Your thinking of steam locomotives. The competing patent holders wouldn't cross license. Only after their patents expired could third parties combine the patented parts and make useful trains.

People gravitate to where they feel comfortable. I don't know anyone who is gay, so does that mean there are no gays in my town? A gay friendly area is going to have more gays.

Turn on the television, at least one ten is gay. On HGTV every third couple buying a home is gay. Will more children experiment with gay sex because it's deemed normal now? Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Pretend I'm a friend, boo on gay marriage. OK?

No society has every had gay marriage but many practiced polygamy. However states can forbid it because no two people can marry a third, see, equal protection. I guess a state could allow it as long as any two can marry a third or fourth etc. Now let's see if they can interpret the 2nd amendment and block states from infringing on gun rights.

I'm one of those who think the Earth is 6000 years old. It only looks 4 billion. Your mental well being depends on there being no God. I hate the "God wants me to run your life" types as much as you do. Maybe I would be happier without religion ( I don't actively do the church thing anymore) but once you believe something is true it becomes real.

After living with me for five years my daughter and her husband bought a house. One month later he lost his job when his company moved 90 miles to another city that ironically is where my three other kids live. Maybe in your vibrant, owner dominated world they could quickly sell and move but reality is it would take months or years and cost thousands of dollars to sell the house.

I have lived at the same address since 1971 and always found a new job close when I had to but being able to relocate easily means you aren't tied to one job or subject to a long commute.

I plan on spending my retirement years validating people's future claims. I will get back to you in three years to see how close we are.

Medallions should be free to licensed cab drivers based on a lottery system. They can not be sold, only returned to the city. Medallion owners would have obligations to the city concerning vehicles, routes and hours available.

Perfect example. The hammer was perfected centuries ago, as was education. Specialist can use a framing nailer but a simple hammer is more versatile.

I can only read English which you have conveniently posted in. Most Europeans can speak two or more languages but seem to have trouble comprehending the fact that Americans (British and Canadian also) can juggle two measuring systems and prefer the most complicated.

East India Company. English corporation actually, it was very successful. Since then all corporations have tried to emulate them. Hiring guys with English sounding names helps. Now, who would you hire if you wanted to build rockets? Bet you thought of a German or Jewish name. Banking? Logger? Lettuce picker?

The pool of guys with English sounding names is getting smaller so your chances get better every year.

Yesterday there were three major motor sports races. I imagine if the three winners where to attend a high school drivers education class they might decide that it was tedious and no fun. Repetition is for boneheads to make sure they remember, not for people who are already experts.

The majority of people do not think math is fun. They will not willingly do it. For others it's writing, or science, and for others, PE. For a balanced education students must understand that learning is necessary work, even if it is not fun.

We spend hundreds of billions trying to educate our children with spending tripling since I started school in 1958. Somehow despite these efforts students receive less education now then students did 100 years ago.

There is no true solution to CO2 that does not involve suffering and death. Wind turbines are a tiny band aid on a sucking chest wound. You can try sneaking a few renewables into the energy supply but when Western nations start experiencing blackouts there will be repercussions.

Just tell everyone the lifestyle reductions that are necessary and you will get many volunteers. Maybe a larger town, such as Denton, Texas, could power itself entirely with renewables and show us that it wont be so bad.

I'm not denying that CO2 is a problem, just that you can't sugar coat the human cost of eliminating our use of fossil fuels.

It's a very frighting thing when you dump a bucket full from your backhoe and see an orange strip of plastic that says, "Caution buried fiber"!

You have started a different argument. What was the Soviets solution for defeating the Nazis? How much sacrifice are you demanding from the population? How much is needed? We may have to send hundreds of thousands of conscripts to their deaths to save the Earth. I'm sure you want get many volunteers.