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I have to say that I firmly believe the most important economic thing we can do as a nation is convert universally to electric vehicles (plug-in hybrids first then electric only thereafter, maybe to be followed up by hydrogen fuel cell or some other non-fossil fuel technology). The reasons for this are multi-fold, running the gamut from climate change and national security to quality of life and shared prosperity. There's no other thing that will have more of a ripple effect throughout all of the things that threaten my children's and potential grandchildren's future. Yours as well. Almost everything else by comparison, except perhaps fealty to the Constitution, is a shell game. Yes, there are many social issues that are important and lack of Universal Health Coverage is a separate issue, but the economy is the cornerstone of society and effects everyone in nearly every facet of their life.
So, I have to say neither Clinton nor Obama talk about it enough. I can't blame them too much because it would be politically dangerous for them to come off sounding like "Captain Moonbeam". After all, it's hard for people to relate to a technological advancement as being so important to nearly every aspect of their life. Such talk might even be off-putting here on DU, amongst many truly enlightened folks.
However, as much as I dislike George Bush and the vast RW's stranglehold on our country, they are the by-products of a fossil-fuel driven society. Just getting rid of them and shifting the balance of power slightly to the left for 4 or 8 years will mean nothing if we don't hack at the root of our problems. The internal combustion engine is that root. It's highly inefficient, dangerous, and enslaves us all.
The first and foremost thing we need to do is individually and collectively conserve: screw in CFL's, switch off the lights we don't need, turn the thermostat down, go easy on the air conditioning, and drive far, far less (take a bus, bike to work, walk). The industrial sector has to play its part in conserving as well. However, there's a theoretical and practical limit to that. But even then, a lot of that only addresses part of the problem. Because no matter how little we drive, we are still burning oil and this in turn keeps all of the social, economic, and political forces in place that is screwing everything over.
The only thing that could radically and effectively change the dynamic are electric cars. For starters, prototypic electric vehicles are insanely fuel efficient (equivalent to 100+ mpg). But more than that, the switch from fossil fuel as being the energy medium for transportation to electricity changes the whole ballgame. The main reason for this is that electricity can be had in many different ways: wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, coal, biomass, etc. This does several things domestically. One, it will drive the value of of many non-fossil fuel energy sources up. Two, it means we have the capacity to generate nearly all of our own energy. It's the only real way to "get off foreign oil". Without electric transportation, proposing such a thing is purely nonsense. Three, control of emissions will be centralized at the point of electricity production which lends itself to better procedures for reduction, filtration, or sequestration. Fourth, it will help "democratize energy", especially if the the mechanics of our electrical grid are changed so that it is bi-directional.
A lot of what holds us back is "battery technology" although in the next 5 years we are likely to see the first large scale run of plug-in hybrids. GM is "on board" with the Chevy Volt but at $40,000 it still likely to be a niche car. I know Toyota is now maneuvering to bring to fruition plug-in hybrids to the market. That is a good thing. Unfortunately, our Government seems to be light years behind in terms of rhetoric and material support. Even Al Gore recognizes the government is beyond the private sector.
This is sad and unacceptable. I hope that Obama, in his forward thinking, embraces and emphasizes the importance of electric transportation. It won't be enough to just "change the tone in Washington", bring the troops home in Iraq, and create a more ubiquitous subsidized health insurance system. Same goes for Hillary. We need to shift from electric vehicles as being "something we need to look into" to "something we must do on a universal scale within the next 15 years". I will grant both give some mention, but the emphasis is just not nearly enough.
This post is not intended to disparage Barack or Hillary Clinton, they are both far ahead of the GOP on this. However, I just want to remind myself, and others, of the issues that are most important. So, again I want to say I love my Barack but I hope that whether he or Clinton wins the nomination, they do everything in their power to advance the sorts of technological achievements we need to fundamentally shift away from a fossil fuel based society.
We may now return to our bickering about flag pins, Pastorgation, sniper fire, and testicular fortitude. :)
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