The Permian Basin of Texas consists of the 50 counties in far West Texas that produce about 20% of all the land based oil and gas in the US. We should be proud, not ashamed of this. Yet the fantasy of green jobs continues. I am all for wind energy, there are many large wind farms in West Texas now. But, the generators were designed elsewhere and frankly I can't see that it generates many jobs. 

The idea that a car with two engines, gas and electric, coupled with a five hundred pound battery, is a green solution is rather laughable. The batteries are expensive and are an environmental problem for disposal. 

IS there a future for electric cars, I don't know. I do know that battery technology is such that such vehicles do not offer an adequate range to be of much more value than the average golf cart. 

For now, vehicles weighing less than 3,000 pounds using internal combustion engines of less than two liters makes the most sense. The Europeans are having great success with new diesel technology. 

The WSJ suggests the word is out on the climate change hoax, particularly in Australia.

Yes we did have a drought and yes I think water conservation is so serious I introduced a case study on it in the advanced cost class. But the entire debate about energy conservation needs to embrace things we can do here and now not pie in  the sky green jobs, for example.

Provide home owners tax credits for installing radiators on the roof that would ease the electric consumption of water heaters. 

Extend the tax credit for installation of on demand or tank less water heaters.

Particularly in southern states, eliminate of downsize west facing windows. 

If wind and solar energy are in vogue, drag out house plans from one hundred years ago, then homes had porches on all sides which shaded the windows.

Eliminate neckties, adopt the Mexican idea of the guybera shirt. 

 Allow smaller lighter simpler vehicles on urban streets. Governments routinely drive Kawasaki Mules and such around parks, playgrounds and yes university streets but citizens are forbidden to do this. The vehicles cannot be licensed for the street but of course it is fine for the government to do so. Give us the same opportunity. SUch vehicles are wildly popular off road on private property. 

Okay this is a bit much but you get the idea, and gee wouldn't that enliven the trip to HEB?

Wed Jan 13 2010

Hmm, seems a study reveals that all that stimulus money has not resulted in any job creation. Yet the Administration claims it would have been worse with out it.

Okay class how about a little critical thinking here? The markets collapse, massive selling on Wall Street, house prices plunge, there is a call for the government to do 'something' possibly the start of a real calamity!

How can one tell whether the plan of action accomplished its objective?  Well we cannot go back and re run the video tape of history without the stimulus, but we can total the job creation. The plan was passed without any outcome measures. As usual it was mostly pork barrel projects for Congressmen and women funning for re election back home. A better alternative to those hundreds of millions would have been to suspend witholding AND the tax rate. Bingo, instantly more money would be in every bank account in America. But of course that would have you rather than Washington DC deciding how to spend YOUR money so it did not happen. 

Wed Jan 13, 2010

It is important to read a variety of opinions, reading writers outside the US is also important to obtain different points of view. Forbes magazine used to be the to business magazine. But in my opinion they are more a sort of Town and Country meets Vanity Fair at Wall Street. And they focus on publishing endless lists which I suppose have some curiosity but not much information value, ie, the Forbes 400. 

But I do find Steve Forbes interesting, his latest thoughts on Iran, the new year the FED and Churchill here.