jakit

The Bio Alternative

So I'm reading about biodiesel on WikiPedia and I come across this line:

Currently, biodiesel is more expensive to produce than petroleum diesel, which appears to be the primary factor keeping it from being in more widespread use.

I wonder what they mean by "more expensive."

It might be cheaper to extract oil from the ground than it is to process vegetable oil, but the writers of that article obviously haven't taken into account some of the auxiliary costs associated with petroleum.

For instance, it's currently costing the American Taxpayers two hundred billion dollars to wage a war in Iraq in order to ensure the cheap and non-interrupted flow of oil. I can't imagine any wars being waged over vegetable farms.

Then there's the trillions of dollars we're losing because our Government is focusing on Imperialistic endeavours instead of creating a sound and vibrant economy. How do you estimate the cost of someone's job?

Lastly, we need to ask ourselves what the true price of global warming and other environmental dangers is? Can you even put a dollar amount on those forces?

I'm not sure if BioDiesel is the best alternative to Petroleum, but I do think we need to frame the debate properly.

The Dumb Vote

Some politicians pursue the Latino vote, others go for the farmer vote and some desire the soccer mom vote. George Bush? Apparently, he appeals to the dumb vote.

You see, I've been spending a lot of time over the last 3 years wondering how the hell George Bush got elected. Are people really that stupid?

So, I decided to do some research.

First, I went to the US Census web-site and got a list of the 10 smartest states (those with the most educated people.)

---10 Smartest States---
District of Columbia
Massachusetts
Colorado
Maryland
Connecticut
Virginia
New Jersey
Vermont
New Hampshire
Minnesota

Then I went and found the 10 dumbest states (those with the least amount of educated people.)

---10 Dumbest States---
Tennessee
Oklahoma
Alabama
Indiana
Louisiana
Arkansas
Kentucky
Nevada
Mississippi
West Virginia

So, then I wanted to see how these states vote. In other words, how do educated people vote?

---10 Smartest States---
District of Columbia : Al Gore
Massachusetts : Al Gore
Colorado : George Bush
Maryland : Al Gore
Connecticut : Al Gore
Virginia : George Bush
New Jersey : Al Gore
Vermont : Al Gore
New Hampshire : George Bush
Minnesota : Al Gore

---10 Dumbest States---
Tennessee : George Bush
Oklahoma : George Bush
Alabama : George Bush
Indiana : George Bush
Louisiana : George Bush
Arkansas : George Bush
Kentucky : George Bush
Nevada : George Bush
Mississippi : George Bush
West Virginia : George Bush

As you can see, 7 of the 10 smartest states voted for Al Gore. Even more telling; all 10 of the dumbest states voted for George Bush.

Actually, there's quite a pattern. As you go further down the list of educated states, it becomes more and more likely that that state voted for George Bush.

Incidentally, all the states listed are predicted, at the moment, to vote the same way this November. I guess the hicks aren't getting any smarter.