Stop The War, Support Our Troops

[Padre]

Why are there STILL 62 years later, U.S. Troops in Japan?
Germany?
U.K?


Anyone?

[Hawco]

I fail to see supporting the troops within the context of war or not. War or war, they are still troops.
Let me put it this way, here's. Question for you:
You see a flag fluttering at the top of a pole, is the flag moving or is it the wind moving the flag?
The answer will validate my point.  Please think your answer carefully before posting.

[john9001]

Originally posted by Padre
Why are there STILL 62 years later, U.S. Troops in Japan?
Germany?
U.K?


Anyone?

because the generals like the perks of serving in germany, UK, and japan?

also members of congress can go on fact finding missions (paid vacations) to foreign countries?

[lazs2]

oboe.. we have invented and installed some of the best wind generators on the planet... the free market came up with em.   Problem is.. the government.. the EPA has shut most of em down because the are a danger to some vulture or other.

The free market will always drive invention.   It is not oil companies that control all inventors you know.   The government invents nothing.  the government only gets in the way of progress.  

I predict that the next generational change in solar panels will come from the U.S.    Unless, that is.. the government gets involved.

The government likes to both take credit for and destroy new ideas.

We simply need to look at all our options and let the free market do it's thing.   We can't "mandate" that everyone drive a hydrogen car next year... we can't mandate that scientists work on this tech or that.   I mean, we can but...

What we need to do is get the government restrictions relaxed on oil exploration and nuke power and refineries and such while the free market does it's thing.

Or.. are you afraid that if we find more oil that no one will work on hydrogen cars?   that is silly of course since almost all the research and development so far has been during times of extremely cheap oil.   The majority of hybrid and electric car work was done during cheap oil prices.

No matter how cheap gas gets.. some people will want to get around cheaper.   If we had free or almost free electrical energy... many would still want to get around in an electric car instead of the buck a gallon internal combustion engine.

The government mandated 10% "clean" air vehicles here...  it was a costly disaster..  Lots of shysters made a ton of money on half baked vehicles sold to municipalities in order for them to meet state mandates... all of those vehicles are junked at great expense now so far as I know.   Hybrids were in the infant stage at the time.   You can't force it.

The government has funded research that has been sucessful... the space program and military hardware... They were enormously expensive and more than a few here will argue that they were not worth it.   least...not until the free market got involved.

lazs

[oboe]

All due respect, its the Danes that came up with the best wind generators on the planet - Vestas and  NEG-Micon (now part of Vestas).    These companies practically owe their success to the federal and state subsidies provided by the U.S. and California in the 80s.    That was a time of the big "wind rush" and I agree, all kinds of crap was put up helter skelter in the windy passes of California, but the money from this allowed companies like Vestas and NEG-Micon to grow and mature their technology into what it is today.      

Its very unlikely this would've happened if we had been relying completely on the free market.

The National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, CO is responsible further R&D in wind energy, and helps companies with designs and testing of blades, gearboxes, etc.    That's another thing the pure free market would not provide -- and you can bet other countries are helping their wind turbine manufacturers succeed too.

The free market does not ALWAYS drive invention.    How did the free market do anything for the manned spaced program and the moon landing - and think of all the spinoff technology we got from that.

btw, the EPA has not shut most of the wind generators down.    If you go to one of the passes like Tehachapi, or near Palm Springs, you will see thousands of wind turbines still spinning away.

I think the difference between our positions is that you prefer ONLY the free market to operate, while I maintain that in some cases the free market fails to operate in our best interest.   In these cases then, government aid in the form of research assistance and outright subsidies is helpful to "prime the pump" of what we'd like to see take place.

Where you say government intervention has messed up markets, I would just add we should analyze what went wrong and not make the mistake again.   But I wouldn't abandon the principle.

I am not afriad of them finding new oil - I think oil has many important uses so it is foolish to burn it, since it is not renewable.  Not to mention the pollution from tailpipe emissions.