Ryan is wrong about New Deal '08

First off, people have been driving propane-powered vehicles since 1978, and Ryan knew one of them very well (the man that sold me my first home also sold my step-son an LP Ford F150). The technology to fuel a car or truck with LP is as standard as filling your grill's tank at the local LP distributer... nothing daunting in that at all, and no actual "conversion" is needed for the engine. Remember, gasoline must be "atomized" by a carborator or fuel injector before it is burned in a cylinder... LP already is atomized and combusts quite nicely.

Secondly, there is no "training" or education needed to have the kind of national drive to get small and medium businesses "off the grid". The panels are installed, the storage batteries are hooked up, and when the sun stops shining, the needed power comes off the grid. When there is excess power from the panels (meaning you are making more than you use) it is sent UP the grid, and the local power company sends YOU a check for the number of kW hours you are contributing.

Thirdly, while I am not convinced that the solutions forwarded by Jambo would impact the national economy in the way that reducing the price of oil by 70% would... it is still a win-win solution when seen long term.

I would only add that, if we knew that the Feds were "rewarding" inventors and manufacturers for designs that increased the fuel economy of combustion engines as well as develop new and alternative forms of fuel... what could we expect then?

How much would it benefit the US economy INSTANTLY if it still cost a truck owner $125 to fill up, but he knew he could get 1,200 miles to the tank instead of 400? The technology exists RIGHT NOW to increase fuel economy in modern, computerized combustion engines by as much as 3x... that means that Ryan's F150 could be getting as much as 45 miles to a gallon rather than the 15 he is probably getting.

There is no magic here, simply the tried-and-true methods of a truly capitalist industry that has never seen it as "advantageous" to push fuel economy as vital prior to crude oil hitting $145/barrel. NOW we see GM reducing its employee numbers by 30%, and reducing its truck and large-engine vehicle production by 50% in the 2009 models (got that from the radio last night).

If the Feds gave massive tax-breaks to companies like GM, Ford, or anyone else making a combustion engine (Cummings, Briggs & Stratton, et al) that utilized this technology at a PRODUCTION level rather than insist that it only be available through after-market installations that now cost at least (the cheapest I've seen here in NEPA) $900... what kind of "turn around" could we expect? NO ONE in today's world owns a car for more than 5 years... honestly. If you are buying a new car inside of the next 5 years, you should KNOW you are buying a vehicle that will get at least 35 MPH, regardless of body-style or engine size.

THAT is one fast, and cost-effective way to push "conservationism" (as opposed to "environmentalism") from the GOP platform.