Sunday Train: Guaranteeing Rural Transport in the face of Peak Oil

by BruceMcF

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence

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In the firefly-dreaming edition of last week's Burning the Midnight Oil for Progressive Populism diary, RiaD raised the issue:

only that i'm a rural dweller, we must have a vehicle as there is no mass transit here. but we do pay very close attention to our trips to town (10+ miles) & city(40+ miles) and do as much as possible each trip. i would guess we actually use less gas living rurally than most city/urban dwellers.

we've got to start thinking differently as a nation.
become more citizens of the planet than american consumers
imo anyway.

... which set me thinking about the difference between One-Size-Fits-All solutions like Auto-Uber-Alles and A-Fit-For-Each-Size solutions. One size fits all makes is seem as if "that does not do this" is a massive obstacle ... when under A Fit for Each Size, it is a challenge to find the means of accomplishing that task.

continued at Daily Kos....

Sunday Train: The Liberty Fund, 1 cent/gallon and 1 percent

by BruceMcF

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence Remember the ontroversy over whether the Stimulus would be "going overboard"? Well, when we net Federal, State and Local Government ... there is no Stimulus. The Federal Spending from ARRA was too small to cover the drop in spending at the State and Local government in the last quarter of last year and first quarter of this year. And yet those who are unhappy that we have not yet had a Depression since the 30's have been successful in getting the recipe for a Depression installed as the Conventional Wisdom. This diary is about one strategy to side-stepp the neo-Hooverites with a "fully funded" program that will still provide the stimulus that our economy desperately needs to get the recovery into second gear where it can start cutting into the unemployment crisis.

continued at Daily Kos....

Sunday Train: Help Wanted. 1% Solutions. Apply Within.

by BruceMcF

Burning the Midnight Oil for Living Energy Independence OK, the story so far: "BP", which seems to stand for "Blatant Phonies", lies about being able to fix a problem it lies about being almost certain not to happen and due to entirely predictable criminal negligence catastrophe strikes ... because we in the US are addicted to crude oil, the "Texas Tea" that finances the Texas Tea Parties ... and if we cut our petroleum addiction by 5% each year, in 20 years we'll be off the stuff. Transport needs about 7 5% solutions per decade over the next two decades. With the White House policy as one, Steel Interstates, Nationwide Oil-Free Liberty Transport networks, 5% of trips by Active Transport, and doubling the fuel efficiency of cars carrying 10% of passengers, that's 5 of the 7. But of course, five 1% solutions make a 5% solution too. So I am looking for 10 "1% solutions". Heck, if we have enough of them, we can get 10% over the next two decades from 1% solutions even if they are not all 1%.

continued at Daily Kos....