the past twenty-seven years, traffic has increased on I-81 from 5-7 thousand a day to nearly 60 thousand a day. It’s spilling out into the communities on roadways that were originally developed for horse and buggy. What’s even more ridiculous are all the suburban communities that are spawning all along I-81 due to the convenience of accessibility. These suburbanites are only concerned with their big house, away from the city, and all that it entails. They seem to not care about how they’re affecting everybody else. Once they create a community, they then demand that the state do something about how noisy I-81 is. The state’s been putting up sound barriers to the tune of one million dollars a mile. Not only am I personally sick of my car, I’m tired of all the money that we throw at the government bureaucracy that it creates.
Rail would put an end to the traffic congestion. Two lines of track can handle more traffic than six freeway lanes. Rail is not only more economical to run, it’s construction and maintenance are but a fraction of the price of roadways. The best part of this is that it would be private enterprise rather than the bureaucracy of government funded and regulated highways.
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Big trucks
