Labels: economics, environment, global, government, peace, people, politics, war, work

I want to say first that, cynical as I've become, you've always surprised me with your candid, sensible approach to governing. I understand your decisions - even when I dont agree with them. You have a supporter if youd like to become President.

I have three things I'd like to point out to you: taxes, energy, and Jon Stewart.

I believe IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson has done well and deserves the money to continue properly taxing. In particular, I would love to see the evasion of taxes involving mutual funds, off-shore accounts, etc, come to an end. People like me, who can't afford anything we havent fought bitterly for, feel cheated when shown things like this:

"On March 30, 2004, Congress was told that 78 percent of known tax cheats in investment partnerships are not even asked to pay because there are not enough tax collectors to go after them. While letting rich tax cheats run wild, Congress did finance a crackdown on the poor. The working poor, most of whom make less than $16,000, are eight times more likely to be audited than millionaire investors in partnerships." (source)

Let him do his job well, and the deficit will be cleared just that much faster.

Energy. I have never been so sad and yet grinned so wide when I read your statements (1, 2)about the Energy Bill. In all seriousness - THANK YOU for recognizing it for what it is. More importantly, thank you for recognizing that what weve done so far is inadequate, in particular with fuels and ethanol (gasohol). Most of the current solutions involve one of two things: New forms of transportation (electric, hybrids) or radically modifying our current cars (bio-diesel). I applaud your work with Senator Lieberman on encouraging new technologies. However, while new technologies should be employed in new vehicles, consider the ratio of new vehicles to old. It will be a long time before the new-technology vehicles are enough in number compared to old-technology for them to do significant good.

What we need is something that will run relatively clean on current and older cars. Weve spent $200 Billion on Iraq why dont we give $20 Billion to scientists from DuPont, Harvard, and the military and say make a substance that burns at a spark smoothly at 92 octane, does not freeze above -20 degrees F, nor evaporate below 140, and runs my 62 VW as well as a new Corvette, at a total cost of less than $1 per gallon to the consumer. I just refuse to believe that its impossible.

Energy independence is something that is well worth the cost of research. Imagine if tomorrow, we sent a diplomat to all of the nations in the squabbling Middle East and say, "we dont need your oil and were selling our new substitute to Europe for a buck a gallon." Instant reform. They would have to their whole economies are based on oil. Thats how they can have ridiculous poverty and no women working.

I understand that this is armchair politics, easy from where I am sitting and much more difficult to actually do. Please, help take the momentum of the unanimous public assertion that the Energy bill was terrible and help propose putting money where America can use it best - a product we can sell to improve our economy that also severs our umbilical cord to the Middle East.

Finally, look for the clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in which your conversation with General Richard Myers. You received resounding applause.

[signed]

Currently listening : Rattle and Hum By U2

Labels: environment, gas, government, irs, money, oil, politics, rant

But anyway. That's not really what I'm worried about, because the whole thing about cost will sort itself out eventually (I hope).

I'm worried about noise. One of the really unsettling things about seeing an electric car is when you turn it on - there's no noise. There is literally no discernible difference between when it's about to take off or it's just sitting there. This kinda freaks me out. Cars are dangerous enough when they make a ton of noise, but now we'll have stealthy 2-ton pedestrian flatteners on the loose. On the other hand, it really would be pretty ridiculous to have artificial sound-makers, wouldn't it?

So I don't know what to think about this. Flashing lights? No, that's for emergency vehicles. Sure, they have to happen for the environment's sake (and for costs' sake) but ... I remain freaked out.

PS - the new Fiona Apple and Sigur Ros albums are really good.

Currently listening : Takk... By Sigur Rós

Labels: cars, environment, kids, random, rant