Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

dzastrus t1_iur6gw8 wrote

Energy is pretty important. That's what I've determined. Maybe leaving something so important to the motivations of shareholders and corporations who need to please them isn't the best way we could manage it.

75

PeteButtiCIAg t1_iur71ai wrote

I wonder how many wind turbines we could've built with this 13B. I'm not against giving it to people, of course, but why not both? How many solar panels could we have built with the money we sent to Ukraine? How far could we have pushed tidal power generation with the ridiculous amount of money going to the CHIPS act?

And that's all before we talk about my actual proposals, like nationalizing the oil companies and abolishing capitalism. But hey, we could've started small. Instead we get this bullshit and told to like it.

−28

SsurebreC t1_iuri76x wrote

Hmm yes I wonder how many wind turbines we could have built instead of helping families. Or how many solar panels we could have built instead of military aid being sent to a country being invaded by our opponents. I kind of agree more with you on the CHIPS act though a lot of our shortages are due to a semiconductor shortage. I.e. by shifting the silicon chip production more to the US, it'll reduce these shortages which result in higher inventory, decreased prices, and therefore lower inflation. ... but I digress.

How about we cut the military by, say, 10% to fund it all. Maybe 20%? How about pre-two-wars-at-the-same-time and hey, I'll give and unlike the Federal minimum wage, let's do inflation adjustments. So the US military budget in 2000 - before the wars - was about $300b. With inflation, that's $525b. You know what, we could have some legacy costs after the wars - paying for all those injured veterans and all - so let's round it up to $600b.

So that's a cut of $150b or 20%.

Now... how many wind turbines, solar panels, and tidal power generation could we build with this $150b. And that's every year, mind you.

17

PeteButtiCIAg t1_iurk045 wrote

I agree. We should have done literally all of those things.

9

dzastrus t1_iur7w59 wrote

I'd like a heat pump and solar in my New England home now that oil just kills the planet faster and there isn't enough forest for everyone to heat with wood. Our methane-based electrical generation isn't going so well, either. $35-45k is a lot of money but with the right incentives it would make more sense.

6

PeteButtiCIAg t1_iurfv2g wrote

I totally agree. And it would've made a lot of sense to subsidize those things at any point in the last 40 years. Now we're doing the good ol neoliberal "well we defunded it and now it doesn't work, we gotta privatize it, waddaya want from us" complaint. But this time with respect to the continuation of human civilization.

4

mrnotoriousman t1_iutl6kw wrote

We just passed a bill that gives billions to green energy tho

1