Political Economy 2011, A Call to Action.
Energy, Technology and Education.
Opening Note.
The challenges the American People face can be overcome.
This is the case by saying that America can accomplish just about anything
if the American People believe, support and actively participate
to accomplish what has to be done.
Energy and Technology.
Energy. We are bleeding money through our balance of payments
for foreign oil. 8.908 million barrels a day are imported.
We produce domestically 10.038 million barrels a day and use for our
total consumption of 18.946 million barrels a day. That is 47 % of our oil
is imported. 21 % from the Middle East. We have improved to some extent.
Imports were 60 % 12.5 million barrels a day, now down to 47 % 8.908 million barrels a
day current today. 49 % of our electric power is domestic coal and 19 % is nuclear.
The real issue is the oil – gasoline we use in our cars. A move to domestic
natural gas for transportation and to replace obsolete coal power plants
would go a long way. The energy sector, the oil companies and the politicians in
Washington are the major source of our problems here. This also is a major reason
we are going to have major problems coming out of this economic depression.
Domestic Natural Gas. Much greater automotive utilization and for the
older electric power plants goes without saying. Accelerate the engineering – design
and construction of; modern sophisticated triple combine cycle gas – steam – organic rankin
cycle heat recovery electric power plants with Carnot Efficiencies of 65+ % and utilization
rates of 82 – 92 %. Gas turbines and aircraft engine turbine derivatives, high efficiencies
steam turbines and organic rankin cycle turbines in triple combined cycle will go a long way
in our energy crises. We need to move toward an accelerate engineering – design and
construction of; modern sophisticated type IV or even type IV + nuclear reactors in our nation;
boiling water reactors, traveling wave reactors and breeder reactors. The reactors should be
based on the Canadian model of using natural uranium and heavy water.
Green renewables and an extensive R & D, engineering, manufacturing and construction
program again goes without saying. It is obvious to most normal people that an
emergency truly massive R & D, engineering, manufacturing and construction
program on a national scale is needed.
We in America produce 3,800 + Gegawatts or 38,000 + Megawatts of
Generated Electric Power at the upper end of our current capacity today
as a refernce point.
R & D and our national technology base and the need to utilize this very important
national asset to the fullest extent cannot be under stated.
The Science, Engineering, and Technology that our nation possesses is a
tremendous asset. We are endowed and blest with this resource and we at
this time must put it to work for us at this epiphany in time. We in this nation
are in a major transition point facing many and varied challenges that we
must be able to meet and overcome successfully. From the energy crisis to the
employment crisis and then to the economic crisis we must marshal all our
national assets to meet these challenges to succeed and to have America
having its best days head and not behind us.
Having said the above lets proceed. Dealing with the energy crisis has been
discussed above. Of course we have to utilize nuclear power, conventional
high efficiency gas and steam power generation as well as green renewables
to pull away from oil and coal as we proceed. All types of research
will be needed; materials research, combustion and ignition research,
pollution issues, human safety issues, all types of green renewables
research in order for us to move away from oil and coal. There is no
technological or economic reason for us to fail in this area.
Our nation faces many national defense challenges and industrial
technology challenges that we must be prepared to meet.
The need to support NASA,NOAA, DARPA, National Laboratories, National Bureau
of Standards and many private industrial and technology research programs
that is an imperative and that must be met.
Education.
I think we all relies the national status of the educational system in this country
is in crisis. Grade Schools to Middle Schools to High Schools and Vocational
Schools all need our attention and support. We cannot send students to college
that are not prepared much less be ill prepared to qualify and compete in the
current employment market today the way thing are now.
Our colleges and universities are among the best in the world today. There is
a significant amount of student remedial education support that many students
need that should have taken place in the grade schools through high schools.
We in this nation do have a very fine community college system that offers
a very significant path to move us in the correct direction toward success
to deal with many of these issues.
The school systems need more focused programs and the financial support
to do their task. Students, Parents, Teachers and Administrators all must
play a part in making any education system to perform and succeed.
We must organize a national round table and research study program
to evaluate, analysis and recommend solutions to meet the issues we face
today on a rocket docket basis. Many of the problems are well known
and others are more subtle and or interwoven and need further review.
I think we all look forward to resolving the education issues we face.
I think the last part of this paper should address the need for both
academic and technical as well as vocational or trades; apprenticeships,
internships and fellowships. Either through direct employer programs
and or academic institutions we need to use the above programs
to bring people into the work force in much larger numbers. I do
not see any reason this cannot be complete a large scale basis,
something approaching a WPA scale in our country. Let me complete
this by saying that America can accomplish just about anything
if the American People believe, support and actively participate
to accomplish what has to be done.
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