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Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Amanda Carpenter :: Townhall.com Columnist
Obama Calls GOP Ignorant on Oil
by Amanda Carpenter
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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama slammed Republicans for making fun of him because he encouraged Americans to properly inflate their tires to conserve gasoline.

“It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant!” Obama told an audience in Berea, Ohio on Tuesday.

“They’re sending like little tire gauges making fun of this idea as if this was Barack Obama’s energy plan,” Obama said. “Now, two points. One, they know they are lying about what my energy plan is, but they are making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by three or four percent.”

The tire gauges Obama mentioned were created by the Republican National Committee. They are inscribed with the words “Barack Obama’s Energy Plan.” The RNC sent them to reporters and contributors after Obama told supporters at a town hall meeting that they should inflate cut down on rising energy costs. This was done to contrast GOP presidential candidate John McCain’s position on energy to Obama’s.

In Berea, Obama reiterated the importance of proper tire inflation. Inflated tires would “probably save more oil than all the oil we’d probably get from John McCain drilling right below his feet there,” he said gesturing to the ground. “Wherever he was going to drill.”

RNC’s Alex Conat reacted to Obama’s “ignorant” remarks said in a statement. "Rather than demanding Americans inflate their tires, Obama should be demanding Congress return to DC to vote on a real energy plan," Conant said. "Obama is wrong: Inflated tires are no substitute for oil drilling and a comprehensive energy plan."

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About The Author
Amanda Carpenter is National Political Reporter for Townhall.com.
 
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Subject: Reply to Slacker (continued) #2
That is not to say that we should not use alternative energies and be looking for other sustainable forms of energy. Electric Cars are not a viable option now. You ever play a round of golf on a hilly course with an electric cart?

The best way to produce electriciy and to distribute it most efficiently is with Hydro Electric Plants where this is possible, but the distribution area should be no more than about 50 miles for the maximum efficiency of the power produced. The longer the transmission lines, the less efficient as energy is used up and dissipated in the transfer. Nuclear Power is efficient, but costly to build and can be very Dangerous, and they produce stuff that is deadly for thousands of years, and disposal becomes a huge problem. Many nations are producing electricity with Nuclear Power, but their real aim for using them, is to produce Weapons Grade materials that they desire. Iran's Nuclear Power Plants come to mind.

Solar is great for heating water, or providing power for calculators, road signs, and other things, but there is no way currently to first store, and then convert the stored DC energy to AC. I am all for letting private entrepreneurs spend their money in the free market to develop alternate forms of energy, but I am not for letting the government handle it. The government does nothing very well.

As for the Republicans and Democrats, I agree that they have been Trading Off The Public Interest for too long in favor of Special Interests and Pork Packages.

But, in this election, McCain gets my vote. In this election, no democrat will get my vote at any level of government. But, after November, 08, I am going to be busy at the local level getting a legitimate third party elected that is diametrically opposed to the One Party System we now have. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb is what we have had the choice of for too long.

Reply to Slacker
Thanks for your post and reply. But, as far as needing to educate me on technology. I am very aware of technology and also aware that technology, like any other tool, is great as long as you use it correctly. For example, a claw hammer is great for driving nails and for pulling out bent nails, but when you use it to hit somebody in the head, that is misuse of a tool, and you have turned it into a weapon.

Television, for example, is good technology, but TV has been misused in many ways. You can use TV to report things such as the weather forecast, and prepare for whatever weather you are having or are about to have. This is good use of TV. But, when the TV news becomes a tool of "reporting selective news with a particular angle", this is misleading and becomes a form of brainwashing. The MSM news outlets are busy 24-7 reporting things with a slant, or reporting on things that only interest the most prurient among us. Who cares what Britney Speers, Whitney Houston, Paris Hilton, Ludicris, or any other of these brainless spoiled childen. I would like to see things that could actually be useable in making decisions.

As for gasoline and the need for oil, we need it now, because with current technology, the gasoline engine is what we have and will need for the forseeable future. That is not to say that we should not use alternative energies and be looking for other sustainable forms of energy. I personally am a true conservative in the sense that I do not waste things, and take care of resources, generally.

The best way to produce electriciy and to distribute it most efficiently is with Hydro Electric Plants where this is possible, but the distribution area should be no more than about 50 miles for the maximum efficiency of the power produced. The longer the transmission lines, the less efficient as energy is used up and dissipated in the transfer. This is old technology, but some things cannot be improved on.
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