Federal Government's Lack of Commom Sense.

Hi Everyone: I read about today's blog about 6-8 weeks ago. But before I wrote about it, I had to do some investigation to make sure I had the facts. I was shocked and dismayed when I did learn the truth. How could the Feds do something so stupid without using any common sense. The bottom line is that the Feds actions will have an unknown effect on many businesses, people and advanced technology. The feds could have and should have had the foresight to determine that their actions would have far reaching consequences. What am I talking about? I am talking about helium. What is going on with helium you may be wondering? Well it seems that we are running out of helium and it is all the government's fault. Helium is not a naturally occurring element. Think about it, since helium is lighter than air, if it was found in nature, it would just float off into space and be gone. To verify the info that I had learned, I called a very good friend of mine, Greg. Greg, who just happens to be a highly respected chemical engineer, told me the honest truth about helium. First he informed me that helium is not found in nature, due to the fact that it would indeed float off into space and disappear. Oh, no, helium is made by a chemical reaction that can only be done in a highly specialized lab. Greg told me that it is a dangerous process but safe if done properly. There has never, ever been a helium processing accident. The problem Greg told me is that, President George Bush the first, under the guise of the EPA, banned the use of the second of three elements needed to make helium. The ban was to take effect in March of 2003 because of its cancer causing side affects. There was a long battle against banning the element but President George Bush the second, sided with his father and implemented the ban. Now 8 years later the helium shortage has begun. How will this affect you and me? Well first of all, you can forget about buying helium filled balloons. If you can buy it, it will probably cost you an arm and a leg just to fill up a medium size balloon. Helium is also the "glue" so to speak, needed in the process that makes titanium. Titanium is an extremely strong metal that it is also extremely lightweight. Numerous car manufacturers were getting ready (2015) to introduce new hybrid vehicles made entirely of titanium that could get up to 75mpg. The underlying factor of the superior high miles per gallon is due to using the lightweight material that could shave off 1,000+ lbs from a 2,400 lb car. Crash tests that compared titanium made cars and non titanium cars was a pleasant surprise. Titanium built vehicles fared far better then expected. The energy absorbing material was super strong and protected the passenger compartment better then ever before. That is huge and now it isn't going to happen. Greg also told me that helium was being tested in other applications. Most of the apps are top secret, but he did tell me about tires made with helium and then filling the tires with helium. Again, all of those innovations are dead in the water. By the way, Greg was laid off due to the ban. When push comes to shove, someone, somewhere, has to put their foot down and tell the truth. I am now that person and the truth of the matter that I have to say is, happy early april fools day. Gotcha? All of the above is complete and utter rubbish and totally untrue. FYI, helium is the second element on the periodic table. That means that it is the second most abundant element found in nature and it is naturally made. Next week I will return to more important lack of common sense issues. Til next week. Peter