It’s going to be Clark for VP

All this talk of him being out of the country during the convention is all just way too convenient. Plus, according to Clark, the Obama campaign said there would be no reason for him to go, which makes zero sense at all. Clark will be VP!

 

Either that, or someone else.

Tire Gauges and where the Republicans can stick them

Lately, the Republicans have been mocking Obama over his suggestion to keep your tires inflated and get regular tune ups. It’s particularly ridiculous, since Obama was in fact correct. The White House estimates that new drilling will give an additional 200,000 barrels a day, by 2030. America uses about 20 million a day right now, so that’s 1% of our current demand, but we won’t even see it for another couple decades. Keeping tires properly inflated, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, improves milage by about 3%, regular tune ups another 4%. The math is pretty clear which will help more.

I know it’s just a part of politics, but really, mocking common sense suggestions to ease the pain at the pump? Then again, these are all bigtime Washington insiders, the same people who’ve worked hard to “protect” Detroit from having to make more fuel efficient vehicles. Which hasn’t exactly been working out real well for Detroit these days.

Even if drilling is started now, we won’t see any benefit from it for a couple of decades, so why not attack the problem from the demand side? There’s a reason fuel efficient vehicles, hybrids, diesels,  are becoming more and more popular. Those things give some real relief now, not a minor blip in 20 years. It’s gotten to the point where Mercedes Benz will stop selling vehicles with gasoline engines in a couple of years. Opting instead for the considerably more efficient diesel, and hybrids.

Of course, it would also help if the oil companies stopped selling so much of the oil to foreign countries, and would bother to make use of the leases they already have. Not something that gets much attention, but out of the land the oil companies currently have leases on, 75% of it remains unexplored. Could also reign in the futures trading, which contributes a not insignificant chunk to the cost of oil.

If we wanted to take things to a real extreme, from a solutions perspective, we could take all those billions in tax breaks given to the oil companies, and invest it in algaculture research. Micro algae produces more oil than any of the currently used plants for biofuels. And you can theoretically grow it in waste water, such as at a sewage treatment plant. Can make diesel, ethanol, and gasoline from biofuels, so why not just cut the oil companies out of the loop if we can? It’s likely to take as long to develop algaculture refineries as it is to get any increased supply from drilling, and the former is a renewable fuel.

But, that won’t happen, big oil owns our government as surely as the financial sector and defense contractors do. So maybe we’re all just fucked.

AKACOD

Just thought I’d share this song, by an amazing band from the Boston area, AKACOD. Great music, that you’ll never see on MTV or hear on any of that Clear Channel owned corporate fuckwad radio. As a bonus, on saxaphone is Dana Colley, more commonly known as the sax player for Morphine.

 

Wind powered cars motherfucker!

Face it, it’s fucking genius! Sure, it might not be possible, but just imagine, little turbines on your car, or motorcycle, powering the electric motor with the wind created as you move. It’s perfect symbiotic symmetry, if it could work. And plus, you’d have cool air intakes on your ride, that actually serve a practical purpose, even if you only drive a compact car. Air intakes for everyone! Fuck yeah!