The Hole that Bush Built...

... and how America can dig out of it...

I recall when bush was first "elected", and a friend was talking about headin to canada - i told him not to, based on (1) patriotism, this is a time when the country needs you most, and (2) practicality, how much could bush possibly fuck up in 4 years?

As you all know, as time passed, bush proceeded to explore the depths of my error on the second point (which, though it's no consolation, bolsters my first reason). Recently it's gotten to the point where I'm 1/2 way convinced that bush has taken america too far down the ruinous rabbithole. But only 1/2-way convinced....

I just read the DU article on Kerry's energy plan, and the partial beginnings of a glimmer of a way out of bush's fuckups occurred to me. Just wanted to throw it out to you all, and see what you thought.

Problem:

China, India, et al, are catching up to the US, economically, at a horrendously high rate.

Solution:

Oil is about to run out. The economies of countries relying on oil will suffer similar effects. As developing countries develop, they will suck the oil teat even harder. That would be a *really* good time for the US to let go of the teat, letting the last remaining drops go to the developing countries, while we shimmy over to some other source (hydrogen, or wutever). Better to do this sooner rather than later - it'll obviously take some time for another energy source to be developed to the point of viability, and it'd be nice to use oil until that stage is attained.

Comments:

This general sort of idea seems to me to turn the normally frightening "Peak Oil" business into a PLUS for the US - it becomes a business opportunity. When the rest of the world is running around bemoaning the lack of oil, unable to provide services to anyone, we could be putting around in our hydrogen buggies, full employment (cuz we're the only/best functioning labor provider), trade balance massively in our favor (cuz we're the only one's with the oil-free tech), and so on.

Notice that this is an opportunity available at the moment only, I believe, to the US. China, India, and the other up-and-comers can't do this, as they're still trying to ramp up everything based on oil - they don't have the economic and research resources to pursue another energy source. Only the US has both of those required resources. But time is of the essence here - becuz of that motherfucker bush, we're losing both of those required resources to the rest of the world (again, at a horrendously high rate).

So finally I see a lil bit of hope, strategically speaking, for america - we're the only country that's well-placed to get ahead of the curve, as it were, on the looming energy issue.

Of course this plan-skeleton doesn't begin to address our idiot public, and a whole host of other things..... nicely dovetailing with this plan would be kerry's unwavering and strong committment to making education the number one US investment (it's only "spending" if you expect no ROI)....

in any case, i'll take any hope i can get, no matter how small....

does this general idea sound like it has any merit?

<edit: fucked up my damn subject line - lol>

and it's a good idea today -- urgently so.

Wake up and smell the diminishing gas fumes, America !

just getting vehicles on it would help. However, since Bush has bankrupt this country cities and states would probably buck at the initial costs incurred in switching.

.... it would take a leader with formidable foresight to suggest it, and a strong constitution to stay the course thru a lot of difficult times....

how well was the national highway project received by the states? anyone know?