I see no alternative. And look at transit in Europe. It was worth the abuse and corruption. They have a real mass transit system. We should steal it and improve upon it.

Think for a second, please.

Long story short, you cannot fix the problems of the world through exercise of the police powers of the state to confiscate the peoples’ monies and property. Socialism isn’t a solution, it’s a problem.

Slightly longer… alternatives are currently not tremendously viable NOT due to lack of investigation as ever since the last phone baloney gas crisis of even-odd license plate rationing which I was here for, but because they are just inefficient.

Windmills chop up birds, many of which are endangered before alternative energy Quisinarting.

Solar cells are inefficient even when monocrystalline systems are used and expensive even when polycrystalline systems are used. They also require ever larger real estate be covered with them the father north you go and you need to take into account safety and seasonal reliability. Old ladies in Boston should not be risking death falling off their rooftops because they had to broom snow off a panel.

We’re lambasted for our obesity in the US but they want to recycle all the fry grease in America to fuel.

Hydrogen storage is still inefficient and more dangerous than gasoline systems used today.

Hybrids can still make a huge contribution and are preferable to mass transit for a couple important reasons:

1. No need for the state engaging in private land takings which is ALWAYS engaged in as an abuse of power every single time it is done, for the benefit of the few and at the expense of the many. New London, CT comes to mind.

2. No one likes taking a train or bus to a stop NOWHERE NEAR their destination and then riding a bike for three miles in a foot of snow and slush to get to a store to carry home an amount of cargo their bike won’t carry in the first place through weather that will destroy their goods before they ever get to the mass transit.

3. We can make hybrids that in concert with present portable electrical energy storage systems are actually more efficient than standard prime mover direct to wheels systems despite the inefficiency losses of conversion because some fuels and engine designs lend themselves much more to electrical generation than moving a car directly.

Ultimately, it is a tech issue when it comes to replacing the gas powered car and the infrastructure and hybrids allow use of the existing infrastructure for fuel as a parallel infrastructure for electricity is built out. We could long ago make failsafe fission reactors that by design are incapable of meltdown but the reflexive opposition has dogged them for decades. We’ll see how they feel when gas is $7/gallon and they can’t afford their cutsey outfits from Abercrombie and Fitch or even get to the mall for them.

The oil market situation is highly reminiscent of the pre-Depression years when all eyes were on all the wrong variables and factors and a lot of very obvious abuses were ignored both for willful collusion and total ignorant idiocy.

As the bumper sticker says, you came stork, everything else you know by truck, and diesel is still climbing way above what you pay for your own car. All economies can be likened to balloons, and what is going on is like trying to shove a cactus inside it.

Customers who sign up pay a bit more to support programs that generate energy from water, wind and landfill gas. You still get the same energy as everyone else, but they’re selling the program to people who want to make an “economic statement”.

But what about other technologies? Rail has been stagnant for so long that you can’t even buy parts to refurbish existing rolling stock(!!!) because they’re no longer made. Small but vital components are back-ordered for years– and from Canadian firms.

In addition, railroad right of ways have been sold off, the big thing around here was to turn old freight lines into walking and biking trails. Or they haven’t been maintained and would take time and great expense (that’s already been committed to the highway system) to rejuvenate. Believe it or not, there’s no commuter rail service between New Haven and Hartford, a heavily driven corridor. Why? Ask Gov. Rell. See if she even remembers…

Another thing- those electric lines that supply power to the NY & New Haven line? Built in the 1800’s and still in use. That’s why a downed line brings the system to its knees. Ever thought about what it takes to replace one of those old transformers? They don’t build ‘em like that anymore.

The system, she’s a-broken. We’ve got to do our part as consumers and citizens to bring about change from the bottom up, ’cause it ain’t gonna happen from the top down.

Kudos, DK, for keeping this issue in the spotlight.