Rusted Sky

That seems to be the Democrat's only solution. Tax it, then (magically) alternatives will appear. From what? From where? Who knows? Who cares? Tax the oil companies!

Supposedly the revenue will go towards government-based alternative energy programs. Well, forgive my skepticism, but I don't believe our government can DO it, unless there's a VERY pressing need - like national survival. (And I don't mean that in a 'cold war' sense - I mean in a very real 'we have to have SOMETHING in XXX days or we are seriously going down the tubes in a way that'll make the Great Depression seem like you lost a buck in the soda machine.)

Instead - what's the option offered by the Democrats?

Raise taxes. Toss it towards government-financed alternatives.

Okay, you know what I think will really happen? The taxes (if Obama gets elected) will be raised. Companies will struggle. Layoffs will ensue, our economy will totter. And the promised energy sources? They won't appear. Oh, there will be 'programs', and money will be thrown at them for a time - but nothing will ever come of it and after a while the money will be thrown at something completely unrelated, but of far more politically expedient importance. Besides - looking at things like the Luxury Tax (which was actually revenue-negative) I have little hope that a political system which sees only ONE possible acceptable course of action (IE tax anyone making money) no matter the situation will actually have any positive effect on the matter.

Well, there's a lot of 'progressives' who might not like it - but it may be time for government to stand back and let the private sector come up with solutions. Do an X-Prize contest, say with a $1 bil award, for an easy, economical way to retrofit our current transportation inventory (from gas-guzzling SUVs down to ancient Ford Fiestas) so you have doulbe or triple the mileage with no emissions impact.

Put out a second $1 bil prize for a turnkey feasible electrical automobile power plant. If you can yank out a standard car engine and put in a total package, including batteries (or ultracapacitor) and a high-torque, moderate RPM motor in the same space - you get the Billion.

But those two things would be awarding capitalistic innovation - therefore we ain't gonna see it from the folks inside the Beltway.

Instead, we'll just tax the folks providing oil. And the folks making cars. And the drivers. I'm sure THAT will make everything just fine!

And in a hundred years, when the US population has crashed down to about 50 million, and our economy is back to a late 1800's agricultural model, and our current technological infrastructure is being mined for the steel, copper and other metals in it, our grandchildren will wonder just how we could have been so damn stupid as to let it all collapse... those who have the leisure, that is. Because at that point, all the easily accessable reserves of oil and coal will be gone. Metals will be both easier and harder to get - purer stuff will be available, but the easily mined ores will be gone. Horses and buggies will come back, blacksmiths will be popular - and electricity won't be generally available. Oh, there will probably be some hydropower plants until parts can't be replaced - but generally? In two hundred years, the world will be probably be lit by wood and candles.

Food will become expensive again. On the good side, the population will be significantly thinner.

We stand at a crossroads. We know where we've come from. There's three choices ahead.

Which one's the right one?

One path - keep using oil. Iraqi oil comes on line in a big way, and the Saudis open the tap. Oil prices drop to $15, $20 a barrel - until next time. Alternative energy programs are abandoned - and when the crunch hits, there's not time to develop them. Economy crashes, a great deal of 'no fun at all' ensues.

Another path - keep using oil - but use MORE oil to bootstrap us up. Get fusion going, get solar economically feasible, get nanotube batteries/ultracapacitor tech up to the point where you could crank your car off an 8 pack of AA batteries, and start it in sub-zero weather with the engine block stone cold and 40-weight oil in the crankcase. Have multiple sources of power available, use oil for petrochemical feedstock and lubes, NOT go-juice for IC buggies.

The third - struggle on with limited oil, hoping like anything we can bootstrap things like the polywell reactor and printed solar cells in quantity to stave off a technological collapse.

If you have the Democrats in charge - I expect #1 - because we're getting close to some major changes. #3 is possible also, with the addition of massive federal regulation designed to make sure any new power sources are 'safe'. Add 20 years to implementation for environmental, health, safety, labor and economic hearing by various concerned groups. And when the collapse hits - they'll blame it on everything EXCEPT the government taking too long.

J.