How about drilling for oil? Are the American people this naive? Brian, what are YOU going to make from this? Have YOU dont your research? Obviously, you have NO idea how jobs are created, unless its from government. Why are you asking idiotic Senators who only know how to spend money, foolishly I might add, to create anything? Has our country gone mad? I am starting to feel like I am in Venezuela! Is this what our pathetic educational system has produced for us?

Brian,
You have stated the Illinois unemployment rate at over 10%. What would your proposed mandate do to curent energy prices????? I would wager they would sky rocket. Why put that burden on the people right now? How about a more graduated approach? Let’s say 10%-15% by 2025. This gives time to develop affordable renewable technology. You make no mention of nuclear energy, extracting our own US assets, etc,,,,. All part of the mix!!

So make a treadmill that’s big enough to support 56,000 people clambering for government health[care] and non-chemical / non-nuclear / insanely inefficient energy. They can enjoy being whipped into shape, eat like pigs, work like dogs and – if we pipe their breaths into a hole in the ground – they also get to sequester co2 [for a little while] which, perhaps more important than anything, makes them feel good.

You liberals are so funny. Obama says green makes jobs and you clowns believe it. Hey, I got some swamp land I would love to sell you. Now I know where to sell it!

Hi Brian,

Not everyone on this site is a right-wing nutjub who does nothing but judge others trying to improve the world.

Bud did actually make a decent point about how this would affect cost, but you addressed that in your letter.

“super”dave doesn’t understand that oil is not renewable (without more dinosaurs) and that drilling in ANWAR would take years to come online, plus it’s wrong and not clean, like solar, wind, etc.

Brian and my id,

Alternative energy is a great idea. Fuel cells, solar, wind, water, kinetic energy harvesting all are good ideas. Conservation of energy also is a good idea. Even bio diesel, synthetic oils and ethanol are good contributors to the mix.

The lesson learned from last year’s gas prices was that we all should be innovative in these areas.

The lesson we are learning this year is that the solution does not lie within our government. Grass roots efforts are the most effective way to affect change and it is very much in our culture to go this route. If you are looking for a band-aid from government, all you will get is waste and disappointment.

Don’t look to Mr. Gore or Senator Obama for guidance. Here is what you can do:
* Use less. Turn off lights, tolerate one degree of less comfort on your thermostat.
* Reuse. Become a Maker. Take things you would normally discard and find a use for them, or someone else that could use them. (Do not follow the Cash for Clunker lead. That was a shame that good working cars are being destroyed)
* Recycle.
* When purchasing your next car, consider going up in gas mileage. My personal choice is diesel.
* Ignore the carbon credit bs. That is a scam to make Mr. Gore rich. If you are serious about reducing carbon footprint (assuming that this is really any benefit for doing so) then speak with your actions.

As you can tell, public demand for alternative energy is going up and companies are starting to meet that demand. Contact the companies and let them know of your interests. Then buy products from the companies that are going in the right direction and let them know why you are doing it.

Don’t be so lazy and expect the government to do the work for you.

pumped hydro and large battery technology is the way to go. without these wind and solar aren’t that much of a help. being able to store renewable energy is essential because the wind doesn’t always blow when the power is needed.

put money into developing large scale energy storage applications so wind and solar can actually make sense.

Think|, when Candidate Obama suggessted checking your tires air pressure as one way to help conservation, he was mocked. However, he was also providing guidance. And he was right.

The government can be a tool for good, and has been many times (Civil Rights Act, EPA). A grass roots effort MIGHT convince a company to pollute less after a lot of boycotts, protests, etc, but probably not.

But grass roots is less efficient than the government doing it. Where grass roots movements have to plead, cajole, hope, and scheme, the government can just do it. Bam. It’s done.

After all, the government does represent the collective will of the people. It’s much more powerful and quicker than grass roots. In short, it’s a far better tool for the really important stuff. Why not use the best tool possible when the stakes are this high?

One reason I hate Reagan is that he poisoned the well on government (while he was collecting a salary from it, btw.) Because of this, many believe that government can never do anything right, as if it’s some sort of bumbling, Hogan’s Heroes-type operation.

The fact is that the governemnt does plenty right, and without the profit motive that gives private enterprise its conflicting motives. Government works for us and only us, and is not anwerable to a board or shareholders. Of course it has its problems and corruptions, but for important matters it is far better than the alternative of private corporations. Their only motive is profit, which is fine until their profits and your well-being come into conflict. Guess which they’re going to choose?

ID,
The author did not address cost in his letter. He stated that by 2030, according his source, an annual $830.00 savings. What about the 20 yrs in between if such an aggressive approach is taken? Especially in current economic times.

You’re right, bud. I was reading it that it was a $830 annual savings with an aggregate of $33B by 2030, but there’s no way that my reading is correct on a second look.

For me, the cost isn’t a dealbreaker because air quality will ultimately be more important than the cost of living for one generation. However, it would be nice to see a breakdown of what the immediate effects on cost would be. And if it is prohibitively expensive for poorer families, do something to help them.