Sioux City Journal

Do you want a senior or a freshman?

Posted: Wednesday, October 22, 2008

ALTON, Iowa -- I have a simple analogy to help you make a decision in this election. You have to elect a student body president and your choices are a senior or a freshman. Would you choose someone who's new to the system, and has no experience, or someone who's been there and knows how to lead the school, or in our case, America?

Unfortunately I can't vote, but you can. The choice is yours, make the right one. -- Ryan McCarty

Story Comments

Dano wrote on Oct 28, 2008 11:48 AM:

" Actually I am typically a glass half full kind of guy. But I am also a realist.
Sometimes the ant.. cant, move the rubber tree plant.
High hopes dont always solve the problem. "

Ryan wrote on Oct 27, 2008 11:11 PM:

" Dano, do you have a "it can't be done" attitude about everything in life? I'm sure your employer and family love that attitude! "

Dano wrote on Oct 27, 2008 5:49 PM:

" Ryan,

I like your spunk even if your uninformed about the real world.

It would be great if it was as simple as drilling a hole and laying some pipeline. But its not. It would take way too much time and space to explain this all to you.

But again, even if we fully engaged in drilling today and were able to get it into the market today. You are only talking about less than 2-4% of our petroleum needs being satisfied.

Thats not a solution, its a tiny band aid.

I really have no problems with Nuclear. Build them. But again, 8-10 years to get a plant up and running. 10-30 Billion or more each to pay for it. Then you would need about 100 of them to make a significant dent in our energy demand.
Finding cities who would go along with building them is another story all together.

Im sorry, but its fantasy thinking. Its not a solution that is based in reason. "

Ryan wrote on Oct 27, 2008 3:11 PM:

" Secondly, I stand by my statement that it would only take two years to drill for oil; it only takes sufficient motivation. I came to this conclusion after listening to an oil expert clarifying what it would take. Think about it (or can you?) To drill for oil they would need the following: 1) a drill to dig deep enough, and 2) a method to transport it to a refinery. It would only take a couple weeks at most to drill a hole once the materials were on-site. Similarly, it is very feasible to trench pipe several hundred miles in two years time or less. Also, we have the technology to convert our coal deposits (the largest in the world) into oil. The same goes for oil shale. Our shale deposits have more potential oil than the Middle East, and we have the technology to retrieve it except we are regulated by ignorant officials who have political agendas. That said, before you respond next time, Dano, maybe you should try to use your brain. Try providing some facts instead of tired, cool-aid rhetoric. Otherwise, even more people will see you as a glimmering jewel in the crown of ignorance. "

Ryan wrote on Oct 27, 2008 2:59 PM:

" Dano, you would be surprised to learn my age; regardless, since it seems to be so important to you, at least we know you support Senator McCain. Using your own logic, McCain is much older and wiser than Obama. Also, as far as my "impossible" statement goes, you got me. I should have said "pretty much impossible" due to its superior safety design. The reactor construction is such that it is power-limited or inherently self controlling due to Doppler broadening. There simply is not enough fissible material in each pebble to cause critical meltdown. Furthermore, I have a cousin who happens to be a nuclear physicist who has said, Nuclear technology is the safest, most efficient method of generating energy.

More continued in next post. "