Yesterday I drove Dad to the dentist for a tooth extraction. Dad's dentist is also my dentist and has been my dentist for over 20 years so I have a strong respect for his judgement. Our dentist said that one of Dad's back molars was impacted and infected...and that it couldn't be saved. So I took Dad to the dentist -- inspite of his protesting that his tooth didn't hurt.
Forty-five minutes later, Dad joined me in the waiting -- minus one tooth.
I spoke to the dentist afterward and told him that Dad didn't really want the tooth pulled but I had taken the dentist's advice over the wishes of my own father.
The dentist said, "Yes, your Dad said the same thing to me before I pulled it, but it wouldn't be long before he began to feel a great deal of pain if we had left that tooth alone."
Those are the conundrums I face as having the power of attorney for my Dad. In many ways, I think there are similarities between my watching out for my father's best interests and the new president being confronted with choices that will be good for some poeple and bad for others.
First and foremost, our new president has to take steps that will boost the economy. It seems that he wants to pass a stimulus package that will create a lot of construction jobs.
Nothing a matter with that...generally construction jobs pay well and construction companies can hire a lot of people that don't have a lot of education to build things -- roads, bridges and buildings.
However, one of the things that the President wants to build is alternative energy sources, such as wind turbines, solar panels, biofuels plants, etc. These sound good unless, like me, you are in the field of traditional energy -- fossil fuels.
There are many reasons why fossil fuels trump alternative sources. For one, they are low cost; second, they are reliable; third, our country's infrustructure already is built for fossil fuel energy.
I'm not saying that alternative energy sources are inherently bad, after all, there's a desperate need for all energy sources in our country and I'm also for domestically produced energy because they do create jobs and wealth among our countrymen. However, we need to go into this with our eyes wide open.
Given the terrible weather that North Dakota has had this winter, there's no way I would want my energy sources to be anything but reliable. And, to be honest, affordability is certainly desirable because my home has used more energy than usual keeping our living quarters comfortable on bonechilling winter days.
I wouldn't be very happy if I only had "blew" electricity, that is, electricity when the wind blows or the sky is blue. Nor would I would like to see my energy bill twice the price that it is now.
So good luck, Mr. President...however, remember that your choices have ramifications on not one, but 200 million people. And while Americans tend to have short memories, we can remember things for two to four years - which is perfectly timed with our election cycle.
By the way, this morning Dad has largely forgotten that he went to the dentist and doesn't seem to be in any pain. However, I told him that he should be doing most of his chewing on the left side of his mouth. I wanted to make oatmeal for breakfast but it turns out we didn't have any. Could be the farmer sold his oats, corn and wheat to make biofuels.
Recipe - Aunt May's Famous Wheatcakes
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Now Playing - Forever Young by Alphaville RECIPE: MAY PARKER'S FAMOUS
WHEATCAKES Originally made by my pal Pete's Aunt May, these wheatcakes are
a great...
10 years ago
24 comments:
I agree with much of what you said. But I do think exploration and development of alternative energy sources is a good thing. What is going to happen when the fossil fuels run out?
Agreed, fossil fuels are finite, and like I say, alternative fuels are generally domestic, which I like. What I don't like is when activists mislead the public and say that peak oil occurred in 1979 and we've been in a decline ever since. Excuse me, but what they really mean is $3 a barrel oil peaked in 1979. There's still a lot of $100 a barrel oil. It's harder to find and costs more to produce...but it's there. The activists try to sell us on making a revolutionary change while an evolutionary change is easier to swallow -- both in the pocketbook and socially as well. In North Dakota, for instance, there is an existing law that says utilities should attempt to generate 10 percent of their power from renewables, however, the renewables need to be more affordable than traditional sources. That's a much better law than Minnesota's that mandates 25 percent of the electricity comes from renewables. Once utilities are mandated by the legislature to do something, unscrupulous suppliers can charge whatever they want for motors, concrete, turbines, etc. Montana also mandates so much renewable generation. Once Montana's electricity was among the cheapest in the nation...not anymore. Too many bad decisions. And did you see the story today about Californians heading east for rosier job opportunities? That's what happens when a state keeps saying 'No', 'No', 'No.' No new power lines, no new dams, no new coal-based or natural gas power plants. No nothing. Not in my back yard or anywhere else.
There you go. Like you said, we must go into this with eyes open and a liberal helping of common sense. I do not like being mislead by environmental activists or by greedy corporations.
I forgot to mention the very nice new picture by the way. Such a clean-cut, young looking man you are!
I don't know much about alternative energy.I wonder if the ramifications are well thought out or are these ideas just a quick fix,with little thought about the waiste.It seems like alot of Batteries are involve in the future.Will they leak?Do they have a plan for the waiste?I was driving on a Montana highway last fall,round a bend and up a hill,I almost fell out of the car when I saw these huge wind-mills right along side of the road.It sure made a mess of the beauty of an otherwise beautiful drive.Those were up by,what we call,"the cabins".Has anyone thought through how many of those will have to spring up,maintanice,and disposal of wore-out parts.They probably have batteries,too.Remember we are not aloud to have bill-boards for the reason it would take away from the beauty of America.I'm a little bias,but I like the sight of a coal power plant steaming in the distance and have the pictures to prove it.I'm also quit taken when passing an oil refinery all lit up at night,with a flame in the night sky.I feel a little cheated when that flame is on low.What I don't like is American coal going to China in exchange for coats with zippers that last two or three weeks.That's a little simple,but I mean our good stuff for there junk.They probably have their own coal and I know America can make coats.I would burn a coal stove if I could find coal here.I've always like the smell.
I do not envy our President elect. This is not a job I would have any interest in taking on. Living in the land of unpredictable weather, we are in need of reliable energy sources. While I am all for research and development of alternate energy sources, I'll take fossil fuels any day.
The people who fight the hardest for alternative energy sources fall into two categories: those who stand to make ENORMOUS profit from the subsidies, and those who oppose energy production at any significant level.
The same people screeching against the "evil" fossil fuel industry also shriek about wind turbines as a hazard to birds. They champion hydroelectric until dams get built, then they complain about the dam's impact on river channels. They want to mandate mercury-laden flourescent light bulbs, while in the same breath accusing the coal industry of recklessly belching metals into the air. The fact is, you can't make those people happy.
If the proponents of "freeing ourselves from foreign oil" were intellectually honest, they'd agree that nuclear power should play a significant factor in our future. Unfortunately they seek to demonize that industry as they've demonized oil and coal.
By the way, what happens when it snows on top of your solar panels? You freeze. What happens when the wind blows too quickly or too slowly? The turbines shut down. Biofuels? They tamper with the food supply and aquifer, and generate more pollutants than they prevent.
Let's not forget that oil is used for FAR more than just energy. But that's a rant for another occasion. Let it just suffice to say that the vacuous celebrities on the anti-oil bandwagon would be unable to sell you their CDs or DVDs without the precious hydrocarbons from which they (and the players that play them) are made.
You have to be careful putting people into "categories". I'm a proponant of alternative energy exploration and development and I don't stand to make any profit from it at all. Nor do I demonize the fossil fuel industry. I don't have anything against oil and coal other than gas costs too much in the Summer and I also believe nuclear energy could play a role in decreasing oil consumption.
The fact remains fossil fuels will run out. Maybe not in our life times or our children's but someday they will run out. I would hope when that happens our world has a solution.
All - The famous line "Show me the money" is very true when it comes to energy and politics. Last summer when the federal government was considering the Lieberman-Warner bill to set up a cap and trade (energy tax) on fossil fuels, the bill basically gave money to parties that had no dog in the fight except to buy votes for the bill. This would have been disastrous to the economies of North Dakota and Montana...along with the other 48 states. As for Ar Vee's comments about batteries for wind turbines, there are no such things. Electricity is always produced at the moment of consumption. That's what make the power industry so tenuous. While natural gas and other energies can be stored until use, there is no such thing for electricity. No bank of batteries sits on the hillsides outside of Bozeman or Bismarck. So when wind turbines are turning, some other generation source might be turned down, but never off. Because if the wind quits blowing, the other traditional sources have to rebound to make up for the lost power. This does not add to the efficiency of other generation sources, which behave much like car engines. Does a car get better mileage when its humming down the interstate at 75 mph or when the speedomenter is bouncing between 15 and 100 mph? Another idiosyncracy about wind turbines...the wind typically blows better at night when few are up and using electricity. In the long term, there are experiments being funded by Basin Electric Power Cooperative around Minot, North Dakota, to see if wind turbines can't make hydrogen through electrolyis. If this is possible, hydrogen can be stored and then wind won't have the problems with intermittent generation that it has now. Until then, fossil fuels will keep the lights on.
You're right, Randy, and I don't mean to sound anti-alternative energy either. The problem I wanted to highlight is that many of the people crying out for alternative sources of energy either don't really want them or are trying to sell something that may not work.
Many of the alternatives like solar and wind work neatly on a small scale, and as supplemental power. For big, dependable, consistent power generation, coal is still king. The idea some try to paint of big, dark factories belching black plumes into the sky is an anachronism, and North Dakota happens to be a forefront of clean coal technology. Why some people want to villify the industries powering this nation's greatness defies logic.
I'm really interested in hydrogen and fuel-cell technology. While I don't believe in the global warming hoax (especially THIS morning) or the idea of CO2 as a "pollutant", I like the idea of a replenishable source of energy. Let's look into it, but not by tanking other industries haphazardly in search of a miracle cure.
Remember, not everybody in government likes the idea of a free, prosperous, powerful United States. For whatever reason, whether it be liberal guilt or what I call "Romans Chapter One Syndrome", ie worshiping creation rather than the Creator, many people would be just fine with kneecapping this country and/or its abilities for energy production. Many of those people are activists, so we need to make sure we engage and defeat them at every turn.
Now you're talking. I love these little "threads" of discussion that get generated from Mr. Random's blogs. Hydrogen fuel cell technology is extremely interesting. At least for me :)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2007-07-04-sodium-battery_N.htm.These are a new electric storage systems called NaS batteries.I had trouble before sending a site on the blog and by now forgot what my friends told me to do.You can google NAS and check out USATODAY if the site does not come up right.
Ar Vee - check out http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=storing-the-breeze-new-battery-might-make-wind-power-reliable
This link is in regards to a small windfarm project in southwest Minnesota where supposedly the wind blows all the time. However, in reality, it doesn't, nor does it blow at a consistent speed as Clint as alluded to above. Anyway, Xcel Energy -- which is one of the most diversified utilities in the country with coal, natural gas, nuclear and wind generation -- has built a test facility with batteries. The article says the technology is promising but expensive and not yet proven. These batteries also can deliver one megawatt a power. Let me put that into perspective. The seven plants in North Dakota generate 4,000 megawatts. Add the Garrison dam and you're up to 4,500 megawatts. The city of Bismarck uses 100 megawatts. Batteries are not ready for primetime. I've got more faith in turbines funnelling out the hydrogen from ambient air. But that's not without its challenges either. Best guess is hydrogen power is about 20 to 50 years out. So something has to bridge us to the future...fossil fuels.
Both of you need to remember Clint's suggestion of http://tinyurl.com ArVee's long website equates to http://tinyurl.com/7gjo33 and EsVee's is http://tinyurl.com/7o3m26
But I understand my younger mind is probably a little better at remembering things
Ar Vee - I think that Meissner kid is trying to tell us something but I'm too dense (or too forgetful) to get it. Also, I publicly retract my earlier statement that there aren't batteries as obviously there are...however, they are too small to be consequential. Sort of like lighting up Las Vegas using a AA battery. I think we've about exhausted this subject -- which really was about taking Dad to the dentist. Maybe it's time to move on. I see Burris was seated. Now we only have Franken in MN and Caroline in NY to wait for.
Oh come now. I wasn't calling anybody dense. The wisdom of my elders is something I've always acknowledged and respected. (well, except for those teenage years) and forgetfulness happens to the best of us, particularly the male members of the Meissner population. Thank goodness we have our wives to keep us on track. It was not my intention to offend anyone.
I was only kidding, however, I was asked by the teenage boy at Central Market's checkout line today if I was a "senior citizen." I told him "no." He said, "Thanks for not lying." I didn't know whether to hug or hit him. So since I'm on a truth binge, I actually didn't remember Clint telling us how to shrink the URLs. So thanks for the reminder.
Steve,as you know,I'm gett'n a little thin on top.At my last visit to AppleBees they gave me the senior citizen discount without even asking.--Seems like I just stopped getting carded for buying video games(or something).How time flys!
Mea culpa - I found the oatmeal I was looking for the other morning. Or actually, Belinda did. She had moved it to the shelf with the macaroni, crackers and napkins. It was always on the shelf with the soup before. Go figure. By the way, the weather has warmed considerably. From -44 yesterday morning to a current balmy 25 above. Could above freezing be in our future? Seems like it has been months since it's been above 32 degrees.
We have had nice weather here.You folks are a hardy bunch.I never hear any complaints from the people in your state.When it gets REAllY cold here we could get "snow"days.That is when they close school.I think that's why it never gets too cold.We get close,but no luck.
We try not to complain because the weather "keeps out the riff-raff". Although this is probably the first time in 10-15 years the statement actually has some merit. I would like to invite all the "global warming" folks to our great state, however. I'd be happy to give them a tour.
Well now that you guys seem to be done with this one,,,,WOW took me forever to read all of the comments, my turn. Sorry I am late but you will have to see my future blog to see what I have been up to. Anyway just a few quick points. I too am one who thinks hydrogen conversion looks like a great way to create energy especially for cars. The one comment someone made on disposing of batteries is right. I am not a supporter of these for alternative energy. Batteries wear out and then we throw them away. This will create a huge problem in the future. On wind energy, while it works well, I have driven through the wind turbine fields of CA. I sure wouldn't want this in my back yard. Not sure if you have seen these but just imagine wind turbines as far as you can see and I mean as far as you can see mile after mile. What I think is funny is that we have the technology to walk on the moon and control a robot that we landed on Mars and we don't seem to be able to find an additional source of energy. I have seen videos of hydrogen cars motorheads like myself have built. What could be built if we put all of our great scientists on it? Last point-- It is funny how we come full circle. We grow up with our parents taking care of us and end up with us taking care of them. I also spend a fair amount of time taking care of my parents so I know what you mean. (Don't get me wrong I am not complaining, I actually enjoy it.)Besides that, I think that God intended it to be that way.
A related note - Yesterday when it was a negative 44 degress in North Dakota, Basin Electric's wind turbines, which have a capacity of 136 megawatts and are spread throughout the better part of three states, produced zero megawatts. Thank goodness Basin Electric also owns and operates a couple thousand megawatts of coal-based power plants and natural gas peaking facilities. I heard all of those were running and producing power. There was a slogan in the 1970s that many of us remember regarding environmentalists/obstructionists...it went like this - "Let the b*****ds freeze to death in the dark." Well, yesterday it could have happened. And that's not funny. Wrong-headed policies have a way of coming back to haunt us. Just look at our 201-Ks.
One other thing I forgot: wind farms are LOUD. Want to live next to one?
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