The Slow Death of the Internal Combustion Engine

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Xist

I saw the mayor of South Bend on a late show. At least he did not sound like an idiot in his few minutes on the screen.

Weld sounds familiar. Hickenlooper too, I think.

I must be thinking of a different Castro.

Buttigieg could be a good candidate in another decade when he has some more experience. As Mayor of South Bend Indiana he has more relevant experience than the past 2 presidents combined but it would still be like selecting the manager of the local Subway to become the CEO of GE. Nowhere besides politics is having no relevant experience considered an asset.

Weld was the Governor of Massachusetts. He is considering running against Trump in the Republican primary
Hickenlooper was the Governor of Colorado
Castro was the Mayor of San Antonio and US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Booker - Former Mayor of Newark
Inslee - Current Governor of Washington

Inslee, Hickenlooper, and Weld are too old - Castro is a bit young.

[freebeard]

She isn't qualified to be president. (Most running aren't)

I don't expect her to get the nomination, this time. But the debate needs the input.

OTOH, the intent of the Founding Fathers was that you could take a farmer out of his field, make him President for a term and if the system of checks and balances is working, then the country will survive. We've had some past Presidents for precedent.

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Electricity is the interesting case, because the source might be (at any moment) carbon-free or grossly polluting.

So instead of taxing electricity as-is, one might start taxing each production facility in line with its environmental impact.
Enter the quagmire of long running contracts etc.

But applying this tax to future facilities may slowly turn things around.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by JSH

Anyone running for president needs Executive branch experience. A governor or mayor of a large city.

I guess it's what is important to you. For me a big part of the job is Commander In Chief, and I'll take a combat theater veteran who worked in graves registration over the mayor of San Antonio.

[redpoint5]

Well the whole job has been continually and severely corrupted. POTUS should be the most powerful position in the world solely due to being leader of the most powerful military in the world, and nothing else. The rest of the job should involve practically nothing, as the role of the federal government should involve almost nothing else. Maybe do spot checks on states to ensure they aren't holding slaves, see to it that 2nd amendments rights are being upheld, make sure people are able to speak without fear, and play golf with other foreign leaders.

"Free" healthcare, UBI, and tearing down statues is the responsibility of state and local government to choose or not choose as they wish. If you hear any presidential candidate talking about anything other than physical protection from enemies and upholding constitutional rights, you know they are corrupt.

[oil pan 4]

I can't wait to see the freak show known as the Democrats debate.

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Well the whole job has been continually and severely corrupted. POTUS should be the most powerful position in the world solely due to being leader of the most powerful military in the world, and nothing else. The rest of the job should involve practically nothing, as the role of the federal government should involve almost nothing else. Maybe do spot checks on states to ensure they aren't holding slaves, see to it that 2nd amendments rights are being upheld, make sure people are able to speak without fear, and play golf with other foreign leaders.

"Free" healthcare, UBI, and tearing down statues is the responsibility of state and local government to choose or not choose as they wish. If you hear any presidential candidate talking about anything other than physical protection from enemies and upholding constitutional rights, you know they are corrupt AF.

Sounds good to me.
I fully expect to see at least an attempted return to slavery in the northern mid west states with in my life time.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I don't expect her to get the nomination, this time. But the debate needs the input.

OTOH, the intent of the Founding Fathers was that you could take a farmer out of his field, make him President for a term and if the system of checks and balances is working, then the country will survive. We've had some past Presidents for precedent.

"Farmer" is a bit of a simplification of the term. "Planter" would be a better term. Someone managing an estate with hundreds or thousands of people. None of the early presidents personally worked their fields, they had slaves for that.

The founders set up a system for rule by the elite of society where only the elite of society had a say in how it was run. We have become more democratic over time but that was not the original intent.

"Depend upon it, Sir, it is dangerous to open so fruitful a source of controversy and altercation as would be opened by attempting to alter the qualifications of voters; there will be no end to it. New claims will arise; women will demand the vote; lads from 12 to 21 will think their rights not enough attended to; and every man who has not a farthing, will demand an equal voice with any other, in all acts of state. It tends to confound and destroy all distinctions, and prostrate all ranks to one common level." John Adams

[Piotrsko]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I fully expect to see at least an attempted return to slavery in the northern mid west states with in my life time.

Have you been in a ghetto there lately? Everything but the label.

[sendler]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

If you hear any presidential candidate talking about anything other than physical protection from enemies and upholding constitutional rights, you know they are corrupt.

Or building out new efficiency upgrades to all big infrastructure, transportation, energy, agriculture. Or supporting education. Or guiding market forces with a long view of human well being.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by sendler

Or building out new efficiency upgrades to all big infrastructure, transportation, energy, agriculture. Or supporting education. Or guiding market forces with a long view of human well being.

Protection of the commons is another federal responsibility, but education has nothing to do with the feds.

Why people think the most effective way to attend to personal\local problems is to apply the most removed resources is beyond me. Most every federal government agency has been created to address a specific problem, and have failed to do so. The DoE was created to reduce foreign oil dependence, and failed in almost every one of those 4 decades except for those years in which oil prices were high and domestic fracking boomed, which had nothing to do with DoE. What did we get for our $28,000,000,000 per year? How much smarter our the children now that an arbitrary federal test is mandatory to pass?

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Have you been in a ghetto there lately? Everything but the label.

Good thing slaves aren't alive today, or they would find that to be incredibly offensive.

I'd give you $20 to walk around telling everyone living there that they are slaves.