Iceland Gives Up Gasoline!

Iceland is a picturesque country, judging from the picture above. It's also a country whose government has decided to totally eliminate dependence on oil. Picturesque, and a leader in the transition to an oil-free future.

Heating? The whole country is one boiling cauldron of hot water. You see, Iceland was formed by volcanoes and those volcanoes are still at work heating vast amounts of water. Low-cost hot water heating for homes and businesses keeps the people toasty warm during the long, cold winter. That same water turns giant turbines that supply the country with electricity. That only leaves gasoline.

Now the Icelanders (Icelandics?) get creative. They're turning water into hydrogen to be used as a fuel to run the country's vehicles. Hydrogen fuel is three times as expensive as gasoline, but vehicles get three times the mileage, so the cost balances out.

The timetable for creating this oil-free society? Mid-century.

Heck, by that time, the world may have run out of oil anyway. That's the peak oil argument that's made its way into debates over energy policy. Click here if you want to read an apocalyptic vision of life without oil. Warning: The author doesn't paint a pretty picture of life in the future. Bear in mind, though, that 30 some odd years ago the scientists making up the Club of Rome predicted the world would be out of everything by now. Wrong!

Then again, if you like apocalyptic visions of the future, there's always a TV preacher or a science fiction writer to scare the pants off everyone. Economists, you know those devils practicing "the dismal science," would paradoxically keep their wits and smile a cheerful smile even if it could absolutely be proved that the world was running out of resources. The ability of science to find and develop substitutes, the incentives provided by profit, and a resilient market economy have proven effective in the past in promoting ever higher standards of living. Thus, the post-oil era might not be so bad after all.

Of course, a happy ending isn't what the apocalypse crowd is selling. Will Iceland show the way to a happy energy future? Time will tell.

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Bush: U. S. Government to Go Out of Business

President George W. Bush gives the finger to Wal-Mart. "Better prices and a better selection," said the President about the government's going out of business sale.

President Bush has announced that the federal government is going out of business.

"The U.S. government, America's place for law and order since 1776, has lost its lease, and everything must go, go, go," Bush said. "But our loss is your gain, and make no mistake: You, the people, would be crazy to miss out on these amazing closeout bargains."

The Washington-based government, which hasn't shown a profit in five years and carries the highest debt in its history, was ultimately driven out of business by costly overhead and cheap foreign competitors. As a result, Bush said, everything—from flag stands and Capitol cafeteria flatware to legislation dating from the early days of the republic—will be marked down 30 to 90 percent.

"Get yourself a piece of history, or just stock up on your favorite items—whatever it is, chances are we've got it," said Bush, wearing a 10-gallon hat and standing before a chroma-key background of the National Mall as a list of federal items and their discounted prices scrolled down the screen. "But act fast, because deals like these will not last."

According to surveys, the American people, by a 2 to 1 margin, report that they will not miss the government. The same survey reports that close to half of all Americans would like to see China as their next government. As one citizen put it, "Our old government was always getting into wars and taxes were too high. If the Chinese can produce a government as good as their electronics, then I think most Americans would welcome another Chinese import--government by China. Of course, that assumes the price is right."

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Let Them Eat Cake--The French Soup Nazi Says Soup is Racist

I never knew that soup could be racist. But France has decided that pork soup is, so it's been banned. That's right, banned. If you were hoping to taste a delicious bowl of pork soup (ugh!) on your next vacation in France, better think again and settle for crepe suzettes or that other gourmet delicacy, french fries! What's going on here?

It seems some charities were feeding France's hungry homeless and poor, offering them a tasty bowl of pork soup at no cost. The problem?

Protesters have accused the groups of deliberate discrimination against Jews and Muslims, who do not eat the meat.

Thus, local governments in some parts of France have banned pork soup.

My comment: Nobody was being forced to eat anything, right? So, think about where we are going with this line of thought. The Hindus of India don't eat the cow, so let's ban hamburgers. And of course, hot dogs are made of pork, so let's ban those. Pork sausage for breakfast? Fuggidaboutit!

Am I the only one who thinks a government that has the power to ban pork soup is a government with too much power? "Laissez faire forever," Adam Smith might say.

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Buy an American Car and Save an American Job?

We traditionalists wish only the best for Ford and GM. Competition is good, providing consumers with more choices and lower prices, other things equal.

These American car brands have fallen upon hard times recently, though. With high-cost labor and older, less productive factories, compared to their Japanese counterparts, the American companies have struggled to earn a profit. There's even talk that they could go under, like venerable old Studebaker did in 1966.

It's gratifying to see that American cars do pretty well in the J. D. Power quality ratings. There's Lincoln, Buick, and Cadillac ahead of Infiniti, and not too far behind Lexus. And, it looks like Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, and Isuzu, Japanese brands all, have a bit of catching up to do with the iron that Detroit pumps out.

Since a lot of the Japanese companies now build their vehicles in the USA, I don't know how many, if any, jobs a person might save by buying an American brand. What a person would save by buying a Ford or Chevy is tradition. If that has any value to you, then act accordingly.

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