40% of US gas consumption goes to automobiles. As prices rise, traffic
congestion eases up completely, and Hallitubes would seem superfluous.
Nevertheless, demand for transportation in an individual automobile will
continue, as Americans are not accustomed to switch their commuting activity
into a car pool system that lacks rider constancy, and therefore contains
"comfort uncertainty . Since single driver operation of gasoline-based automobiles
is unaffordable, other alternatives will be sought for. Battery powered
electric cars cannot replace our personal fleet of about 300+ million automobiles.
Instead, one or two highway lanes will have the center drilled and a cable
emplaced. * Halleycarts with regular wheels and a steerable front can then
travel at high speeds along this path which via exits leads to Hallitube
stations accessing the tube system. The laying/drilling of these lines is
sufficiently fast so that an entire metropolitan area can be wired in
the course of 2-3 months. In the second phase of this system, computer
surveillance is added, perhaps together with a secondary network cable
so that billing can be specific rather than by membership. Cheap lasers
light up the small cavity to inform of objects dropped into it. Eventually
larger halleycarts for transport purposes can be developed. Concurrently
with the standard development of the Halleycart a rechargeable power pack
will be designed so that the cart can travel between unelectrified portions
of the grid. The early experience with the tube system and elector motors
will be critical in the transition to electrically powered transit. As
the US, unlike Europe and Japan has a heavy investment in weapons, and has
never been invaded it is unlikely that it will submit to the non industrial
"community" society which environmental advocates suggest and forecast.
An increased military involvement in the Middle East and in other
oil-rich countries is most likely, with medium term military success at great
human cost, and redevelopment of nuclear power. We see the US
population as a whole as more compliant with leadership initiatives than
the European population, meaning that to "preserve lifestyle" there is a
gradual reduction in moral sensitivity and a willingness to support plain
military moves to insure a continuing large slice of the oil supply. This
oil supply may be thinner than assumed as China has an explosively growing
demand.
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