I am becoming a disgruntled Obama supporter

Do you ever remember anything you read? And please spare telling me you don't read what is posted by me. I have said on many occasions that we need new technologies to be developed and put in place. I have also said it will not happen over night and we must have a bridge to reach them. Regardless of how you may couch it, that bridge is fossil fuels.

I have read your past remarks, and the one I responded to was was a snide put down not at all consistent with what you've been saying all along. Maybe you should go back and read everything I've had to say. I think I've made myself clear and don't need to explain myself on this issue. By the way, today was a great day for a bike ride. Beautiful crosswind.

All those that want to do away with this evil crude oil, I ask you to pick any 10 items on this list and stop using them now. I don't think any of these were created from wind or solar. This is just a short list from the more than 4,000 that come from crude oil.

A legacy doesn't have infinite shelf life much to your dismay.

P.S. Less than 20% of crude oil is used to produce those common items you mention, some of which have non-petroleum based substitutes. If we could reduce our petroleum needs to plastic items, jet fuel, lubricants, ships [fuel for], I don't think we would need to destroy ecosystems and lives in the name of energy independence. Your argument is tired and weak.

Define 'embrace'. I am all for embracing green technology, ie, research and development, with the given that we are at least a generation or two from large scale weaning from oil. I heard a piece about some people who were having some success somehow or the other extracting petroleum products out of algae utilizing much of the same refining technology we currently use. The perfected process is, of course, years away. But there is this myth that somehow we can just turn off the oil spigot, slap up some solar panels and windmills, unroll the suppressed plans for the electric car and away we would go. Not gonna happen like that.

we can do whatever we want, when we want.....but who is we, bp or thee?
do you think you have any choice?

we can do whatever we want, when we want.....but who is we, bp or thee?
do you think you have any choice?

When people are afraid to take a stance it's known as hedging. Also note the really tired worn out straw man arguments against alternative energy.

Here are the items from your list that I am willing to give up or greatly reduce my usage of:

Bags (all of my shopping bags are recycled, leather or canvas)
Disposable Diapers (I think Mama Scooterbug is still using some of our cloth diapers as dust rags)
Fertilizers
Flooring (prefer porcelain tiles, real wood/bamboo, and wool carpets for aesthetic and health reasons)
Milk Jugs - the glass bottle my milk is in currently works just fine!
Patio Furniture - wood or metal works for me
Panty Hose - gave those up years ago
Soft Drink Bottles, Plastic Bottles - cans or reusable water bottle
Unbreakable Dishes - mine are Corel and over 50 years old
Fishing Rods - don't fish, though graphite or bamboo works instead
Crayons - prefer colored pencil or watercolors
Combs - wood, bone, metal
Toys, Dolls, Model Cars - safe alternate materials available for all of those, though plastic wheels are the best
Clothing (polyester, nylon) - prefer clothes made of cotton, linen, wool, cashmere, silk, leather, and bamboo
TV Cabinets - wood
Candles - what's wrong w/ paraffin or beeswax?
Paint Brushes - boar's bristle, sable, wood, bamboo, and cardboard
Perfume - glass bottle
Tapes - (cassettes, vcr tapes) - think we can manage to phase these out
Tennis rackets - natural gut, graphite and titanium
Waterproof Jackets, Boots, Pants - I average 10-15 years per set of polyurethane coated cotton raingear
Parachutes - silk or hemp fiber
Pens - Papa Scooterbug turns those on his wood lathe
Shower Doors - tempered glass
Rope (nylon) - many other options currently in use
Heart valve - pig or cow or human (I am an organ donor)

Many of the other items listed there is not a good non-plastic/oil alternative that I am aware of, but they can be recycled and we can still work to reduce our usage of them.

Here are the items from your list that I am willing to give up or greatly reduce my usage of:

Disposable Diapers (I think Mama Scooterbug is still using some of our cloth diapers as dust rags)

Milk Jugs - the glass bottle my milk is in currently works just fine!

Crayons - prefer colored pencil or watercolors

Disposable Diapers: Things could get messy for me, so there's a problem.
Milk Jugs- What decade do you live in? Last time I saw milk in a glass bottle, I started my diaper habit.
Crayons- you'd have to gnaw them out of my hands, mouth or left foot.

we can do whatever we want, when we want.....but who is we, bp or thee?
do you think you have any choice?

So how are things in the yurt tonight, Bob?;-)

So how are things in the yurt tonight, Bob?;-)

in my cinderblock castle, waiting for the next oil war

in my cinderblock castle, waiting for the next oil war

Glad to see your solar panels provide you enough juice to run the computer machine late into the dark night

Glad to see your solar panels provide you enough juice to run the computer machine late into the dark night

solar panels for hot water on the roof in 1992, just after oil war 1. will pay double for gasoline to stop all offshore drilling and bring home our mercenary forces. waiting for government penalties for gas hogs and generous tax credits for electric/hybrid vehicles. not holding my breath.

solar panels for hot water on the roof in 1992, just after oil war 1. will pay double for gasoline to stop all offshore drilling and bring home our mercenary forces. waiting for government penalties for gas hogs and generous tax credits for electric/hybrid vehicles. not holding my breath.

Was it a major project to convert to solar panels for water?

Disposable Diapers: Things could get messy for me, so there's a problem.
Milk Jugs- What decade do you live in? Last time I saw milk in a glass bottle, I started my diaper habit.
Crayons- you'd have to gnaw them out of my hands, mouth or left foot.

You know I am 80 years old at heart!

The organic milk at the farmer's market comes in glass bottles.

will pay double for gasoline to stop all offshore drilling and bring home our mercenary forces. waiting for government penalties for gas hogs and generous tax credits for electric/hybrid vehicles.

I second this emotion!

solar panels for hot water on the roof in 1992, just after oil war 1. will pay double for gasoline to stop all offshore drilling and bring home our mercenary forces. waiting for government penalties for gas hogs and generous tax credits for electric/hybrid vehicles. not holding my breath.

Sounds like a win.

Sounds like a win.

Sound like the guy interviewed on the news before the hurricane hits, refusing to leave, proclaiming his flashlight, water and Sam's club can of beans will sustain him.:roll:

Sound like the guy interviewed on the news before the hurricane hits, refusing to leave, proclaiming his flashlight, water and Sam's club can of beans will sustain him.:roll:

Oil advocates are like WWII Japanese soldier on Guam in 1955, refusing to believe it's all over. As for me, adapting to a doubling of gas prices would not be a problem with or without financial incentives. Two years ago I made a committment to drive as though gas were priced at $6.00 a gallon, so right now it's like I'm getting a windfall.

Oil advocates are like WWII Japanese soldier on Guam in 1955, refusing to believe it's all over. As for me, adapting to a doubling of gas prices would not be a problem with or without financial incentives. Two years ago I made a committment to drive as though gas were priced at $6.00 a gallon, so right now it's like I'm getting a windfall.

Doubling of gas prices probably wouldn't be that big of a deal if price occurred in a vacuum without any other effects. Of course, simple doubling of gasoline price is a conservative estimate of what would occur if all offshore drilling was stopped. And be sure to make room in your budget for just about every good, service and utility you currently consume going up in price. And finally, be sure to save a little scratch for Bob's poor freezing relatives up north because that heating oil will probably be just a little too expensive for them. But I'm sure you guys have it all figured out

Not many of us are going to be able to afford much of anything after Obama's massive destructive taxation on all of America starts January 1, 2011.

Not many of us are going to be able to afford much of anything after Obama's massive destructive taxation on all of America starts January 1, 2011.

Yeah, why can't Obama be more like George W. Bush--just spend money without raising taxes to pay for it?

Every time taxes have been lowered this country thrived. Every time. Check out your history if you have the time when you aren't dredging up Bush because you don't have a better reply. Read this and weep.

BREAKING: Wounded Warriors Face New Tax This Independence Day

In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011:

Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

Higher taxes on marriage and family. The ?marriage penalty? (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income. The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child. The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut.

The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.

Higher tax rates on savers and investors. The capital gains tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 20 percent in 2011. The dividends tax will rise from 15 percent this year to 39.6 percent in 2011. These rates will rise another 3.8 percent in 2013.

Second Wave: Obamacare

There are over twenty new or higher taxes in Obamacare. Several will first go into effect on January 1, 2011. They include:

The ?Medicine Cabinet Tax? Thanks to Obamacare, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin).

The ?Special Needs Kids Tax? This provision of Obamacare imposes a cap on flexible spending accounts (FSAs) of $2500 (Currently, there is no federal government limit). There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children. There are thousands of families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington, D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can be used to pay for this type of special needs education.

The HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike. This provision of Obamacare increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10 to 20 percent, disadvantaging them relative to IRAs and other tax-advantaged accounts, which remain at 10 percent.

Third Wave: The Alternative Minimum Tax and Employer Tax Hikes

When Americans prepare to file their tax returns in January of 2011, they?ll be in for a nasty surprise?the AMT won?t be held harmless, and many tax relief provisions will have expired. The major items include:

The AMT will ensnare over 28 million families, up from 4 million last year. According to the left-leaning Tax Policy Center, Congress? failure to index the AMT will lead to an explosion of AMT taxpaying families?rising from 4 million last year to 28.5 million. These families will have to calculate their tax burdens twice, and pay taxes at the higher level. The AMT was created in 1969 to ensnare a handful of taxpayers.

Small business expensing will be slashed and 50% expensing will disappear. Small businesses can normally expense (rather than slowly-deduct, or ?depreciate?) equipment purchases up to $250,000. This will be cut all the way down to $25,000. Larger businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment. In January of 2011, all of it will have to be ?depreciated.?

Taxes will be raised on all types of businesses. There are literally scores of tax hikes on business that will take place. The biggest is the loss of the ?research and experimentation tax credit,? but there are many, many others. Combining high marginal tax rates with the loss of this tax relief will cost jobs.

Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced. The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available. Tax credits for education will be limited. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut. Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.

Charitable Contributions from IRAs no longer allowed. Under current law, a retired person with an IRA can contribute up to $100,000 per year directly to a charity from their IRA. This contribution also counts toward an annual ?required minimum distribution.? This ability will no longer be there.

Doubling of gas prices probably wouldn't be that big of a deal if price occurred in a vacuum without any other effects. Of course, simple doubling of gasoline price is a conservative estimate of what would occur if all offshore drilling was stopped. And be sure to make room in your budget for just about every good, service and utility you currently consume going up in price. And finally, be sure to save a little scratch for Bob's poor freezing relatives up north because that heating oil will probably be just a little too expensive for them. But I'm sure you guys have it all figured out

We have better plans than you ill-conceived straw-man proposal. I should know better than to waste my time with you.

We have better plans than you're ill-conceived straw-man proposal. I should know better than to waste my time with you.

Sorry to make you confront the prospect of going back to the old drawing board. This time I suggest you consider augmenting your gas rationing with solar, wind, hydropower, biofuels and the knowledge that we are not ready to turn off the spigot just yet. Banzai!;-)

Every time taxes have been lowered this country thrived. Every time. Check out your history if you have the time when you aren't dredging up Bush because you don't have a better reply. Read this and weep.

Well, since taxes are so evil, let's just eliminate them altogether. Somalia seems to be doing alright without them.

Sorry to make you confront the prospect of going back to the old drawing board. This time I suggest you consider augmenting your gas rationing with solar, wind, hydropower, biofuels and the knowledge that we are not ready to turn off the spigot just yet. Banzai!;-)

I agree, that oil spigot may be flooding the gulf for the next 10 years. All it will take is a beach driving permit to get all the free fuel I need. The loop current could drag it up to the northeast, where oil is in great demand. This petro-spew could be the best thing that ever happened. The gulf stream pipeline. Whooda thunk it.

An amazingly obtuse reply, Uga. You obviously did not read the tax info or failed to grasp the gravity of these hurtful taxes of Obama's.