If government doesn't fund alternative energy research, who will? The governent funds all kinds of research, not just alternative energy. And most of that research, at least initially, doesn't produce the next miracle drug or miracle anything, let alone a silver bullet for energy. One of the things about research is that it takes a lot of it to produce a breakthrough in most every technology.

If government doesn't fund alternative energy research, we're just stuck with the existing sources. That assures increased energy costs across the board due to increased demand, world wide. It isn't far fetched to conclude that wind and solar energy will become cost-effective as the marginal costs of conventional energy continue to increase.

Locally, natural gas and electricity keep leap-frogging one another as the more economical based on the rate of incremental and marginal source cost increases. That's why we close the windows in the winter instead of just turning the heat up.

I loved Romney's remark last night about making the US energy independent within 5 years. Then it wasn't quite energy independent, but that we would obtain all our energy from North America. Romney has a secret plan to annex Canada and Mexico, I tell ya'.