If I Were the King...

...this is what I would do to solve our Energy Appetite

1. Solar power. New homes would be required to have solar roofs put in. Huge tax incentives would be given to existing homes to put up solar panels. I'd allow homeowners to "make a profit" by selling electricity to local power companies.

2. Wind Power. I'd utilize the medians of highways to erect windmills. As long as there is enough wind to generate power, these areas could be used the harness it. Eisenhower built these highways, we might as well maximize their use.

3. Electric cars and Hybrids. It's time to demand automakers get these on line. Five years should be enough time to re-tool and re-skill our factories to producing electrics and hybrids. If they want to keep putting out gas guzzlers than fine but after five years slapping a $10,000 surcharge on a new gas guzzler might change their thinking. I mean the technology is there it seems that only Big Oil, Big Auto and the status quo stand in the way of making this happen. After all Europe and Asia only have small fuel efficient cars. Why anyone needs to drive an Escalade or Hummer is beyond me.

4. Beef up public transit. Evey one has a million reasons to not take a bus, a train or the subway. we need to Mass produce Mass Transit and get it working again in our big cities. Also getting city workers to move back into the cities should become a priority. Cleaning up blighted areas (its happening downtown in San Diego) would be a good thing. Revitalizing or razing/rebuilding our downtown areas would be good for everyone. It would cut down transportation costs build a stronger community, etc. Is it "pie in the sky" type thinking? Yeah. But it would help out everyone in the long run. I think our urban sprawl has sprawled enough already.

5. Nuclear/Solar/ Wind Power stations. Why can't we combine all three in those vast, desolate areas that exist between big cities in the southwest that we call deserts? I lived out in 29 Palms and can say that on any given day you could put up hundreds of these plants and not effect anyone. Since no one wants a nuclear power plant in their backyard then put them up in the middle of no where. Those vast areas of "no where" exist in the deserts... where there is also lots of wind and sunshine.

Wanting to sit on their hands, our President and Congress seems to only think about the next election. Lots of oil money goes into financing each and every politician. Our elected officials are owing to these guys big time. Is it any surprise they all went on vacation for five weeks without resolving anything?

Whenever a far sighted visionary leader emerges in this country will be the time when we'll finally get things accomplished . Empty promises of alernative energy (remember the hydrogen fuel cell car ofjust five years ago?). Pleas for off shore drilling seem to be the only solution our leaders are offering. (not that this is a bad idea but it won't solve our problems of shipping billions of $$$ overseas to people who want to see us dead). Keeping on the same course is only giving our children a pretty messed up situation to solve in their lifetimes.

All this would cost big money but is it really too much? For crying out loud- we give so much away to countries that hate us, we're fighting a war (some might argue, over oil) and we've got billions tied up in stupid pork barrel projects each and every year.

Maybe by just by moving the funds around and the government tightening it's spending belt we could make it happen.

... and that's what I would do... if I were King.