Recent comments
ADHD: Hunter in a Farmer's World
Thom Hartmann has written a dozen books covering ADD / ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
Join Thom for his new twice-weekly email newsletters on ADHD, whether it affects you or a member of your family.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
To expand on the double mortgage question:
Have equity credit line and mortgage in Michigan, both originally from Countrywide, now Bank of America. Purchased new home in Ohio because of work. Job in Ohio has fallen through and now unemployed. House in Michigan is in final stages of foreclosure. What is my responsibility on Michigan house?
When will the arrest of Toyota be televised. I believe that since it is a person, 34 deaths qualifies them as a serial killer. I demand the death penalty.
Thank goodness, I did enough research, having read an objective account of ownership in certain areas of the country, to never have purchased a home. I get a great deal on the rental of a condo on a beatufully kept campus.
the right to die is another example of the right wing hypocracy. they claim they stand for individual freedom, and limited government. yet they want the government to decide when you can die (assisted end to life) whether or not you should have a baby (abortion rights) and who you should marry (gay marraige rights)!
2nd mortgagge that is separate and the house is 50% under water
Oregon
Question for John Maddox: For the Walk away strategy, what if you are double mortgaged? what are the repercussions for walking away and how do you deal with it?
@DDay
We are making the same argument. Resolving the storage issue negates the on demand issue. In real world application, the commercial battery storage systems have a faster reaction rate than coal-fired generators.
Speaking of figuring out how to navigate in today's capitalistic society, has anyone here seen the documentary 'Maxed Out?' Here is a related review at Slate:
http://www.thebigmoney.com/articles/impressions/2009/02/10/if-you-knew-s...
@Charles in OH
I believe in fact that the biggest drawback is the "on demand" requirements and unpredictability of solar/wind systems. That's were nuclear could augment. Storage of electricity, (batteries) is one method of getting around the on demand needs. Wind power can be used to produce hydrogen when it's energy isn't needed to satisfy demand. Hydrogen prices are high presently and when combusted water is the only waste by-product. Building 3rd and 4th generation nuclear technology where spent fuel rods can be reused rather than discarded seems to make sense to me so long as regulation is thorough and enlightened. BTW My position on nuclear has only recently changed from being opposed to being in favor of. Growing concern over climate change issues, more information, and technological improvements have all contributed to this change for me.
@KHM - I would wager the bulk of the 7% is hydro. We have a long way to go before wind and solar take the lead. We as a country have a tremendous opportunity before us if we take the reigns from the capitalists that have no loyalty beyond tender.
Thom,
Two yrs ago my daughter, then 12, needed a topic for an essay. She was very taken with all the adds on TV about the digital conversion in broadcasting. We talked about other problems that could be addressed by a clear transition plan. She put together a great plan for transition to non petroleum transportation by using the TV plan as a template.
Young people don't struggle with how things have always been. They can be very matter of fact about changing the world without regard for the old "sacred cows" like oil.
If I can find the essay I will send it to you.
D.
@Charles- I am writing an article on making solar affordable. And while doing that research I learned of another solar company purchased by a foreign corporation. Eighty-five percent of Americans polled want clean, renewable energy. Currently total energy usage is just 7 percent. Solar usage is one percent (E. I. A., 2009). See link to podcast here: http://www.green960.com/cc-common/podcast/single_podcast.html?podcast=ne...
Yet, the total portion of the nation’s energy supply that is clean, renewable energy is just 7 percent; solar power plays only one percent. These figures are per the U.S. Energy Information Administration (2009) Annual Energy Review: The Role of Renewable Energy in the Nation’s Energy Supply, 2008.
The nation’s current energy supply is proportioned as follows: 23 percent coal, 24 percent natural gas, 37 percent petroleum, 8 percent nuclear and 7 percent renewable, of which only one percent is solar (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2009).
Solar thermal is closing in on the .12 cents per Kwh that the average American currently spends on electricity. One such company is Ausra in Mountain View, California. They were American based, but I see they have just been bought out by a French firm Areva.
Only in America Can you be "Pro-gun" "Pro-war" "Pro death penalty" and still be against a womans right to chose. but on the topic of suicide, I think the right to life is about the right to chose life. some people sadly don't make the choice to live and that should be respected. I feel they should be given support to make a different decision but ultimately it's up to them. Life isn't as easy for everybody. And it usually comes down to the same thing. Inequality. Economic inequality and bad economic times are when the most suicides happen in america. We have to change the conversation if we want to change the world.
@Jerimiah and DDay
The biggest inhibitor of wind and solar is the storage of energy. Currently, NGK (Japan) is the leading supplier of commercial battery storage systems. Again, the best intentions do not create jobs here.
@Jerimiah
My wife and I replace our conventional furnace with a geo-thermal system this past year. We received a 30% tax credit which amounted to $9,000. There are numerous other rebate and tax credits for all kinds of method to improve energy efficiency. What Obama has not done is take steps to modernize the "Grid" and streamline the process to make wind energy easier to utilize. It can take years to gain approvals and to be able to sell electricity back to the grid. The fact that the vast majority of steel and other component parts of wind turbines are imported is a real disappointment which the administration has not addressed adequately. Finally we need to figure out a way to utilize nuclear energy and deal with the waste in a responsible and safe way.
I knew a fella whose father died and the parametics etc put together a major investigation as to why they were not called sooner. Then his mother died, and so he called soon, and she suffered 10 days in the hospital while they tried to keep this now very old woman alive who really just wanted to die. This 10 days in the hospital burned him all his inheritance, plus, there was yet more accusatory investigation again, despite the early call. Elder abuse?
This poor fella lived the last couple years as such a pauper lving on an empty mountain top 10s of miles from a single grocery store in a cold moldy trailer - so that one day- he shot himself.
@Gene- Your link is to a beautiful art gallery, but I did not find even the word suicide on the page. Perhaps- as a literary dupid, what you are tryting to tell me is too sophisticated for my understanding (it wouldn't be the first time :)!)
Nels, I agree with your take on our attacks toward other countries.
War is a waste of time and effort.
Wars do not resolve problems. Wars create more problems.
I have paid 6.03 per gal here in the U..S. We fill an '81 Mercedes with bio diesel. At the height of the petroleum gouging in the Bush years that's what bio fuel cost. It wasn't easy but we did it. We adjusted how lived.
In '06 we decided that we would not purchase any more internal combustion engines. We hoped our 10 yr old van would get us through to the new transportation technologies. It didn't. So we found the diesel for sale on line. Even if you don't count saving the earth, it has been one of the best decisions our family ever made. The difference is that you know instantly you are not riding around on a reservoir of deadly toxic liquid. This is hard to describe because we have been desensitized to the smell. The first tank or bio fuel we knew instantly we were no longer riding around on poison.
I have been lucky. My family decided in 06 that we would hope that our 10yr old van would make til there were affordable alternative
Here are some problems with $7 a gallon gas. In addition to people in rural areas being hurt, our delivery system for most of food and other products is done by tractor trailer. If we would apply this to the cost of diesel, we wouldn't be able to afford to buy anything. If we would go this route, we would need to alter our delivery system. We could use a program to build the rails and the necessary infrastructure as a way to create jobs.
For increasing the fuel efficiency in cars, can't we just go back to driving cars with standard transmission? I have a standard Toyota Echo that gets up to 45 miles per gallon, depending on weather, etc., and at least 30 miles per gallon under bad conditions. Echos are no longer made, but the Yaris, which succeeded it does just as well. My parents have one.
If we're going to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, shouldn't we also try to reduce heating oil? How about we create a program that mirrors Cash for Clunkers with oil furnaces? Let's give a tax credit to those who want to replace their oil furnaces with electric heat, and while we're at it, convert our electricity to wind or solar power. If we did this, it would create jobs, save people money when the price of oil goes up, and save the planet. It seems like such a common sense thing to do that it will probably never be implemented.
Gerald, yes I agree... sociopathic terrorists too (at least since our war with Korea). America definitely attacks country's indiscriminately more so to keep other country's inline than to actually resolve any issue with the country we attacked.
At least that's my take on it. :-(
Nels, thank you for the comment! If we followed the history of our culture of violence, we would have to conclude that America is a serial killing nation.
i feel that dick cheney and liz cheney are great recruitment tools for al-qaeda. someone needs to bring this up. are dick and liz cheney helping or hurting the war against al-qaeda.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Why-I-Learned-to-Love-Soci-by-Grant-Law...
Thom if I could choose how and when I shuffle off this mortal coil, right now I would choose in no way and never. If I had to choose though, I would choose naturally and in my sleep when I'm much older (and I reserve the right to say this when I'm 100 or 150) :-)