Antiscience Beliefs Jeopardize U.S. Democracy

cecilia

cecilia

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Antiscience Beliefs Jeopardize U.S. Democracy


The Founding Fathers were science enthusiasts. Thomas Jefferson, a lawyer and scientist, built the primary justification for the nation's independence on the thinking of Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon and John Locke—the creators of physics, inductive reasoning and empiricism. He called them his “trinity of three greatest men.” If anyone can discover the truth by using reason and science, Jefferson reasoned, then no one is naturally closer to the truth than anyone else. Consequently, those in positions of authority do not have the right to impose their beliefs on other people. The people themselves retain this inalienable right. Based on this foundation of science—of knowledge gained by systematic study and testing instead of by the assertions of ideology—the argument for a new, democratic form of government was self-evident.
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Well, it seems Canada is doing a good job of supplying Americans their oil. Now if only we could figure out a way to end the NHL lockout!
 
Glaucus said:
Google closes in on $1 billion invested in renewable energy

I guess Google could do what Apple does with it's $120B (sit on it) but instead they decided to use it for good.
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http://www.google.com/green/energy/investments/

that is very cool.

and here's something I like:
http://grist.org/news/solar-power-saves-school-music-program/

Some good news from California’s Central Valley: A small rural school district that made the switch to a $5 million solar power system is saving enough green to reinstate the music program it had to cut back in 2009.
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spending money on WHAT matters! imagine that!!
 
cecilia said:
and here's something I like:
http://grist.org/news/solar-power-saves-school-music-program/

spending money on WHAT matters! imagine that!!
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:rolleyes:

The school is selling their renewable energy credits.
Electric companies subsidize solar installations through "green subsidies" surcharges on rate payers
Then companies who want to claim that they are "green" buy the renewable energy credits.
The companies consider it PR advertising, to show their concern for the environment, and they get a tax write off too.

So for every kilowatt-hour(kWh) of energy produced by their solar system the school gets money from for selling their renewable energy credits. they aren't selling any energy, just the PR claim to the environmental benefits.
 
"Wah! schools teaching children music because they can now afford it is WRONG because they aren't doing it MY Way!!!" :rolleyes:
 
California has a law requiring that renewable sources provide a certain percentage of the state’s energy needs. With every unit of renewable energy it buys or produces, the utility receives a renewable energy credit. At least 20% of California’s energy needs to come from renewable sources by law this year, with that percentage jumping to 1/3 by 2020.

So California utilities buy renewable energy credits from these projects which have no actual economic savings, then pass those inflated costs on to consumers.

It is a shell game, driven by California energy policy

Get in on the scam yourself. Set up a wind or solar farm in California, sell the renewable energy generated and the renewable energy credits to a California utility under a long term contract. As part of the contract you agree to "instantly buy back all your renewable generated power" back from the utility, leaving just the renewable credits, which are purchased by a California utility. You pocket the difference. How much difference? From the story "The numbers reportedly show a $9 million savings over the next 25 years" The best part of the scam, its pretty much irrelevant if the system actually works, or even generates any power in the real world. After the contract is signed, imaginary power generation is all that matters, for the next 25 years.

The children should just watch the Music Man
 
yeah, because the scam the oil companies have is so much better because it actually costs more. Just ask the people who lost everything in Sandy
 
metalman said:
California has a law requiring that renewable sources provide a certain percentage of the state’s energy needs. With every unit of renewable energy it buys or produces, the utility receives a renewable energy credit. At least 20% of California’s energy needs to come from renewable sources by law this year, with that percentage jumping to 1/3 by 2020.

So California utilities buy renewable energy credits from these projects which have no actual economic savings, then pass those inflated costs on to consumers.

It is a shell game, driven by California energy policy

Get in on the scam yourself. Set up a wind or solar farm in California, sell the renewable energy generated and the renewable energy credits to a California utility under a long term contract. As part of the contract you agree to "instantly buy back all your renewable generated power" back from the utility, leaving just the renewable credits, which are purchased by a California utility. You pocket the difference. How much difference? From the story "The numbers reportedly show a $9 million savings over the next 25 years" The best part of the scam, its pretty much irrelevant if the system actually works, or even generates any power in the real world. After the contract is signed, imaginary power generation is all that matters, for the next 25 years.

The children should just watch the Music Man
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but isnt it better that people try? even if the credit for the attempt is shuffled around in some "free market frenzy"?
 
robert l. bentham said:
when i heard this i thought for sure i had landed on supermans bizarro world... ugh
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voters absolutely HAVE to realize that no one who talks like this should be allowed to run for public office.

period

the end
 
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