so Iran might try to "punish" the world for keeping it from nuclear power (weapons) by cutting oil production. This reminded me of two issues I think about quite a bit:
1) Alternative energy as a national security issue. If we factor not only pollution/global warming but the security risk of funding crazy countries with oil money into oil prices, is solar/wind power really that expensive? Is it a good idea to raise gas taxes further to both brace for future volatilities and fund renewable energy research?
2) Will the Middle East (Israel very much included) ever realize that they should stop worrying about dividing themselves into groups and punishing anyone they think hurts their group, and begin to worry about the happiness of their individual citizens?
My feeling on the second one is that the middle east has gotten by on easy oil money long enough that they have not had to worry about democracy too much, but if demand drops they might actually have to be accountable for feeding themselves and support efficient government more.
1) Alternative energy as a national security issue. If we factor not only pollution/global warming but the security risk of funding crazy countries with oil money into oil prices, is solar/wind power really that expensive? Is it a good idea to raise gas taxes further to both brace for future volatilities and fund renewable energy research?
2) Will the Middle East (Israel very much included) ever realize that they should stop worrying about dividing themselves into groups and punishing anyone they think hurts their group, and begin to worry about the happiness of their individual citizens?
My feeling on the second one is that the middle east has gotten by on easy oil money long enough that they have not had to worry about democracy too much, but if demand drops they might actually have to be accountable for feeding themselves and support efficient government more.
that might go against OPEC regs. we'll see when we come to it.
in principle i think your opinion on the second one makes sense.
in principle i think your opinion on the second one makes sense.
i agree with point one in principle but i think that any sort of bill presented to the house or the senate would be shot down almost instantly because of voter numbers. picture trying to campaignfor re-election after approving a gas price increase reguardless of logic.
it seems to me, point two would have to follow point one (although logic would allow point two to be an influence for point one) since no other piece of legislature (sp.) (to my knowledge, although i haven't even tried to investigate it) has tried to reduce u.s. dependence on oil.
sorry about all the subpoints and explanations in parentheses.
it seems to me, point two would have to follow point one (although logic would allow point two to be an influence for point one) since no other piece of legislature (sp.) (to my knowledge, although i haven't even tried to investigate it) has tried to reduce u.s. dependence on oil.
sorry about all the subpoints and explanations in parentheses.
1) I don't believe TRUE renewable energy research will come about until gas prices become so high, and oil quantities so low, that we *need* to do it. Which is a shame, I say. Why wait when we can leave oil behind? It would actually help in our war(s) in the Middle East. If they don't have that much profit going in, they won't be able to do much. Of course, I'm sure they'd find a way to get more profit. Is Afghanistan still selling opium(was that even Afghanistan)?
2) I believe so much of that trouble stems not only from oil-laden decadence, but from the religion on which they "founded" their countries. They all truly believe they're the correct ones and everyone else is diluted; so what's the point of helping your fellow man when sending them to their grave gets them to Heaven faster? That isn't to say just the powerful send the weak out to die, but the weak WANT to. They are rewarded in their Afterlife--which is certainly better than the Hell-hole they've been inhabiting.
Naturally, I'm biased against all of this--I believe religion is dangerous, so I'll try and point out what it's doing to people when I can. And I'm sure I stereotyped a bunch of Islam, but they haven't been proving me wrong very well. Why else would they vote Hamas into power and praise Hezbollah?
(P.S., I still think Jon Stewart was right. We need to just air-condition the entire region.)
2) I believe so much of that trouble stems not only from oil-laden decadence, but from the religion on which they "founded" their countries. They all truly believe they're the correct ones and everyone else is diluted; so what's the point of helping your fellow man when sending them to their grave gets them to Heaven faster? That isn't to say just the powerful send the weak out to die, but the weak WANT to. They are rewarded in their Afterlife--which is certainly better than the Hell-hole they've been inhabiting.
Naturally, I'm biased against all of this--I believe religion is dangerous, so I'll try and point out what it's doing to people when I can. And I'm sure I stereotyped a bunch of Islam, but they haven't been proving me wrong very well. Why else would they vote Hamas into power and praise Hezbollah?
(P.S., I still think Jon Stewart was right. We need to just air-condition the entire region.)
1) Yeah, I understand the political problems here. But it seems that this country has come together for large goals before. We spent huge amounts of money putting a man on the moon, for negligible benefit for humanity. I just wish we could put that into something that could save our environment, economy, etc.
2) I agree that religion is a problem, but I don't think the picture is so bleak on that front. There is a lot of support in Iran for secular reformers, they are just kicked off the ballot. Palestine and Iraq are also quite secular. I think the religion problem comes in when the crazy fundamentalist get access to easy money that helps them oppress everyone else. Maybe it would also be helpful to separate it into religious and cultural problems. The Middle East has no history for at least 1000 years of any form of government concerned with personal freedom or wellbeing for average people.
Yeah, Afghanistan makes a LOT of opium, which was banned quite effectively during the taliban. They don't really have oil, and from a production perspective it may be better for the country because it actually requires a lot of people to work to make it rather than just pulling it out of the ground and rolling around in the money that comes in.
2) I agree that religion is a problem, but I don't think the picture is so bleak on that front. There is a lot of support in Iran for secular reformers, they are just kicked off the ballot. Palestine and Iraq are also quite secular. I think the religion problem comes in when the crazy fundamentalist get access to easy money that helps them oppress everyone else. Maybe it would also be helpful to separate it into religious and cultural problems. The Middle East has no history for at least 1000 years of any form of government concerned with personal freedom or wellbeing for average people.
Yeah, Afghanistan makes a LOT of opium, which was banned quite effectively during the taliban. They don't really have oil, and from a production perspective it may be better for the country because it actually requires a lot of people to work to make it rather than just pulling it out of the ground and rolling around in the money that comes in.
slax: re. point 2-- It doesn't matter too much right now if there are secular reformers: they aren't running the show. When/if they do manage to take over and try and help people, then I'll HAPPILY remove my response. But, about the Mid-East not having any government concerned with personal freedom, et alia, I didn't take that into consideration. I should have, because it'll make it that much harder to revoke that way of thinking and to start concerning themselves with the well-being of others. Hell, we can't even do it properly in the USA. We want to depend on the Government to do all that for us, then bitch when they up the taxes (to be fair, it's not as if the government uses all of our tax dollars wisely). The American people need to start working together to help out the less fortunate. But how many people would be willing to give up time of their own to spend on someone else? Not many, it would seem... Enough off-topic ranting. </>
:)
We need oil for more than energy. Without it we wouldn't have polymers. Think about that.
yeah, but as far as i know, you can make polymers out of pretty poor grade crude.
apparently the orinoco belt in venezuela has an utterly staggering amount of heavy low-grade oil... somewhere i heard it described as "virtually limitless"
chavez is wack! though.
chavez is wack! though.
thank god that guy lost that vote...
no kidding. except undoubtedly he will pursue identical measures behind the scenes
Him and the iranian dude... total nutters.