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Termyn8or -> RE: Election year (8/25/2008 12:12:57 PM)
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CL : "So what's your solution?
What's your grand proposal to change the problem? "
That is a very good question and has driven me into deep thought. I think very fast, but something like this is very complex.
On this short notice I come up with this. "Dirty zones". Areas of this country where all regulation is relaxed, not completely, but let's say waivers of some type. If you think the plasma TV made in China produced any less pollution than one that would be made in the US, I'd like to hear the logic behind it. Thing is, if we produce it, the same net amount of pollution is produced, the difference is that the money is not exported.
The venue for the dirty zone would be selected based on geography, and placed when it would do the most minimal harm to our internal environment. Sure we might pollute the oceans, but if we don't somebody else will. We are in reality, we have a population to feed, to educate and to put to work.
We can be better than China, put all the dirty zones where the ports of entry are, the transportation system is already setup for it. There still have to be some environmental regulations, but the system they put in place that impelled companies to buy and sell "credits" among one another did nothing for us. All it did was suck more money from the consumer/taxpayer.
I was going to say to put in an advanced highway, or possibly even a rail transportation system to the dirty zones, but using areas nearby current ports of entry would work out in many cases. If totally new dirty zones are established, transportation must be considered.
However, to transport cargo over a thousand miles of road is cheaper than bringing it in a boat across the Atlantic. What's more, we should look into rail transport. I know they are already doing it, but I mean into the dirty zones. The railroad has not been expanded much lately.
People complain about trucks, not realizing that everything they buy comes on a truck, even if they buy a truck it came in on a truck, at least to the dealer. An efficient rail system means that they manufacture the products, ship them on a truck to the railroad, another truck picks it up from the railroad. You might have a hundred miles on the road. Think if that truck had to drive all the way from CA to NJ.
There is one fact about even our old archaic rail system, steel wheels on steel rails act pretty much like ball bearings, not so with tires. I don't care how much air you put in a tire it still deflects, which creates drag.
I also think we should work on coal fired rail technology. Not that it is yet, but it could be. Water and coal. The train moves, it produces pollution but it spreads it around because it is moving. We have plenty of coal and seem to have enough water, and with modern technology, a deisel could be used for some times in operation, but like I said about putting an electric motor/generator in the transmission of a car, it would switch over once it got up to running speed. Even the coal and water could be dispensed electronically.
The technology exists for us to become self sufficient once again, at least in part. I think that should be our first goal, rather than taking over the world, or whatever they are trying to do.
That's the best I can do right now. The financial problems are a big shit sandwich, and like it or not we are all going to have to take a bite. We are not getting out of this without sacrifice, on a personal level. It is still better to do it when when we can, instead of when we have to.
The main point is, if we continue to import at the rate we do, no solution will work.
That's all for now, I will expound on it later.
T
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