We've heard the "popular" issues of the 2008 election debates, but what about all the things the US does nothing about in *any* presidential term?

The technology already exists which could drastically increase the fuel efficiency of any vehicle. We're talking 10-20x better miles per gallon, maybe better. Some inventors manage to make super efficient corroborated engines or fuel injection systems. To prevent themselves from losing money, oil companies and big motor industries pay fat cash for the patent to prevent people from stopping them from dominating the market. Friends of mine have on a couple of occasions had a vehicle which "accidentally had a prototype part installed." One of them has the motor company trying to repossess his vehicle even though he is making regular payments. The other had the part forcefully changed without his permission and can't touch the dealership with any lawyer. So, when will we get a brave leader who cuts the bullshit and allows technology to bring mankind happiness instead of slavery? Forfeit those patents to save not only money, but the fuel supply!

The US has miles and miles of constantly moving wind and water, and nary a sight of us utilizing it to create energy. There are many dams which could be rebuilt to sustain hydroelectric power and landscape after landscape of windy terrain begging to be dotted with light, energy harvesting windmills. Even the sun itself casts its rays brighter in some places, begging for a solar harvest. All this power is cheap. Nearly free. Nature itself creates the energy that could easily lower our use of fossil fuels even more. Designing, build and maintaining these energy structures would create more jobs, as well. We keep talking about it every election, and it never happens.

We're all happy to get our tax returns, but a stimulus check only causes undue inflation in an already faltering US economy. Besides, a great deal of products even worth buying these days are foreign goods. A stimulus only means I can buy more Oxford (British) learning materials to use for my self-education, and can buy more Japanese cartoons to waste time with. I don't see the stimulus check being debated enough. The national debt continues to get more and more catastrophic.

I'll briefly detail on the "War on Terror." I just feel personally that these countries need to be weaned from the US support so they can learn to survive their own conflicts. Its not like they'll ever repay us for this favor we've done them, anyway, policing their borders and eating mortar rounds and IED's for them. Personal opinion. We had a mission, and its taking too long to accomplish, I feel. The war was legal... the UN did sanction it... and now I feel its supposed to be over and done for the US. There are more pressing world matters boiling up. Sixteen months? We could pull out even faster.

If you watch Top Gear in the UK, one of the things that they talk about in the most recent series is how people aren't buing giant Mercs or BMWs anymore because the fuel consumption of these things is a doomed economy. I think if the technology was available automotive companies would be jumping on these ideas. The whole oil company conspiracy is fairly believable on the surface but there would be viral media publications on the issue if they were to just *take* these atmosphere-saving patents!

There was that guy who invented a car to run on water. He said that Oil companies offered him a billion dollars to bury it. He's dead now.

There was that guy who invented a car to run on water. He said that Oil companies offered him a billion dollars to bury it. He's dead now.

source?

source?

A bad Ben Elton novel, I think it was called Gridlocked. Like, that was the exact plot but I dunno if it happened in real life too

source?

http://easygrowhouseplants.blogspot.com/2006/12/inventor-of-water-powered-car-murdered.html

There's a few interviews and stuff with him on there

Quote

We're all happy to get our tax returns, but a stimulus check only causes undue inflation in an already faltering US economy. Besides, a great deal of products even worth buying these days are foreign goods. A stimulus only means I can buy more Oxford (British) learning materials to use for my self-education, and can buy more Japanese cartoons to waste time with.

quoteable quoteables

quoteable quoteables

The anime market index(ANIMI) went through the roof as soon as the gamestop workforce received their check.

the oil industry keeps me in work so i'm all for it!!

http://easygrowhouseplants.blogspot.com/2006/12/inventor-of-water-powered-car-murdered.html

There's a few interviews and stuff with him on there

Dude:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Meyer

Wikipedia articles are prone to vandalism of course but it is probably more reliable than http://easygrowhouseplants.blogspot.com

EDIT: His water-powered car was determined by a court to be physically impossible as it was a perpetual motion machine, never had a working prototype, and illustrated straightforward electrolysis and not any novel science anyway.  He was ordered to reimburse the investors he had defrauded.

Also he died of a brain aneurysm, not under mysterious circumstances.

I'll briefly detail on the "War on Terror." I just feel personally that these countries need to be weaned from the US support so they can learn to survive their own conflicts. Its not like they'll ever repay us for this favor we've done them, anyway, policing their borders and eating mortar rounds and IED's for them. Personal opinion. We had a mission, and its taking too long to accomplish, I feel. The war was legal... the UN did sanction it... and now I feel its supposed to be over and done for the US. There are more pressing world matters boiling up. Sixteen months? We could pull out even faster.

hahaha yeah seriously, where's the thanks for the imperialist aggression in Iraq. We've been nothing but generous to them the past few decades.

DietCoke, unless you've been to Iraq... of course, I'm only a dumb soldier who freaking lives here day by day.

As for GLYPH150's question... Yes, you invent anything of use which threatens the oil industry, you will be pursued and constantly badgered into giving it up. If you try to make it a reliable source, the oil company will use their dominant economic power to make investors lose interest in your product. Its no surprise only the quacks and failures got the money, because all the smart inventors took the highest bidder. The oil industry. Maybe some one crazy enough to invent for technological freedom at their own risk needs to start the next technological revolution.

Its ironic that history repeats itself and we need another technological revolution, by the way, to make any progress.

DietCoke, unless you've been to Iraq... of course, I'm only a dumb soldier who freaking lives here day by day.

Haven't been there, but it's not like that has any bearing on whether or not anything I say is true considering that I didn't make any personal judgments. Just going by the historical record brohommad, your commanders and tell you that you're helping the Iraqis 'till they're blue in the face but it don't change the fact that imperialist aggression is imperialist aggression. I'm close friends with couple of marines and ex-marines who've been through some serious shit over there and even they don't have any delusions about being some kind of benevolent liberators.

As for the auto and energy industries, sure the technology exists to make clean, super-efficient vehicles and whatnot. Where's the motivation though? These companies are making a killing with the status quo and with the iraqi oil market bombed wide open for foreign investment, they only stand to make even more. It's in their financial interest to buy these technologies out and release them on their own terms. That's capitalism and them's the brakes soldier.

That's capitalism and them's the brakes soldier.

Fuck Capitalism. Whatever happened to hard, *honest* work?