reply to post by fuzzy0087
Thanks for replying, and good level headed answers!... ;-j
Though in a sense it is political speak at its best, suggesting radical sweeping ideas without really understanding the technology involved and that
have very little chance of realisation, especially considering the current state of economics and resources... and you didn't address a few of my
questions.
If you are serious about eventually running, I would suggest being very careful about proposing a very untested idea as the cornerstone of your
campaign, such as solar roads. Instead you should work on a much more rounded political agenda aimed at sustainable small changes to the existing
systems to encourage long term change.
Here's just a few, of the many, thoughts and numbers on the solar roads idea to bring it into perspective. The concept is being pushed by essentially
1 man and his wife that have made 1 prototype and released one paper on the prototype. There is not much literature to go on, so we have to take the
single paper at its word, and within, it is suggested that the cost would be approximately $10,000 per a 3.7m x 2m panel. This seems to be only for
the materials and creation, not including installation, manpower or maintenance. The beauty of current roads is their ease of laying, their
flexibility and the capacity for easy repairs. A rigid panel system is largely untested for extensive roadways, and raises many more issues,
essentially having to make an engineered "bed" to house the panels, which would increase cost and build time drastically. Maintenance becomes a huge
unknown quantity, not the least of which is cleaning. It is a known issue that as solar panels get dirty, their efficiency drastically decreases,
which would be even worse in a roadway scenario than the traditional use of solar panels.
On the cost (not including many of the raised points), and working with the minimal value of $10k/panel, the cost is astronomical, just for materials,
and the cost would most likely be much for the lifecycle of a single $10k/panel (these are only the vaguest of estimates, as the actual number to
get an effective power output is essentially another unknown, not including power storage, which there is no known solution for):
Just Highways - Materials
(75,000,000 metres / 2 metre panels) x $10,000 per panel x 6 average number of lanes = $2,250,000,000,000
Complete US road network - Materials
(6,370,031,000 metres / 2 metre panels) x $10,000 per panel x 4 average number of lanes = $127,400,620,000,000
The figures would require more than a slight increase in taxes, even taking into account a different income tax model... there's only so much
movement you could make in taxation, and what you are suggesting seems to indicate you would try to lower overall taxes.
Onto another point, I raised the issue of your political experience not because of your ability to lead and make decisions, but because of the
inevitable support you would need in any political campaign, and the types of networking you would need to achieve in the short span of 10 years to
get you there. You need support for many reasons, not the least of which is getting any of your bills through the senate. Without “friends”, even
if you did get voted in, you would essentially be castrated by the system, which is part of the reason that the 2 party system has developed. Another
reason, and a point you didn’t answer from my last post, is concerning your independent wealth and the issue of funding your campaign. Currently it
is estimated that to run for the presidency you need approximately $50-$100 million. If the government takes away federal contributions to
presidential candidacies, as it seems likely it will in the near future, then this number raises to more like $500 million, probably much more in 10
years time.
An interesting note is that George Washington is the only ever independent president that the US has ever had (and let’s not even get into the
conspiracies around him), so if you could manage it, you would be only the second in history, and standing among giants.
If you are dedicated, these are just a few of the types of realities you will be facing, and I wish you the best of luck with your endeavours. I'll
keep note of your name for the 2024 elections, and follow your campaign closely, if you get there!
;-j
Cheers
