Originally Posted by AsianAmerican

Oil wont run out for some time, not in my life time IMO but just in case i'll go buy a Toyota Prius 60 city/51 highway

You may have the rihgt Idea but America doesn't. America has a huge love affair with fast cars. Those fast cars, for the most part, do not get good gas mileage. Cars with alternative fuel technologies (hybrids, fuel cells) do not get that fact acceleration that Americans love.

The problems we are experiencing today are only going to get worse. There is not a whole lot of new oil out there that we can find and pump. That means we have a limited supply. China and many 3rd world countries are increasing their thurst for oil. As far as I can see, the supply problem can only get worse.

If the United States and the rest of the world does not act soon, we are all going to get caught with our pants down. I supported the 50 cent tax on gas with all proceeds going to the development of aternative fuel technology back in the 90's. That was back when gas was $0.80 a gallon. The pain of that tax is nothing compaired to oil being "$200" a barrel.

Like social "insecurity", oil is something I believe will end during my lifetime. What a sociatial change that will be.

Originally Posted by Doody

You may have the rihgt Idea but America doesn't. America has a huge love affair with fast cars. Those fast cars, for the most part, do not get good gas mileage. Cars with alternative fuel technologies (hybrids, fuel cells) do not get that fact acceleration that Americans love.

I'll live with it.

I have a theory (proposition). If the US spent ten years focusing on developing a feasible alternative fuel (hydrogen for instance. The President mentioned this once or twice but I have not heard about it in a while), and in one decade managed to almost totally convert to it, we will not be dependent on people in the Middle East trying to kill us. If we don't buy their oil, they will sink back into being third world countries (or more so than are). They will become dependent on farmers in Nebraska, rather than having the most powerful country in the world dependent on them.

This was just a whim, so I welcome criticism. Thank you.

I have a theory (proposition). If the US spent ten years focusing on developing a feasible alternative fuel (hydrogen for instance. The President mentioned this once or twice but I have not heard about it in a while), and in one decade managed to almost totally convert to it, we will not be dependent on people in the Middle East trying to kill us. If we don't buy their oil, they will sink back into being third world countries (or more so than are). They will become dependent on farmers in Nebraska, rather than having the most powerful country in the world dependent on them.

This was just a whim, so I welcome criticism. Thank you.

Nobody in this world will ever be dependant on farmers in Nebraska

And Hydrogen cars already exist...

Just a few days ago I took a public bus in Stuttgart that was fuelled by hydrogen. Daimler-Chrysler has a few prototypes driving around the city, collecting data and mileage. The tech is being developed and refined for years already.

(BTW: In theory hydrogen powered cars can match and eventually exceed the power of a combustion engine.)

There are many feasible alternatives to pumping petroleum. For the timebeing all very costly and uneconomical in comparison...