Politics: Spreading Santorum All Over This Great Nation

by **jerseyhoya** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:05:30

Rev_Beezer wrote:The gas prices thing I don't get. Last time gas prices were this high was in 2007, when Bush was president. I remember, we were in Florida making a road trip that would go through Alabama and back up to PA. Gas was over $4 a gallon, and all of my Democratic friends were quick to remind me that George Bush woke up every morning to set the gas prices. Now they all think it's not Obama's fault. Amazing.

by **thephan** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:06:14

Werthless wrote:What percent of people with that sticker know what "renege" means? 40%?

Not sure why you put the proper spelling, renege, in quotes. That said, I think the purposeful misspelling is the clear message and the owners know exactly what they mean with that spelling.

by **Bucky** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:09:12

thephan wrote:
Werthless wrote:What percent of people with that sticker know what "renege" means? 40%?

Not sure why you put the proper spelling, renege, in quotes. That said, I think the purposeful misspelling is the clear message and the owners know exactly what they mean with that spelling.

yes, i'm sure jersey knows that too. He's making a statement that the "people" displaying these are so ignorant and dumb that they don't even know the meaning of the word they've purposely misspelled.

by **thephan** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:09:56

jerseyhoya wrote:
Rev_Beezer wrote:The gas prices thing I don't get. Last time gas prices were this high was in 2007, when Bush was president. I remember, we were in Florida making a road trip that would go through Alabama and back up to PA. Gas was over $4 a gallon, and all of my Democratic friends were quick to remind me that George Bush woke up every morning to set the gas prices. Now they all think it's not Obama's fault. Amazing.

I assume the amazing part is that the president has any influence over the price at the pump, much less sets a price.

by **The Nightman Cometh** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:13:03

To be fair, does anyone think W. facilitating wars in the Middle East didn't raise the price of crude?

by **RichmondPhilsFan** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:39:14

Werthless wrote:While it has no effect on current prices, just on shovel ready jobs, the keystone pipeline fiasco (while its not the Ryan Howard fiasco) easily paints Obama as someone who doesn't care about gas prices.

Only because people are stupid, easily manipulated, and jump on storylines that "confirm" preexisting opinions/beliefs/prejudicies.

by **ReadingPhilly** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:41:50

went to a school board meeting for the first time the other night. district is facing a ~$850,000 gap. was pretty surprised that mostly everyone (public) that commented came off pretty well. it was sad at times seeing some of the teachers that are being let go speak and at times breaking down. hope everyone can work together to balance it out and save some jobs. i think there are a few big money savers that should be looked at that would really help.

by **TenuredVulture** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 09:54:21

It's Bush's fault, it's Obama faults, and if everyone didn't buy gas on some specific day gas prices would plummet.

It should be clear to everyone that high gas prices are here to stay. The only thing that would bring them down at this point would be a severe recession that would be much more painful than $100 fill ups.

The reality is people should have seen this coming, and should have started making adjustments a decade ago. It's not just the kind of car you drive, it's city planning, it's mass transit infrastructure, it's choosing to live near your work, it's telling your kids they need to start biking to get to soccer practice and school.

I do think (but economist may tell me I'm wrong) the one thing government could do is to provide some kind of subsidy system to make vehicles powered by natural gas practical for non-fleet users. I know free market purists don't like the idea of subsidies, but to me such a program makes a lot more sense than ethanol subsidies. I would think public spending to develop the infrastructure could address the chicken and egg problem that currently prevents adopting natural gas as a fuel for motor vehicles.

by **kopphanatic** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:20:42

If the GOP really cared about high gas prices, they would have jumped on mass transit expansion a long time ago.

by **pacino** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:36:20

Speculation is why oil prices went up.

As for transport who would want to rub elbows with hoi polloi?!

by **momadance** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:57:48

kopphanatic wrote:If the GOP really cared about high gas prices, they would have jumped on mass transit expansion a long time ago.

One biggest gripes about this country... It's really a disgrace compared to Europe and Asia.

by **Rev_Beezer** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:59:47

Wow, Jerseyhoya was on a road trip the exact same time I was, in the exact same place. Small world.

by **pacino** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:14:37

Santorum will win Illinois.

by **jerseyhoya** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:40:13

pacino wrote:Santorum will win Illinois.

Is this code for "I too want an Eli avatar"

by **Phan In Phlorida** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 13:40:39

momadance wrote:
jamiethekiller wrote:is the keystone pipeline the same thing as the fracking thing?

No. The keystone pipeline is an oil pipeline that would be used to ship crude from Canada through the mid-west to the gulf coast of Texas. Some of it is already built and online.

Not directed as a reply to jtk or md, just something for everyman (teehee) consumption

Tar sands, not crude. Would be better if it were crude.

Tar sands oil is more corrosive(1) and toxic(2) than crude, and a tar sands spill is impossible to clean(3). Just ask Marshall Michigan, where two years (and $750 million) later, they've made no progress cleaning a million gallon tar sands spill along the Kalamazoo River.

And an interesting twist to the "it will create jobs" arguement, a report from Cornell University's Global Labor Institute (PDF) says the Keystone XL is an economic liability with the potential to cause significant job loss.

(1) In just its first year of operation, the first Keystone pipeline operated by TransCanada has spilled 35 times in the United States and Canada in 2010, a spill frequency 100 times higher than forecast by TransCanada.

(2) "Some of the possible toxic effects include direct mortality, interference with feeding or reproductive capacity, disorientation, reduced resistance to disease, tumors, reduction or loss of various sensory perceptions, and interference with metabolic, biochemical, and genetic processes."
- State Department’s Environmental Impact Statement for Keystone XL

(3) Raw tar sands bitumen is nearly solid at room temperature and must be diluted with toxic natural gas liquids to create the thick sludge that travels in high pressure pipelines. This sludge is between fifty and seventy times as thick as conventional crude oil. When spilled, the light natural gas liquid in the tar sands vaporizes, creating a toxic flammable gas that poses a health hazard to emergency responders and nearby landowners. The bitumen, which is heavier than water, sinks into rivers and mixes with sediments. Bitumen contains significantly more heavy metals than conventional crudes and does not biodegrade.

by **lethal** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 14:20:36

jh, with Ackerman not running again for a 16th term because his district got cut in half and he ended up in the Asian half, what are the odds that NY will get their first Asian Congressperson in the new 6th District?

by **swishnicholson** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 14:45:05

jerseyhoya wrote:
Rev_Beezer wrote:The gas prices thing I don't get. Last time gas prices were this high was in 2007, when Bush was president. I remember, we were in Florida making a road trip that would go through Alabama and back up to PA. Gas was over $4 a gallon, and all of my Democratic friends were quick to remind me that George Bush woke up every morning to set the gas prices. Now they all think it's not Obama's fault. Amazing.

And vice the versa, of course. Presidential policy, toward Iran, say, does have effect on gas prices, though it's all so indirect it's like trying to follow the ping pong balls in the lottery chamber. Still, having been through the same "crisis" a dozen or so times in my life it would be nice to have a little more real discussion of actual factors rather than the silly no effect/direct control dichotomy. I'm not holding my breath, though.

Did that sound too smoothish?

by **thephan** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 14:58:02

Anyone think that we need to not find other ways to fuel our stuff? CNG cars could be a short term solution, but with adoption the price will rise and we will all feel it in our electric bills. Honda has one, but I have no where or way to fill it up. Diesel is a maybe as it can be made out of a bunch of stuff, but it questionable in traffic like DC and CA (42 on the open highway or better). Hybrids are expensive and the verdict is definitely out on reliability and long term expense given that the short term expense is substantial. So, we are at the beginning, not the middle of this quest for our lifestyles. Fossil fuels remain a short term solution, but it has to be understood that it is just that as these have poisoned our world.

The president? The only thing he can do is advocate, not solve things. Frankly I certainly do not see investment in R&D for alternatives as a waste of public money as it takes some of the risk out of things, in fact it encourages things. If you do not think that corporation will jump at funded R&D to approach these hard problems, then you are nuts, or more to the point you have never worked in R&D.

by **jerseyhoya** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 16:15:59

lethal wrote:jh, with Ackerman not running again for a 16th term because his district got cut in half and he ended up in the Asian half, what are the odds that NY will get their first Asian Congressperson in the new 6th District?

I think your guess is probably better than mine on that. I'm not particularly familiar with local NYC politics/who is most likely to rise up. dajafi might know better than both of us.

by **Monkeyboy** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 16:20:52

I did hear the other day that they have come up with a new solar chip that increases surface area and consequently increases efficiency from around 11% to 17%. A few more jumps like that and they may have something.

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