So what new? Nothing that I haven't already heard. Oil independance? Right!!! Not untill we have no more money and the world won't let us borrow money from China to pay for it. Bring our jobs back? Right!! To late for that. The Demo's and Repubs have made sure that won't happen. Assault Rifles hmmm. If the crimminels want them, they will get them. Not much the Demo's can do there. Privatise Social Security? Whats wrong with that? The Demo's will never let us have that one. They just want to keep us under their thumbs with our hand out begging when we retire. Health Care? Who's really going to pay for it? Personally I'm tried of paying for the have not attitude of the Demo's. Tax the Rich nope. They can't pay for every thing. Nor should they have too. So what's New!? Not much. A big no Vote from me for the Demo's and Obama

Keep going in Iraq -- after all the war is paying for itself. Ignore the budget deficits -- high interest rates are good for everyone. Who need health care? It's just for SICK people. How about we give Social Security to investment bankers -- we will call it privatization so the unwashed will think they have some control. Vote for Republicans -- We are dumb like you!

Its funny how democrats have been screaming for years about the joys of Globalization, and how no country can be independent of another country and how this spreads peace... They also claimed (quite correctly that Globalization may be an unstoppable force, and only morons try to fight against it) Yet now they claim that if we really want to, we can wish hard enough to the fairy god mother that we wont have to be energy dependent in 10 years... and it will happen. Obama knows its a lie, and anybody that has half a brain knows it is a lie. Wind turbines and solar energy are great, but the simple truth is they aren't practical in most areas. We will always be dependent on some energy source, and most likely some other country will have what we need. The only way to become energy independent would be to invade the oil rich countries and take their resources, in other words the only true energy independence would come from a return to colony rule. We both saw how well taking over Iraq worked, so lets stop playing the energy independence game where Republicans and Democrats lie to America and pretend it can happen because they will wish it true harder than the other candidate. Discuss real issues that can actually help the country and quit wasting time talking about "forcing" energy companies to take tax breaks, and get free money from the Gov't to put a windfarm up once every 10 years.

I don't recall anything in my post about me voteing for a Republican. As far Social Security I would much rather pay myself $3,200 instead of the $1,200 to $1,600 Social Security stippen. FDR original wanted privatization of Social Security but his idea was voted down. If privatization was ever explained in the right way even a dim witt like yourself would understand that $3,200 or more is much better than $1,600.

High interest are not overly high. Not the lowest but not high. You must not have been around in the early 80's when mortgage rates were aound 13 to 15%.

It is the debt dim witt, not the deficits that we have to worry about. They are 2 different things.

Iraq. It is time to leave. Enough said.

Health Care should not be put on the backs of the American tax payor. There has to a better way. Got any ideas dim witt.

Patron002, you are right on. We cannot become energy self-sufficient in this country until we rid ourselves of the environmentalist. They are the reason we are in Iraq.

okay, so, to summarize the OP is advocating that we do nothing because in their view, doing anything is "too late" -- that's Great! That's the kind of high-spirited American optimism I love to hear! yeehaw!

If that's not what one would call American Malaise ... I don't know what is. And that is why Obama is to Bush/McCain what Reagan was to Carter.

Although can you imagine if the Democrats had questioned Reagan's optimism back in 79 as "empty rhetoric"? Reagan, if anything, was more of an "empty suit" than Obama. A Right Wing puppet culled from the ranks of Hollywood.

That is why I love to hate / hate to love Conservatives, their hypocrisy is beautiful artistic irony; if only it wasn't so tragic.

As for Patron002's suggestion that we'll never be able to be energy independent, I find your pessimism dismaying.

There is already a working proof-of-concept prototype home that is completely off the grid, you can find a video of it on YouTube (<link> ). It generates its own electricity, its own heat and hotwater with the use of hydrogen fuel cells and stored hydrogen gas.

If we invested in this technology, making it more efficient, and less expensive there is no reason why this could not be implemented in many parts of this country within a ten year time frame.

But this is typical. If George W. Bush had said this many of you would have clicked your heels and stood to attention. Nothing is impossible! This is America!

When a Democrat says it, it suddenly becomes a lie. Impossible!

Shame on all of you.

balanceofpower, sorry to post again, but I watched the video. First of all, the science may not be sound, second even if it is, it is not very efficient, and once again, only small parts of the nation could actually be used to collect solar power, or even wind power efficiently. Just type in the search provider of your choice Solar power hydrogen hoax, and you'll find several articles explaining how inefficient, unstable, and un-usable this method is. It is not really practicle. Again I am not saying we shouldn't continue to research, and even get as much alternative energy as possible, but I do believe we need to stop pretending that anything we have now will lead to energy independence in the near future, as for the thought that I am a negative person, its the democrats who claim globalization cannot be stopped, which means the dream of energy independence of any value is nothing but a pipe dream by that theory.