XJs and the price of gas...

As the price of gas goes up I love my XJ650 even more.

But let me pose this question, if I may, regarding the increasing price of crude oil: If the price of corn went to $10 an ear would you sit around and whine about it or would you plant some corn and increase your net worth?

Put this in terms of the broader US economy and no wonder the dollar is so low.

 

Unless everyone were as lucky/blessed as Jed Clampett, I'm not quite following the extrapolation of corn to crude to the broader US economy. :?

However, I am loving my XJ in light of the preposterous price of petrol :wink:

 

Nice alliteration, CK.

 

I wish I could say it was a big improvement over my Pontiac Sunfire but my best recorded tank was 46mpg on the XJ and 42mpg for the Sunfire. Those are imperial gallons before I have a bunch of americans telling me "42mgp for a Sunfire? Thats impossible!"

But the XJ is alot more fun to drive so I guess that makes up for it.

 

42 Miles per Imperial Gallon does seem high for the Sunfire.

But, if you were on the highway ... between stops for fuel ... I'll bet it was possible.

Particularly if you were going ... down-hill !!!

 

No hills in Alberta Rick, just flat land there!
You could tie the steering wheel, set the cruise control, watch a movie and not worry too much about going off the road!

 

I am with cereal_killer, I cannot create crude oil, nor anyone else for that matter. As for the price of corn... I have thought about what it would take to make an XJ run off of alcohol. Corn can = alcohol.... I know rings and pistons, but how would the block, valves, ect. hold up? Definately re-jet the carbs too... Not sure what else that job would include... Be interesting to find out though!

As for the price of oil/gas. It is quite apparent that we americans are caught by the balls in this perdicament as we have become So very much dependant on gas/oil products. It just goes to show you how much the gov't really cares.... How long ago was it that they handed gas prices back to the oil companies? And after what has happened they still do nothing?!?!?!

I am not complaining, though everyone should, just remarking on how much people forget and how little people pay attention. I am only 25 for god's sake and I know this stuff when quite a few people older than me dont??? Ha ha ha! I guess I just pay attention.

I get such good gas mileage on my XJ when it isnt even in top notch shape that I am happy! 40-43 mpg!!! Much better than my car, or the bus/train method!
Edit: We could also complain about the cost about public transportation and how they apparently dont want it to become a serious alternative form of transportation. Costs more money than it is worth, plus not enough security!
Makes me love my baby even more, even though she can be quite a !@#%$ sometimes....

 

That does seem on the high but the original factory claim was 40mpg on the highway (about 33mgp US). Later GM came out with a computer reprogram which was supposed boost fuel economy. Also, I recorded on a weekly 40km drive to work and back which was mostly on country roads driving 90km/h while If I'm not mistaking highway ratings are tested at 100km/h. Maybe I'm wrong on that one.

Also, that was when I still lived in Southern Ontario. That was my best ever recording, my worst being 39mpg. Just driving normal, light on the pedal, shift around 3000rpm. Calculating fuel economy is something I would do once in a while but only when going to work and back. I don't see the point in recording for city driving, its far too inconsistent. On a somewhat humorous note I used to have an '86 Mercury Topaz which made somewhere around 30-40% less power. I got a best ever of 33mpg but 30-31 more typical, then 25 when the throttle position sensor went wonky. Ahhh technology advances.

If you've seen my pictures of my move to Edmonton thread pulling that trailer with my XJ and stuff on it, she sure used some gas then. I never did an actual calculation but judging by how far the gas gauge would go down I figured it was using about 1/3 more than usual, and even worse still with a strong headwind. Battling a strong wind across North Dakota restricted me to 4th gear and I had used up a half tank after only 150km (93mi). Ouch! I might as well have been driving a full size pickup...almost.

By the way thats 38.3mpg US for my XJ. I think it should do better as I really don't ride hard. A good carb and YICS tuning would probably boost that a bit.

Ok I'm drinking beer and rambling...

 

I'd love to convert my Suburban to propane. Even the parts for the motor arent too $$. But finding tanks to hang under/inside the frame is the tough part.
I've never seen a propane powered motorcycle. I can't imagin what the legal and 'safe' tank would look like and located.
For a cage, the tank is required to be outside fo the passenger compartment - incase of leaks I believe. If it were to catch fire or explode in a crash, under the frame or any where close will be incinerated or blown to smithereens.
On a bike... no compartment.
the capacity, size, weight and dimentions of the bottles would still be a problem.

The clean burn would keep all users spark plugs happy. No leaky petcock to flood the oilpan.

 

I still say that ethanol is a farce - it's an energy negative process (or break-even at best).

My vote would be to see a cool turbo-diesel engine, using some of the new technologies for particulate & exhaust gas control....

 

Well gas seems to be a supply/demand issue.

I know, i know that oil companies are shitheads but whos fault is that...
Its the consumers.

We DEMAND oil all the time, even in our hair! (lol)

When people bitch about prices, THEN go and fill up their 30 gal tank....I dont know what to say.

When gas prices increased, according to oil stats, the demand INCREASED!!!
Its supposed to go the other way.
How the HECK do car dealers still sell the TANKs that have a whopping 15 mpg?!?

Long story short, we RELY on oil with our lives. Transportation of people, produce, goods, heating, energy(lighting). Almost all those uses influence our lives in some fashion.

BTW I get about 30 mpg in cage, ~50 bike. I burn a tank in the car every MONTH !!! I live 1/2 mile from work and sometime walk when weather permits.

We need to be less dependant on oil, but how to acheive this is unknown on a global level. I think we should all just go an get a vehicle that gets 30+ mpg and do something instead of bitching, "STICK IT TO THE MAN" means action NOT talk.

On another rambling side note: What if gas rationing can back into effect(I only remember those times from a History book, RickCoMatic any comment???). Those soccer moms would be PUSHING their busses instead of cutting me off.

This has been a Nighty News Production
Ass.Fault Signing off

 

I have a comment:

Get ready to buy gas by the Liter ... just like the rest of the Global Ecomomy.

We're complaining about gas prices ... I don't get it! The Iraq war is costing us Billions ... and there's NOBODY doing any real protesting.

Back in my day, we'd be gathered at the Washington Monument with signs and loud voices. Today, nobody really seems to care, unless you have a husband or boyfriend getting sent over for his third tour.

No matter how it works-out; I'll have my 750 to ride. If it costs me $3.50 a Gallon ... I guess thats better than walking or just letting the bike collect dust while we roller-skate!

 

Rickster,

Here in the sunny land downunder we're paying around AUD $1.35 a litre at the top of the weekly cycle of discounting and around AUD $1.20 at the bottom of the weekly cycle (do your own conversions to US Gallons). It's like spinning a wheel each week when it comes to buying petrol. And these prices are held down by virtue of the fact that the Australian dollar has risen against the $US to US$1 = AUD$0.93c. This is up from only a few months ago when it the Aussie dollar was only $0.82 against the $US.

My car sits in the street most of the week and gets used on weekends when I am the taxi driver for children etc. - My treasured XJ900 gets me to work and back on the smelly of an oily rag.

Petrol at close to $US100 aqnd climbing...prices of houses in outer suburbs stagnant and in some cases falling because people can't afford to drive there SUV's 50kms into work each day with one person aboard.

Whatever it costs...treasure you XJ's folks, which I did read recently as being described as the "Toyota Corolla of the bike world". I'm not sure whether I should be offended or proud!

 

Random thoughts:

People paying $5.00+ for a cup of coffee won't cut back on $3.00 gasoline.

Oil prices are up in real terms. Even more so in the US because our currency is being devalued.

Ethanol is about farmers, not about reducing oil consumption.

 

$8.00 for 2.5 gallons this morning.

 

You must have coasted into the station on fumes!

 

Gold is sitting at about $832 per once. Wondering why gas (and everything else) costs so much? It's because the dollars you're using to by it with is worth less (pronounced 'worthless'). We're witnessing the effects of having a fiat currency with rampant inflation. You can't borrow over a billion dollars a day from China and Japan and not expect your dollars to buy as much today as they did yesterday. I feel bad for all those baby-boomers who've worked and saved all their lives only to have the fed eat their lunches when it's their time to check out. Sad, really. That's why it is so important to return to a sound currency.

 

Gammuru is right, I dont see how we can keep on like this.

I've a friend in the UK and I asked him wether he travels much to see the world over there (by car or bike)
He says the with the price of petrol the way it is (equivalant to 6.00 gal here back then) that they dont travel much to neighboring communities unless they take rail or some other form of public transportation.

I knew I was lucky then. but it looks like we are going to be there soon.


BTW does anyone else get ticked off when the newscaster predicts the price of gas this time next year instead of just reporting factual news?
That burns my butt!! They have no right to shape mindsets! If they didn't condition people to the world around them, there might be a public outcry!

OK now I feel somewhat better

 

I will second Gammuru's analysis. Think of it like this:

The relative value of a nation's currency is very much like the value of shares of stock of a given company. A company that has a good balance sheet (low debt - liabilities), cash flow, lots of orders for its products and is lead by a CEO and board with vision and a proven track record and has plans for continued growth and hasn't flooded the market with millions of shares of stock will generally command a high demand for its stock (i.e. Google).

Now think of the United States.... balance sheet -- lots of debt and unfunded liabilities, spends more than it takes in, imports more than it exports, is lead by a bunch of old FARTS in congress that have never held a real job in their lives, a CEO that is no longer rooted in reality, and a nation that has NO energy policy .. NO plans for growth (i.e. new oil and coal exploration, nuclear power programs and alternatives and lower taxes) and has flooded the market with dollar bills. It has also failed to secure its borders sufficiently and has propped up the purchasing power of its citizens by importin "cheap labor" from Mexico... the bill for that is starting to come due.

Who in the heck wants to invest in US currency when the nation's fundamentals look so bad?

Oil is a worldwide commodity... its value is not determined by the oil companies. If the US had any leadership it would make the fundamental changes (get rid of the DEAD wood on the "board") eliminate some debt (pork & entitlements) lower some taxes and develop an implement a real energy plan. Secure the borders and encourage immigrants of a higher education level to come in to the country (instead of being obsessed with cheap tomatoes).

As long as the US is bowing to the great and wonderful Wizard of Owl Gore ( and his sycophants) it will be non- competative, its dollar (stock) will be uninteresting and it will pay more for oil... bankrupting its economy while making its competitors richer (China, Opec et. al).

Its not rocket science people.

 

Ethanol is only a farce if you're looking at a purely power-per-gallon perspective. Also, I think some price wrangling on the part of the suppliers has made it so that even though you pay less per gallon of E85, you don't go as far, so you pay about the same dollars per *mile* as with unleaded.

HOWEVER...

It is worth noting that ethanol is a *renewable* energy source. Crude oil is not. Also, it's a lot easier to grow corn in Iowa than to import crude from the Middle East.

I still say we need to spend some research on thermo-electric cells. Think of all the waste heat in everything. What if even a tiny fraction of that heat could charge a battery? Now THAT would be something.

 

"It is worth noting that ethanol is a *renewable* energy source. Crude oil is not. Also, it's a lot easier to grow corn in Iowa than to import crude from the Middle East."

You are missing the point ... We will still need oil for many many more decades... probably forever. Yes, we can leverage ethanol to a greater or lesser extent as a fuel but its payoff will never be realized unless the infastructure is in place to produce it without using even more oil in process (i.e. nuke plants and/or solar to power the refineries and pipelines to deliver it). This will take many more years, even decades and we will still need oil in the meantime. Remember, giving over so much cropland to growing corn for ethanol will impact the price of other crops so there is no free lunch. Ethanol is heavily subsidized so you are really paying a lot more for it than you realize.

Remember that oil is used in zillions of products, manufacturing processes and machinery that we still use and will need to use, probably forever. Yes, we can reduce our use of it but we are still going to need it. Other countries seem to know this and are even now still exploring for and producing oil. For us not to do the same thing is simply foolish.

 

I think we all are in agreement that "something" needs to be done. We're just quibbling about who's going to pay for whatever form of "greener energy". Will it be determined by the free market where consumers determine the most feasible/affordable technology, or will government intervene by doling out our tax dollars through subsidies and tax incentives to their favored groups? Either way, we pay; it's just that one of those two options affords us a choice.

A note in the margin: you may have noticed that with the increase in demand for corn fuels, there's been an associated decrease in the availabilty of corn for food stuffs. This decrease has naturally driven the price of corn-related foods up. It's simple supply and demand economics.

We need to tell our government (in the US--I don't know about Canada) that they need to quit paying farmers to sit on barren fields. If the government insists on subsidizing their pet ethanol projects, they need to use these unused agricultural acres for that purpose. They are artificially creating the shortage in the market.

Typical, really; we're from the government and we're here to help. Yeah, no thanks! :roll:

 

The idea that it won't be an instant switch is not a big surprise. However, your argument amounts to, "It'll be so hard to switch that we should just keep doing what we're doing."

I didn't suggest that E85 would suddenly solve all of our problems nor that we would be able to *ever* stop using crude oil. But increasing our use of E85 (and hydrogen, and *especially* nuclear power), reduces our dependency on that one single source of non-renewable power. It also tends to spur R&D in those areas. Combine increased use with R&D and you tend to get a cheaper product.

Crude oil as a resource is going to be necessary for a long, long time, but there's no need to just keep going the way we're going for things like passenger cars just because, "It's too hard to change." That's not the way to solve a problem.

My favorite solutions involve nuclear power and electric vehicles. Even the giant dump trucks actually use diesel engines only to power the electric motors that turn the wheels. Big iron like that with a long duty cycle will probably have to stay that way, but for vehicles on the road (including 18-wheelers), you could combine nuclear power as the electrical source to charge exchangable batteries. You pull into a stop, SWAP batteries, and keep going. Make the batt(s) into a twist-lock cylinder that can be easily exchanged and let the "filling station" charge them. If you leave the regenerative braking charging system in the cars for city driving, you increase the duty cycle that much more. (No need for a charging system in the 18-wheeler, since it's just extra weight and complexity for something that would get very rarely used.)

Additional bonus: Electric motors are *QUIET* and pretty much completely emission-free.

NOTE: This doesn't make the need for petroleum go away. It just moves us away from using the stuff for *everything*.

As for previous notes about public transportation, I agree about the availability. If there were a rail from KC to STL, I'd be on it every weekend.

I'm not that worried about security. I actually BELIEVE that "Land of the free" and "Home of the brave" are together in the song for a reason. I can defend myself, thanks. If the operators will protect the train itself, I'll keep an eye on the other passengers. Ever wonder why 50+ people couldn't overpower only 5 guys with *knives* on a plane? At least the passengers on the last plane figured it out.

 

Amen to that! Your right to self defense and self preservation is one of the most important. If you're putting that responsibility into the hands of a train operator or the TSA flunkies, you're going to be sorely upset with the outcome. Sure, it's bad for business for an airline's passengers to end up dead, and they will try with all their might to prevent injuries and deaths to their customers, but no plan for security is fool-proof. Ultimately, you--and you alone--are responsible for your own protection. (By whatever means necessary, I might add. I personally won't place restrictions on you about caliber bores and barrel lengths and rates of fire.) The police, et al, are really good at taking reports after an incident has transpired. It's up to us to determine how those incidents play out.

When the wolves come knocking, will you be a sheep or a sheepdog?

 

"The idea that it won't be an instant switch is not a big surprise. However, your argument amounts to, "It'll be so hard to switch that we should just keep doing what we're doing."

Please re-read my post, I never stated such a thing.

What I am saying is that most of the current arguments are lets _NOT_ do anymore oil exploration, NO drilling in ANWR, or anyplace else.... lets just keep on doing the same thing..... paying through the nose to other countries that hate us, and help their economies.

That is totally stupid, especially when the US still has huge supplies of yet untapped oil that can be used to help OUR economy... employ Americans... and help us ultimately achieve the goal of less dependence on foreign oil. Domestic oil production is still part of the equation and we cannot just "conserve" our way to that goal. It ain't gonna happen, unless we just want to become a third world economy... although I believe that's the goal of the many of the Owl Gore camp out there.

 

My son told me yesterday that he had just paid £1.02 per litre for petrol I think that would work out over $9 per Imperial gallon. Plus he has to pay everytime he drives into London that's £8.00 or $16.00 a day then there are parking charges. Public transport is a very expensive joke and if like him you need to carry tools a bus or the tube is a none starter.

Faighaigh.

 

Sure. NOT exploring the planet for resources is silly. Calling him "Owl Gore" costs you credibility, though. You should be able to make your case without being insulting.

The environmentalists make a good point that oil drilling rigs are a blight upon the land wherever they exist, though. While we should certainly be willing to go and find oil, are we also willing to destroy everything in, say, Glacier National Park if that's where the oil is? Are we willing to make several species in Alaska extinct because we'll destroy the last place they have to live?

Maybe we won't have to answer those questions. Maybe we'll find oil out in the middle of the Mojave desert. It's still something to consider as part of the equation.

Don't get me wrong. Battery factories and nuclear waste dumps aren't paragons of natural beauty, either. The environmental impact of whatever energy source we use just needs to be considered (and minimized, where possible) before we just go out and start drilling wherever we find oil or building nuclear power plants wherever there's a convenient heat drain.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy or simple. :/ I think all of these problems are solvable. I also think that the people who should have been responsible for solving them in the past have fallen somewhat short of the mark, though, which is what gives the hard-core tree-huggers political traction. I'd rather take that ammunition away from them and have all sources of energy available than have to put up with myopic environmental laws that go too far the other way with environmentally useless and financially harmful restrictions that get passed purely for political gain.

 

On a side note, because you guys seem to have this topic more than handled!

WHO says bikers are knuckle heads.
Looks like we have a political/social/economic discussion going on here that SHOULD be going on through all household minds in the country(if not the entire global community)

 

I don't like the way this Country is doing business. We can't get some of the energy saving Models of Cars and have a limited choice of what's available on motorcycle showroom floors.

Spending billions to wage war with religious fundamentalists is insane. They've been at each others throats since Moses led his Posse away from the Egyptians.

Having the National Guard be the spearhead of the operation; with Tours extended and enlistment contracts breached, virtually making some of the poor bastards in Iraq "Indentured Mercenaries" is obscene.

Open the Draft Boards. Start sending-out a few hundred thousand Induction Notices and there will be a outcry to END it faster than you can say "Protest March".

If the Country is going to be at War ... let The Country respond. Not just the guys who are supposed to be at HOME with their uniforms hanging inn the closet until a fire, flood or tornado gives need to activate the Unit and Guard the Nation.

This nightmare is all playing-out behind a curtain of secrecy that won't allow the Press access to the plane-loads of aluminum, reusable coffins being shipped back home with some little kid's daddy inside. The guy swore an oath to Defend his Country and got killed trying to defend somebody else's.

We have National leader's who can't lead a thirsty horse to a babbling brook because the are too busy babbling the lies they made-up to get us into this damn-fool mess.

Who started this and when is it going to end?

 

Don't hold your breath. They've been trying to convert us to the metric system for 40 years that I know of. Hasn't happened yet. Except for the pop bottles.

 

On a semirelated note. How come the new Saturn hybrid car doesn't get the mileage as my 1994 saturn car gets. 34 mpg for the hybrid VS 38 in the 94. How can the new vehicle be called a fuel saving vehicle if it cant even get better mileage then a 16 year old vehicle.
I first started riding my 750 because of the mpg savings. My normal driver WAS a 3/4 ton dodge diesel. I got it back in 96 when diesel was cheaper than gas and still gets better mileage. It doesnt get driven much now, 2000 miles in two years.
I purchased the old saturn car this spring because of the fuel economy of the dodge durango 16 MPG. Saturn gets 36 to 38 in town and so far up to 43 on the highway. Everyone has to do their part in the supply and demand scheme of things for gas. If demand is down the the price goes down. Demand goes up, price goes up. Thats just the way things work.
If everyone would just get a fuel saving vehicle and use them, then supply would go down and price would go down.
This is not a cure, but why not get the most bang for your buck. My fuel pig vehicles have been parked and I now have a second job fixing up small cars for resale, Saturn are becoming my specialty. Its fun, easy and brings in a little extra cash for the family.
Think air and solar power instead of coal for electrical. and new technology for batteries for the soon to come electric cars. Hope it gets here soon though.
As far as the original topic for this thread 43 mpg is the best out of the 85 xj700 so far. Gets better mileage on the good stuff also. Maybe I will work on an electric xj hybrid?? Sounds like fun. Now to find a doner bike.

 

I bought a bike to save on gas, since my truck eats gas by the second. I live at 5500 feet, so all the gas around here is 10% ethanol, but still, my truck gets about 15mpg on a good day. My 1994 XJ600 gets an average of 50mpg.

I am driving the XJ around even more just because it gets 4 times better gas mileage than my truck. And its definitely easier to pay $9 to fill the tank as opposed to $45-50 in my truck!

 

I only said the security on public transportation because that is one of the many "reasons" (excuses) people use as to why they wont take a bus. If more people would, the cost would go down on trains and busses (hopefully). The biggest reason public transportation is going to be an unlikely choice? Because people, americans especially, hate to be inconvinienced, greater good or not. Maybe when gas prices double, and us bikers are the only ones on the road...

As for when the wolves come out... I'm gonna be a wolf, and not the kind that runs with the pack...

On a second note, Nice way to put it Rick. I have been against the war from day one. Terrorism = Another Red Scare. For the first 3 years, keep in mind... 3 Years, I was called unpatriotic, told I should leave this country, that I was a terrorist, anarchist, moron, ect for not liking the (illegal) war. Now, 7 years later the majority finally come to terms that it is stupid, pointless, that we were never gonna win. No one wins wars. I just hate the sheep way that people are. BTW, whatever happened to osama? right after we went into Iraq, last month, last year, 2 years ago? He and terrorism was never the main issue, problem, or target. We went where they wanted us to.

 

Open the Draft Boards.
Make it EVERYBODY's Ugly Little War.

Once them "Greeting's" letters start getting opened by the Members of Generation-X ... you are going to see some SERIOUS Anti-War Demonstrations!

Bank on it!

The one sure-fire way to get this Country OUT of the War ... is to make the WHOLE Country conscious about getting SENT to War.

There won't be any National Guard being sent to quell the disturbances.

The bulk of our National Guard has already got their dance cards filled-out and find themselves otherwise engaged ... at the moment!!!

 

we won the war, we took the flag and the capitol and executed the leader.
We should have divided IRAQ into 5 little pie pieces and gave it to the
neighbors including IRAN and then left!!! before roadside bombs !

now back to bikes. My V-star 1100 gets 53 MPG stock, loud pipes.
my 750 in the same state of tune should get 75 MPG
Im thinking less cam, lean carbs and tall gears. It would have less bite,
anyone try to tune for high MPG ?

 

Or maybe we can stop hoping to lose and stand behind our military and just win the war. Just an idea. Oh and I get 40 to 45 MPG out of my 83 Maxim 750.

Also there are different objectives that can be achieved by hybrid technology. Some SUVs and trucks don't really get that much better gas mileage, but by kicking in the electric motor you can get a huge boost in torque which is why they are good for vehicles like city busses that have to move a lot of weight through stop and go traffic.

 

Check these prices out for petrol here in the UK 10 mile range of my home and these prices are per Ltr

Just to compare to your currancy Currency Calculator

(If done right these pages should update themselfs)

 

We DO stand behind our military. The problem is that the objectives are unacheivable, particularly in the timetable given to us by the current administration.

See, we were all told that we'd go in there, gun blazing, take out the current regime, and everything would be all peachy.

The problem is, there has never, EVER been a case in all of human history where this kind of thing was ever successful. If you invade a country, you're going to be there for a while, meaning "at least 20 years" (unless your objective was to wipe them out, which is unacceptable).

So what does that mean? It means that we should have either taken over the country and made it into the 51-53 states, OR done a better job of getting international support for the operation by not lying about the WMDs, OR at the VERY LEAST told the American public, "We're going to be there for 20 years, so get comfy with that idea." SOME of the lack of public support comes from the unrealistic expectations we were sold. You can't build a new nation in only five years under the best of circumstances. With the problems Iraq has? I'm thinking 20 or 30, at best. We'll have to be there the whole time.

Basically, you don't invade a country to "liberate it" unless you're going to restore the old gov't, like in WWII. You can conquer it or destroy it, if you have a short timetable. Those are the only options. Anything else (nation building), and we're going to be there for a while.

It's not that we don't support the TROOPS. We don't support the WAR.

Rick, the world has gotten older than you think. I'M a Gen-X kid, and I'm in my 30s. I'm already too old to be drafted.

That said, I agree with your point. Either we ALL go to war, or none of us do. That would truly test the nation's will on the matter, since we'd ALL have to participate. I also agree with certain Democrats' idea that greater options or ever mandatory military service after high school would do our country a WORLD of good, but it isn't going to fix anything in less than a generation. We're in a big mess right now, and the way out isn't going to be pretty.

We started with one mess: The embargos(-es?) around Iraq. Then the world blamed us for the children who starved while Saddam tightened his grip. So we got rid of Saddam, but we messed that up too. Here's to military solutions...

 

I still think we should just be tapping into wind, solar, and water power. Especially wind power. The sooner we get into building the plants the sooner we could start reaping the benefits of them. As it is, we probably won't head that direction any time soon, and it'll always cost more later than it would to invest in it now. Too bad I don't have heaps of money to do so.

 

Some of us can:
Residential Thermal Energy

More to the point, the designs for a lot of this stuff have been around for a while. You can do a lot with your own home, provided that you are willing to sink a few thousand dollars into it. The more important thing to remember is that it's a few THOUSAND, not a few MILLION, to do the work to your own place, and you can get solar (and often geothermal) power power, enough of it that a friend of mine is selling power back to the city!