George Z. Bush wrote:

"Stephen Harding" wrote in message

George Z. Bush wrote:


"D. Strang" wrote in message

We have an energy policy that is based on depletion.

Really? In that case, you won't have any problem explaining to those of us who
still don't get it why, when our oil supply is recognizably being depleted
without replenishment, we are (1) still manufacturing and selling gas-guzzling
SUVs and (2) why we haven't required every vehicle on our roads to be able to
get 40 or 50 mpg as a prerequisite for getting a license plate.

In any case, our current energy policy was put together by a commission
appointed by the President and chaired by the Vice President, whose membership
seems to be a secret, along with the minutes of the meetings they may have had
that evolved into our national policy. It's not even clear what the policy
actually is, much less the reasons for it, since everything about that
commission has been kept secret by the Vice President, who is now or shortly
will be defending himself against a lawsuit before the Supreme Court which was
filed to force the administration to make public the details of the commission's
proceedings.

It's entirely possible that, in the light of day, we may learn that our energy
policy is aimed at the protection of certain economic interests first, rather
than the nation's best interests. We may find out one of these days.

You think this is new to GW Bush???

Get real! It's been our policy almost since we became an
oil driven economy.

How many miles do you put in on the bicycle, or on foot?

I don't own a bicycle, and hardly get out of my yard without a cane. What;s
that got to do with anything?

Much of the world does meets its transportation needs by bike
or foot. No Buick required.

These vehicles get *exceptionally* good oil based fuel economy,
and have the added benefit of being health promoting, reducing
longer term medical costs.

How many mpg does your vehicle get?

My 92 Taurus gets 27 and my 01 Buick gets 28. I wish they could both get more,
but I don't build cars, I just use what's available.

There are those who might say you're driving the wrong car then.
There are cars getting well into the 40 mpg range and above. A
real purist would not own a Buick or Taurus if it doesn't regularly
carry more than a couple people or "stuff".

Have you bought an electric car yet?

No, and I live in a town with some 400 other residents, and I haven't seen a
single one around. I think it's safe to conclude that they aren't what you
would call on the market yet.

Yes they're out on the market, but outrageously expensive. There
are hybrids starting to appear though. They can get towards 60 mpg.

Modified your car to run on propane or cow manure (methane)?

Not yet. I'm waiting for all those people whose vehicles get them 10 or 13 mpg
to get theirs up to 27 or 28 mpg before I start looking into it.

Not certain you'll find too many vehicles under 10 years old getting
10-13 mpg unless it's a pickup truck towing something or hauling a
heavy load. Mid sized sedans are pretty close to 30 mpg (highway)
and smaller cars up into the 30's and even a Cadillac DeVille is
listed at 27.

Converted your oil run house heat?

My house heat runs mostly on electricity, and partially on natural gas. I think
we were talking about cars before you changed the subject, undoubtedly hoping I
wouldn't notice.

No we were really talking about energy policy and energy in the
form of oil! Did you forget?

Cars are only a part of that.


SMH