Aviator Guy's Account Talk

[JTH]

I believe the use of fossil fuel is causing global warming.

I'm not smart enough to know what kind of impact we are having on our planet but I will say this.

We should all be good stewards of the earth and everything we have domain over. If we followed that basic principle then we should know that the path we are on right now is the wrong one...

 

[RonUSPSretired]

Thanks JTH for adding the part I left out of my comments. There are serious problems that "are" man made. We need to focus on taking better care of our own back yards and then work together to address the bigger issues that effect the quality of life.

I'm not smart enough to know what kind of impact we are having on our planet but I will say this.

We should all be good stewards of the earth and everything we have domain over. If we followed that basic principle then we should know that the path we are on right now is the wrong one...

 

[Buster]

I believe the use of fossil fuel is causing global warming. So, I’m leaning to reduce our dependence on imported oil and start moving toward clean energy. Bring back the tax incentives for buying Hybrids. Bring back the tax incentives for home solar and wind turbines. Bring back tax incentives for improving home heating and cooling efficiency. My home state of California still has a few state incentives, but almost all of the federal tax incentives have gone away in recent years.

I also think we need to start building more nuclear power plants. I worked on top of eight nuke reactors while serving on the USS Enterprise and I know it’s safe. The industry now has modern reactor designs that automatically shut down with loss of coolant, operator error, external hardware failure, etc….

Preventing new offshore drilling off our American coasts and inside Alaska makes absolutely no sense. The feds have kept these restrictions for decades and we need to tap it now. History shows most major spills occur not at the oil rigs at sea or inland, but in sea tanker transport. It makes absolutely no common sense to send our petro dollars to foreign countries, especially those that are not friendly to the USA. Some claim that it would take many years to tap American oil to make any difference. That’s true, but better late than never!!!

Note: And oh yeah, bring back the fed tax incentives to those folks who purchased a Hybrid in 2008. I purchased one and I put 8K miles on it so far. It’s worth more right now here in Los Angeles than what I paid for it in April. I’m not selling it until they come out with the plug in version in 2010 or 2011 which will get close to 100 mpg!!!

I agree with everything you said here except the first sentence which contradicts the rest of what you said..very confusing

BUT, we humans and industry are NOT CAUSING global warming..we maybe contributing to it just a little bit and that is still not proven, but most certainly we are NOT CAUSING it..that is the difference..If we the HUMAN RACE were to shut down everything that puts CO2 into the atmosphere..GLOBAL WARMING will continue like we weren't even here...We the humans, are just little p!ssants in the grander scheme of the Earth's natural evolution.

 

[nasa1974]

AG, I agree with most of what you are saying. This country needs to take the lead (just like we did in the race for the moon) in alternative energy sources and make them affordable to everyone. That means more jobs and more money to spend.

I believe the use of fossil fuel is causing global warming. It isn't helping. So, I’m leaning to reduce our dependence on imported oil and start moving toward clean energy. Bring back the tax incentives for buying Hybrids. Bring back the tax incentives for home solar and wind turbines. If it was cost affective and more affordable I would have solar panels on my house. Bring back tax incentives for improving home heating and cooling efficiency. My home state of California still has a few state incentives, but almost all of the federal tax incentives have gone away in recent years.

I also think we need to start building more nuclear power plants. I worked on top of eight nuke reactors while serving on the USS Enterprise and I know it’s safe. The industry now has modern reactor designs that automatically shut down with loss of coolant, operator error, external hardware failure, etc…. More plants would sure help but you are looking 10-15 years before they would come on line. The real problem is the rules and regulations that are put on nuclear plants. Also what do you do with the waste generated by the plant. We have to come up with a better way then burying it.

Preventing new offshore drilling off our American coasts and inside Alaska makes absolutely no sense. The feds have kept these restrictions for decades and we need to tap it now. History shows most major spills occur not at the oil rigs at sea or inland, but in sea tanker transport. It makes absolutely no common sense to send our petro dollars to foreign countries, especially those that are not friendly to the USA. Some claim that it would take many years to tap American oil to make any difference. That’s true, but better late than never!!! We do not need to drill for more oil. Oil is a limited commodity and when it is gone, 75% of what we use every day will be gone.

Note: And oh yeah, bring back the fed tax incentives to those folks who purchased a Hybrid in 2008. My older daughter had a hybrid and loved it. But the maintenance was so expensive for her limited income she had to give it up. She would love to buy another one. I purchased one and I put 8K miles on it so far. It’s worth more right now here in Los Angeles than what I paid for it in April. I’m not selling it until they come out with the plug in version in 2010 or 2011 which will get close to 100 mpg!!!

May the force be with us.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I copied and pasted this article that states we now have a 407 billion budget deficit for the past year! The population of the USA is about 305 million. So, if you divide 407 billion by 305 million, it comes to $1,334.43 per person. But, you must remember that this figure doesn’t even factor in the total debt!! Please someone out their in internet land tell me my figures are off?!?! Can you imagine running your household budget in this manner??

Note… I hope they don’t want their rebate check back. I spent it already!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The budget deficit will jump by $246 billion to $407 billion this year, the Congressional Budget Office estimates in a report released Tuesday.
"Over the long run, growing budget deficits and the resulting increases in federal debt would lead to slower economic growth," the agency said.
Last year, the budget deficit was $161 billion. The government's fiscal year ends Sept. 30. The agency attributes the jump to "a substantial increase in spending and a halt in the growth of tax revenues."
That drop in revenue is driven in part by an estimated 15% decline in corporate tax receipts. They fell as a result of lower corporate profits and tax rules governing how businesses depreciate their investments this year. A second factor is the rebates provided to tax filers from the economic stimulus law Congress passed earlier this year.
The spending hike is partly due to efforts by the government "to cover the insured deposits of insolvent financial institutions," the agency said.
To date, 11 banks have been seized by the FDIC this year - not a high number historically, but higher than it's been in recent years - and that number is expected to grow in the coming months.
The CBO said it expected the deficit to exceed $400 billion - or 3% of gross domestic product - for each of the next two years if current policies remain in place. It also forecast several more months of "very slow" economic growth.
"The nation is experiencing a significant period of economic weakness," said Peter Orszag, director of the CBO, in a press briefing.
The CBO's estimate for the cumulative deficit over the next 10 years is now $2.3 trillion. Earlier this year, the CBO estimated the country would have a $300 billion surplus by 2018. But that was wiped out in part because of new spending approved by lawmakers for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and revised economic projections.
And the 2.3 trillion figure doesn't account for the likelihood that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts will be extended or that the middle class will continue to be protected from the Alternative Minimum Tax - or so-called wealth tax.If those extensions are made - and both presidential nominees have been calling for that, at least in part - then the 10-year deficit projection jumps to more than $7 trillion.
Putting Fannie and Freddie on the books
The agency's latest estimates do not reflect the Treasury announcement this weekend that the government would temporarily takeover Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-sponsored enterprises that form the backbone of the mortgage market.
But Orszag said that come January, the CBO will be incorporating the activities of Fannie and Freddie in its baseline for the federal budget. The CBO will be working with House and Senate budget committees to address questions of just how transactions by both companies should be accounted for - the answers to which will greatly influence the net effect the companies have on the federal deficit.
"The degree of control exercised by the federal government is so strong that the best treatment is to incorporate [the agencies] into the federal budget," Orszag said.
To allay one concern that many taxpayers have expressed, the roughly $5 trillion in loans that Fannie and Freddie own or back would not be added wholesale to the debt held by the public, Orszag told CNNMoney.com.
"I don't see a scenario in which you take a total of the mortgages backed and add that to the federal deficit," he said.
But beyond all these near-term concerns affecting the government's debt load, he said the biggest challenge facing the country's coffers is rising health care costs. Federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid alone is expected to jump 30% in the next decade - from 4.6% of GDP this year to 6% in 2018. By 2050, it could jump to 12% of GDP.
As a result, Orszag said in the press briefing, "The nation is on an unsustainable fiscal course."
First Published: September 9, 2008: 9:45 AM EDT

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I’m getting ready to jump back into the Stock pool. But, I’m going to hold off for another day or so, but looking at the “C” fund, maybe on Friday / Monday COB. “IKE” is still a big concern if it climbs to a CAT 4 before landfall. Storm surge is the worst north of the eye and that places Houston in the cross hairs! Plus Dallas / Ft. Worth are going to get slammed when it hooks to the north.

 

[FUTURESTRADER]

"I also think we need to start building more nuclear power plants. I worked on top of eight nuke reactors while serving on the USS Enterprise and I know it’s safe. The industry now has modern reactor designs that automatically shut down with loss of coolant, operator error, external hardware failure, etc…. More plants would sure help but you are looking 10-15 years before they would come on line. The real problem is the rules and regulations that are put on nuclear plants. Also what do you do with the waste generated by the plant. We have to come up with a better way then burying it." Aviator Guy

launch it into the sun

 

[Steadygain]

"I also think we need to start building more nuclear power plants.."

I think we need to harness Energy in a far superior and more natural and effecient manner.

The energy from the Sun is more than enough to provide our needs.

The Electro-Magnetic waves which is a Huge part of the Earth's structure could easily be Manipulated to Prevent Natural Disasters such as the Hurricanes and all the more be ultilized for emmense and ever continuing Energy needs.

 

[Silverbird]

I think we need to harness Energy in a far superior and more natural and effecient manner.

The energy from the Sun is more than enough to provide our needs.

The Electro-Magnetic waves which is a Huge part of the Earth's structure could easily be Manipulated to Prevent Natural Disasters such as the Hurricanes and all the more be ultilized for emmense and ever continuing Energy needs.

Ah, but to harness and distribute it, alas. There are too many balances we have no idea about. We have been given the ability to see ourselves and try to predict and plan, but that means we cannot stay in the Eden of Instinct, and trust that ignorance will be excused. That trust we gave up when we decided that cooked food tastes better than raw. And the more I learn about electro-magnetic waves, the more ignorant I feel.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I spent 4 years and 3 months living on top of eight Nuke reactors, so I feel pretty comfortable with their near 50 year safety record. The USS Enterprise has eight reactors that were refueled around eight year intervals. I can remember back in the 1970's, our Navy escorts had a really hard time keeping up with us because we had a lot of power from those reactors. Our top speed was around 35 knots which is about 40 mph. That was fully loaded (6000 men, 80 combat aircraft, heavy weapons, fuel, etc, etc.). It's amazing that the ship only replaced her fuel rods only once every eight years!!! The spent fuels rods are sent to Nevada in a nice safe secure underground facility (near area 51? :blink. I think CVN-65 is still on active duty too... All I have to say is…. Go Nukes, Go Nukes, Go Nukes!!!!!

 

[nnuut]

Exactly, I worked on Nuclear Subs and had no problems!! Nuclear makes common sense!

 

[Silverbird]

Exactly, I worked on Nuclear Subs and had no problems!! Nuclear makes common sense!

As long as we get serious about long-term storage and transport of waste and of course regulations are enforced, I also support nuclear.

 

[hessian]

Hey,
I agree, nuclear makes the most sense.
-However, lets not even consider building the same old '50s technology!! Nobody can convince me that there's no way, nothing learned over 50 years on how to produce this energy without the waste.
- At least recycle the waste - I heard Sweden or Norway is doing this NOW - they recycle theirs down to something like 5%!!

I think the problem is government won't or can't cut big business off the profit margins they've become dependant on!

 

[Steadygain]

Hey,
I agree, nuclear makes the most sense.
-However, lets not even consider building the same old '50s technology!! Nobody can convince me that there's no way, nothing learned over 50 years on how to produce this energy without the waste.
- At least recycle the waste - I heard Sweden or Norway is doing this NOW - they recycle theirs down to something like 5%!!

I think the problem is government won't or can't cut big business off the profit margins they've become dependant on!

Sounds like this 'THINK TANK' is getting somewhere.

I whole heartedly agree.

 

[KevinD]

What about geothermal. I'm talkin' about REAL frikkin' geothermal. :nuts:

Why not drill down into some volcano somewhere. Molten lava baby. All the heat you'll ever need to heat water to turn turbines...naturally...right out of the ground.






Sorry. I'll shut up now...

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I found this interesting post on Bloomberg… The Russians just locked up their markets for the last couple of days and froze everything!

Russia Gives Banks Cash, Halts Stock Trading to Head Off Crisis
By Alex Nicholson and William Mauldin
Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Russia halted stock trading for a second day, poured $44 billion into its three largest banks and relaxed restrictions on lenders to stem the worst financial crisis since the nation defaulted a decade ago.
The central bank slashed reserve requirements for banks, freeing up as much as $12 billion, and the Finance Ministry allowed OAO Sberbank, VTB Group and OAO Gazprombank to borrow the $44 billion for three months. The benchmark Micex index plunged as much as 10 percent, bringing its three-day decline to 25 percent.
Russia's markets are facing the biggest test since the government defaulted on domestic debt in 1998. The decade-long economic boom is fading, foreign investors have pulled at least $35 billion from the nation's stocks and bonds since the five-day war in Georgia last month, and the collapse this week of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and American International Group Inc. prompted a flight from emerging markets.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I don’t support the bailout plan. It will probably pass after a lot of arm twisting and it will be a shot in the arm short term, but I don’t think it will solve the problem long term. It will just prolong the pain of years of irresponsible banks that encouraged ridiculous loans to anyone with a pulse. The politicians are selling us they can solve the problem only if we flood the system with near one trillion dollars. Spending is already out of control and Social Security payments will kick into high gear over the next ten years, so where is all this new money going to come from to pay out? We’re already strapped and just can’t afford it so I’m not for this bailout plan. I recommend that you send an email to your Congressman or Senator and let them know that your position. Even if you support it, please let them know your concern on passing on this spending to your children.

To find those in the Senate
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To find your congressman
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/

It started out a ten page bill, now it’s over one hundred pages… Can you squeal like a Pig??
http://www.rules.house.gov/110/text/110_hr3997_amnd_samnd.pdf

 

[Steadygain]

I don’t support the bailout plan.

I'm shocked to hear this !!

This is the first NEGATIVE COMMENT remotely connected to the Bailout plan.

Oh well; let's hope we can all move on when it does pass; that we can come to realize the world won't end no matter who wins.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I'm shocked to hear this !!

This is the first NEGATIVE COMMENT remotely connected to the Bailout plan.

Oh well; let's hope we can all move on when it does pass; that we can come to realize the world won't end no matter who wins.

Well, in the last 24 hours this 700 Billion dollar bailout plan has now grown to add some Pork Spending to the tune of 150 Billion more!!! The now 850 Billion Bailout plan is now 450 pages long and includes pork barrel spending to help twist the arms of Democrats and Republicans who dared to disagree with it. Dumping a trillion dollars into the economy will cause the stock market perk up, but this fly by night plan by the administration and congress will backfire in the long run. I found it interesting that the congressional switchboards and email accounts were overloaded today. I just don’t believe that tax payers were calling in to their reps saying, please pass this One Trillion dollar Bailout plan. I sent messages to my reps letting them know that I do not support their Bailout spending plan.

 

[fedgolfer]

... at least give the markets a long enough bounce for me to look for property in Vancouver