Offshore drilling bill passes house - CONTACT YOUR SENATORS!

[trigfunctions]

You should try this little experiment with your own life.

Stop using oil products in your life, including gasoline, plastics, electricity, etc., and tell us in a month if it is not disruptive.

After all, any money you spend now on oil you will just spend elsewhere, right? It won't make any overall difference, just where the money is spent. And you'll get to stop enriching those evil oil companies you seem to resent.

Please put your actions where you mouth is.

That's preposterous. I'm not advocating the sudden cessation of all use of fossil fuels. I'm saying we should start to seriously research alternatives and promote energy conservation.

And I don't think oil companies are evil - they're just companies, and I don't think they deserve the special priveleges that they are getting that guarantee their profits at the expense of the welfare of the country.

 

[trigfunctions]

Trigfunctions: What's wrong with capitalism? Capitalism is a social system based on the recognition of individual (human) rights, including property rights, in which all property is privately owned.

I support Capitalism, although I believe that the populace has the right to provide for the common defence and promote the general welfare by restricting certain activities.

 

[dlndavid]

What if something promotes the general welfare by not restricting certain activities?

 

[TheRedHead]

promote the general welfare by restricting certain activities.

That's what laws do.

 

[Kim]

"The general welfare"........

That's a concept that people will already disagree on. Take the US gun laws for instance - are they in the "general welfare" or not? Again - it depends which team you shout for - there's no 'right' answer. Some people see the freedom to carry as paramount, some people see the freedom to not get shot........what can you say?

 

[Cacia]

I THINK that the statistics actually support that an armed society is a polite society...."armed" legally that is. Meaning you aren't a felon, etc, the things that are contraindications for gun possession. George Will has written some great pieces.

Actually, I agree that there needs to be a focused concerted attempt to look for alternatives. There has not been and there is not an obvious excuse.
Why has our Federal government not even built one wind farm development or an alternative energy eco-friendly little town? Someplace builders and developers could come and see and get inspired? Even if it lost money..it would be a start..a model. Oh there is some piecemeal subsidies but they need to do something coherent and tangible that can be visualized and experimented with.

I should be running the fourth of July municipal laser light shows and all this too!

 

[dlndavid]

Guns don't kill people, people kill people. More teenagers are involved in deadly accidents, lets raise the age to drive, but then inexperienced 20 year olds will be at the top of the list. We should also outlaw matches to prevent forest fires...but how about drilling for oil off the U.S.? Sure I'm for it, and while were at it, lets build some more refineries. Although I drive a very practical car, all this bickering makes me want to go out and buy a Hummer. just kidding, don't need a Hummer. :mrcool:

 

[Cacia]

we aren't bickering.....
David, now don't be dramatic.
we are hanging out.

 

[bruehlt]

Lamont - it doesn't seem to matter how many facts and statistics you provide to some of these folks. They seem to live in some sort of bizarro world where up is down, and red is black.

Well, I explained why I need (and deserve) the SUV but no anti-SUV people addressed my points.

You deserve an SUV? Hell, I deserve a million bucks.

 

[Cacia]

okay, you want to take this on? Then stick around. Address my points Mr.Eco-Saint. Some of you have a misplaced disdain for a vehicle.

let's talk about your life.

I think I should get extra credit for the first 12 miles I logged on my bike today.