Scavenging heat energy wasted by internal combustion engines is obvioysly the first easy thing we should do. Scavenging lost heat is something so obvious that even the most dim witted individual would know that it should have been standard equipment on cars since the 40’s. Even though energy was cheap then it shouldn’t have been throwh away like so much excess trash. Even something so idiotically simple as creating on demand steam from heat in the nearly red hot exhaust manifold to generate electrical power would be a vast improvement. I’m also convinced that the government, oil companies and detroit do not want vechicles to get the best fuel milage possible. Fuel economy must be metered to us slowly to get the last drops from old delapidated refineries and to maximize their profits. They make record profits, but are afraid to invest in new facilities in a changing environment. You’d think they knew the end of the world was near and the one with the most money wins.

Concerning blame for the high price of fuels. Is it the fault of the oil companies? Yes! Is it the fault of the politicians? Yes! Is it the fault of the consumers? Yes! The oil companies are cold heartless machines that thrive on profits. The politicians accept huge contrabutions from energy concerns (such as Enron et ‘al in the case of G W Bush). They aren’t likely to bite the hand that put them in office, so they are soft on these companies at our expense. Also many neo-cons are oil men. But we “The People” are ultimately to blame for putting up with their continuing schanagans. And don’t even get me started on heating fuel oil. It cost me $600.00 for 200 gallons.

Now for the coup d’gras and the reason that Iran and Iraq seem to dislike us! Back in 1969, Kissinger went to the middle east to sign an agreement with all the Arabic and Persian oil producing countries. We were supposed to buy a certain amount of oil from them and they would in turn buy some questionable US investments, like floundering securities (which strangely is happening right freakin’ now) and over priced gold. Iran and Iraq refused to sign on to the agreement and instead wanted to underbid their neighbors in a free market economy (”The American Way”). This now also been similarly applied to Venezuela, which we have been meddling with for a while now and will almost certainly have a military conflict with in the near future.

Don’t give up your right to vote. Vote for Ron Paul (he’s the least rotten fruit in the basket), he’s a real wacko, he believs in the Constitution and isn’t conning us by waiving crosses, Bibles or The Book of Mormon at us.

Newsflash, it has to be paid for and it ain’t cheap. But it’s funny; no one seems to mind giving up half their paycheck to finance the botched invasion of a country which was no threat, but when you’re asked to kick down for some road maintenance and public transit, you shriek like a spoiled child.

Frankly I don’t think any politicians–Democratic or Republican–have the balls to increase taxes to the levels that will be necessary to address this country’s social, energy, infrastructure and environmental problems.

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that or some similar wild-assed tale, I would have retired to the Caribbean a long time ago.

There is a finite amount of energy in a given amount of gasoline. It takes X energy to move Y weight at Z speed. Period. No fuel metering technology is going to alter that basic fact – especially not a carburetor and especially not a carburetor in 1976.

For anyone who actually believes that story, I know a Nigerian who needs help transferring funds to an American bank.