The Energy Bill and Real Life

I saw a clip about Water Power on YouTube and was compelled to comment on it. However, YouTube has a character limit of 500 with no spaces. I am slightly more opinionated than 500 characters on this subject so I brought my thoughts to Associated Content. Basically, the man has turned water into clean power and it is now being tested by our government on military vehicles.

I wonder how long it will be before this technology is bought (by some organization that has a vested interest in keeping us addicted to oil) and filed away with the other energy sources that have been invented. Unfortunately, our world runs on oil. Wall Street panics when the price fluctuates. I remember the apparent oil shortage of the 70's and the long lines and gas rationing that came with it. I also remember the energy sources that were invented as a direct result that were never brought to light.

The Energy Bill that Bush signed into law last week will have long reaching effects on our food supplies. We can already blame ethanol for the increased dairy and meat prices. It actually takes a gallon of petroleum to produce a gallon of ethanol; no savings there. Talk to people who use ethanol blends. The majority will tell you that it makes there vehicles run worse and reduces their mpg's. The automakers are now under the gun to produce vehicles with higher mpg ratings. Good news at first glace, but at what cost to the average consumer? How many of the average American Joe's can afford to run out and buy a new vehicle?

You can use this same logic when it comes to the new energy efficient appliances. All of my major appliances are at least 10 years old. They all work fine and quite honestly I am more concerned with how I am going to heat my home this winter and how I am going to keep food on the table. The new Energy Bill will also do away with the incandescent light bulb in favor of the more energy efficient swirly top fluorescent bulbs which I already use. They really do last longer and save me money on my electric bill. However, there is a big difference between $5 to try a new light bulb compared to the price tag of new appliances and vehicles.

The bottom line is we are a world full of spoiled self indulgent wasteful individuals. As long as we keep expecting and demanding more, the prices will keep going up and our finite resources will keep running out. We are destroying our world and we only have one. Man was given the knowledge to make this world his home. Unfortunately, we have lost sight of what is really important. Until we learn to start caring more about our people and less about our possessions nothing will change. Maybe its time for someone to invent something that will fix that.