http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-16/electric-car-battery-maker-a123-systems-files-bankruptcy.html?cmpid=yhoo

So the manufacturer of electric car batteries files after getting a 249 million dollar government (tthat is, taxpayer) grant? And this on top of the money dumped into Solyndra? And that while coal miners starve and pipeline workers in North Dakota rake it in with practically no uninployment and no state sales tax?
I guess Kermit was right. Its not easy being green. Not cheap either.

Marie: First of all, Romney never said he was going to eradicate unemployment. No one will ever be able to do that, not even Obama. Second, aide from tapping into the wealth of oil and natural gas that is 'right under our feet' Romney further advocates advancements in 'clean energy' i.e. wind and solar, which not only will aid in decrease our dependancy on oil, period, but will create jobs.
Too many of Obama's plans have relied on hope and that just hasn't gotten the job done.

Marie: I give you credit for giving your opinion here. I happen to agree with you but I hope you have a thick skin because there are some crazies that leave messages on the Patch that may hurt your feelings. Ignore them and keep on stating how you feel no matter who tries to put you down. There are some real bullies around.

and I am not talking about those who have commented already -- I am talking about bullies who live in Ocean City and if you dare to disagree, they try all types of intimidation against you. But not to worry, there is always the legal system and defamation law suits can be lucrative.

Gee I'd like to comment on this but I'll get abused at work if I do. Lot's of people Hate Obama (yes with a capitla H.) I bet you never would have made me out for a coward. But whatever you think about Romney or Obama there's the platform to consider. In terms of platforms I'm more comfortable with the Democratic platform. I think I understand what motivates Republicans well enough after living in Ocean City.

We have some of the cleanest air and water on the planet, and when there are oil spills which are rare, they are paid for by the oil company who is usually also sued to pay for lasting effects (which are also rare - check it out). On the other hand, Mexico which had a booming oil industry in the 70s has seen it go away due to mismanagement of the country while Mexico City remains the city with the highest air pollution in the world. Using our own resources - oil, coal, gas,nuclear - is the only thing that is going to make us energy independent. Wind and solar are subject to environmental variations that make them very unreliable. How do I want to breathe? Like in the old poem, i want to 'breathe free'.

Mexico is a third world country with 2 classes - the super rich and the very poor. Mexico is very very corrupt and to compare it in any way to the US is like comparing apples and oranges. Our air is clean because of the laws and the EPA (that some Tea Party people want done away with to save money so they can give tax cuts to billionaires) China - an up and coming force, has used wind power for years now and it is a viable source of energy. And when there are oil spills, it does horrid damage to the environment and it takes years and years to really recover. There was a massive oil spill off the coast of Africa that is still laying there because no one pushed the oil company to clean it up so they didn't. This planet is small and eventually the pollution will get to us. This is a world wide issue.

If China was really using wind power to any significant degree, they would not be as polluted as they are. One of the most polluted countries around. Here is what their water is like:
http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=391&catid=10&subcatid=66

If China's using so many windmills, how come 70% of their air pollution comes from using soft coal?
http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=392&catid=10&subcatid=66#02

Of the 10 worst environmental disasters since 1900, only one was an oil spill - the Exxon Valdez which was not a pipeline leak, but human error by the person piloting the Valdez, and that is ranked #10. The worst ones were in Bhopal, Chernobyl, Minimata, Canada (early 20th century) and Germany.
As for the Nigerian spill, it is due not only to a ruptured pipeline but to repair efforts being hampered by the second spill that was caused days later when the Trans Niger pipeline was attacked and ruptured by rebels. Wherever there is drilling for oil or transporting oil there is the potential for a spill There are reasons of education, technology and political climate that affect how fast and efficiently the spills can be cleaned up. Why is marine and coastal life in the Gulf thriving again and Nigeria still suffering the effects of the spill 2 yrs later?
People who really believe in reducing oil, gas and coal usage should do just that - tally up what they use that is powered by them and stop using all of those things. Make a difference.

I'm just like Marie, fully supportive of alternate energy as long as they don't cause MY energy bills to increase, and fully supportive of wind energy as long as they don't build them off MY beach.