Stupid question

[terryl965]

What has been the dumbest move our government has made in the last ten years? I was reading an article about alternative fuel for cars and I was amazed we have the power to run on pure water but the federal governmennt will not allow this to happen, so to me it has got to be that but I know alot of you have other views and topics that could be an interesting read so I will be waiting to hear them.

 

[geezer]

What has been the dumbest move our government has made in the last ten years? I was reading an article about alternative fuel for cars and I was amazed we have the power to run on pure water but the federal governmennt will not allow this to happen...

I'm no scientist or engineer, but Tom and Ray Magliozzi (Click and Clack from the radio show Car Talk) are MIT grads and know an awful lot about automobiles. They, and others, have confirmed that the old "cars can be made to run on water" thing is another urban legend. They claim it's totally untrue, but a favorite topic of conspiracy buffs. Anybody have better info. on this topic? Anybody other than Dale Dribble, that is.

 

[terryl965]

I am just going by what some are saying. I am no engineer so I would not now if it is true or not, so I will take your word for it. What about the question about what is the dumbest thing our government has done?

 

[elder999]

What has been the dumbest move our government has made in the last ten years?

That's easy. The SCOTUS decision in 2000, Bush v. Gore.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

What has been the dumbest move our government has made in the last ten years? I was reading an article about alternative fuel for cars and I was amazed we have the power to run on pure water but the federal governmennt will not allow this to happen, so to me it has got to be that but I know alot of you have other views and topics that could be an interesting read so I will be waiting to hear them.

Water cannot be converted to fuel for cars without expending more energy to do the conversion than you get from the fuel produced. It cannot be disputed scientifically. Only crackpots think otherwise. Seriously.

As to the dumbest thing our government (I presume you mean the US government), I would say it was the invasion of Iraq. At least, that is the most obviously stupid.

 

[Twin Fist]

not having 100% of our electrical grid produced by nuclear

 

[Big Don]

In the last decade? Not convicting Clinton during his impeachment.
In the last 20? Not finishing the job in Iraq in 91. Well, that is a tie with going all namby pamby with North Korea on Nuclear issues...
In the last 35? Giving up control of the Panama Canal.
In the last 40? Choosing not to decisively win in Vietnam.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

In the last decade? Not convicting Clinton during his impeachment.

Um, what? He was convicted, he stood impeached. Done deal. Do you mean not charging him with crimes and taking him to trial? I don't think the American public had the stomach for that by then. They just wanted it to be over. His term ended, and it was over.

 

[Big Don]

Um, what? He was convicted, he stood impeached. Done deal. Do you mean not charging him with crimes and taking him to trial? I don't think the American public had the stomach for that by then. They just wanted it to be over. His term ended, and it was over.

The trial proceedings were largely party-line, with no Democratic Senators voting for conviction and only five Democratic Representatives voting to impeach. In all, 55 senators voted not guilty, and 45 voted guilty on the perjury charge. The Senate also acquitted on the charge of obstruction, with 50 votes cast as not guilty, and 50 votes as guilty

 

[Bill Mattocks]

The trial proceedings were largely party-line, with no Democratic Senators voting for conviction and only five Democratic Representatives voting to impeach. In all, 55 senators voted not guilty, and 45 voted guilty on the perjury charge. The Senate also acquitted on the charge of obstruction, with 50 votes cast as not guilty, and 50 votes as guilty

Thanks for the link instead of a response, but the House voted to Impeach. He was indeed impeached, despite being acquitted in the Senate. I presume you mean he should have also been convicted in the Senate.

 

[Big Don]

Bill, Impeached by the House is the Congressional equivalent of being indicted. The trial takes place in the Senate and he was acquitted of both charges, mostly because the Republicans were too timid to go all out.

 

[geezer]

In the last 40? Choosing not to decisively win in Vietnam.

Or a decade earlier... choosing to go into Vietnam in the first place!

 

[Twin Fist]

standing up to the russians was a noble and needed thing.

 

[Big Don]

Or a decade earlier... choosing to go into Vietnam in the first place!

Well, had the French not abandoned their colonies, we wouldn't have had to...

 

[geezer]

standing up to the russians was a noble and needed thing.

We did that in Cuba... almost blew the world up in the process. Did we have to fight a proxy war in Vietnam too? As I recall, Ho Chi Minh and his followers didn't want any colonial power to run their country. They didn't want the French, the Chinese, the US, or the Russians. They just turned to Russia for help getting rid of us. And, after we left, they got eventually rid of the Russians too. Now, like the Chinese, they make stuff and sell it to us. And that's just what would have happened if we'd never gone there in the first place. But if you think it was worth 50,000 American lives to show the Russians how tough we were... well nothing I can say will change your mind.

 

[Twin Fist]

yeah, cuz showing weakness i soooooo much more effective when dealing with communists............

 

[Big Don]

yeah, cuz showing weakness i soooooo much more effective when dealing with communists............

Or terrorists...
Or sparring partners...

 

[Bruno@MT]

In the last decade? Not convicting Clinton during his impeachment.

It has always been my understanding that he did not lie according to the definition of 'sexual relationship' as defined by the attorney general. Is this not correct?
Semantics, I know, but that is what legalese is all about.

 

[Big Don]

It has always been my understanding that he did not lie according to the definition of 'sexual relationship' as defined by the attorney general. Is this not correct?
Semantics, I know, but that is what legalese is all about.

That Bill Clinton, he can parse words better than anyone. It depends on what your definition of IS is...

 

[Rich Parsons]

What has been the dumbest move our government has made in the last ten years? I was reading an article about alternative fuel for cars and I was amazed we have the power to run on pure water but the federal governmennt will not allow this to happen, so to me it has got to be that but I know alot of you have other views and topics that could be an interesting read so I will be waiting to hear them.

Terry,

If you mean by water, you mean a Hydrogen Fuel Cell, then yes it is possible. But, the "engine" would cost of $10,000 USD before the recent spike in precious metals to create. This is not cost effective.

There was a demo done by a Japanese man in Japan, but he had to cancel two days in a rwo as the temeprature was too cold. Think in the high 50 Deg F to Low 60 Deg F range. Of course it is possible to run your car but, only in Certain temperatures.

From what I have read on a Tesla Electric vehicle ~$90,000 it does have a decent range but one has to let it charge up completely for best or optimum efficeincy when you do charge it and it takes around 29 hours. So one might need three vehicles to operate on a daily basis.

I say this as many times the data is present with a target impact in mind or with the best intentions, but certain key facts are left out.

I recently saw an article about Xerox and their new CEO the First African American Woman. They mentioned that 59.6% of the work force are women and that the glass ceiling is still there. What this does not count is what degrees make up CEO's and out of those degrees who many, ..., . My point is that 50% or 59% of the female population does not go and get engineering degrees or MBA's. The data is presented in a manner of the authors choosing.

Do you have a link to the "water" article?