At 10:55 PM 6/21/01 +0200 J. van Baardwijk wrote:
>We need to invest in renewable energy production now, because sooner or
>later we're going to run out of alternatives (those oil wells *will* dry up
>eventually). If we don't invest in it, because "we still have enough fossil
>fuels to last us a century", future generations will pay the price for our
>ignorance.
But this is based upon a bizarre understanding of oil wells drying up at a
single moment in time.
The truth of the matter is that the oil wells will dry up slowly over the
course of years. As the wells dry up, oil will become more scarce,
causing the price to go up. This increase in prices will cause investment
in other energy sources all by themselves, without any need for government
interference.
>The missile shield is a bad idea, because (1) the taxpayers will have to
>pay billions of dollars for a system that doesn't come with a 100%
>effectiveness garantuee, and (2) it might very well lead to another arms
race.
Goodness, if only I could get rid of all the government programs that:
1) Cost billions of dollars
2) Do not have a 100% effectiveness guarantee
and
3) Might exacerbate the problem
Then again, under those criteria the Bureau of Labor Statistics might be
the only part of government left..... :)
JDG
__________________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - ICQ #3527685
We are products of the same history, reaching from Jerusalem and
Athens to Warsaw and Washington. We share more than an alliance.
We share a civilization. - George W. Bush, Warsaw, 06/15/01
