The Cool Rock Party Platform

America is Ready for a New Political Party: The Cool Rock Party.

Tired of the two-party system? Not a Republican? Not a Democrat?

You could be a Cool Rocker. You might have just discovered where you belong.

The Cool Rock Party is a Centrist Party. We represent the middle, and listen to the average American.

David Jon Sponheim is running as a write-in candidate for President this year- 2008! In order to affect political change, we must communicate intelligently about all the issues. We are open to compromise and new ideas.

Cool Rock is developing innovative solutions to America's Problems:

• The National Economy
• Job Corp Focused on Renewable Energy
• Become Energy Independent
  
• Eliminate Government Waste In Order to Balance the Budget
• Transcontinental Mag-Lev Rail System.
  
• Renewable Energy Design Can Pay For Itself.
• Transcontinental Seawater Pipeline.
• Desalination for Increased Fresh Water
• Use Salt Water for non-potable purposes like fighting fires.
• Health Care Reform
• Mobile Medical Units for Preventative Care and Emergencies.
  
• Simple Co-Pay Design Covers Everyone.
  
• National Pharmaceutical Company to Create Low-Cost Prescriptions
  
• Innovative Iraq Solution
• Increased Automation
  
• Get Our Troops Out of Harms Way
  
• Weapons-Free Safe-Zones for Refugees
• Click Here To Read More About Our Platform
  

FEEDING THE WORLD VIA AIR DROPS OF INDIVIDUAL PACKETS

According to www.bread.org, it currently takes five weeks for food to arrive to famine-stricken districts in Niger, Africa. We believe that food can arrive faster where it is most needed. We are designing bio-degradable food packets that contain life-sustaining food and water for a small family. These packets can be air-dropped en masse to areas where people are starving. We believe air-dropping these packets will get the food to the people who need it most. People who are starving will not have to travel for miles, expending their precious energy, to receive food. This method will also be effective in preventing the food supply from being horded by rivaling factions in any region. One small aircraft can carry one pallet containing 500 individual food packets. Or, many pallets can be carried on a cargo plane.

We realize that immediate crisis relief and temporary supplies of food are only the first step in a long series of events needed to rehabilitate impoverished nations. The U.S. could eventually provide seeds, tools and training to enable people to grow their own food. We also have a plan to create a transcontinental African aqueduct, which will provide water for crops. It will help build agricultural communities that can be self-sustaining. Eventually, these communities may grow the food used to air-drop to other areas in needAccording to www.bread.org, it currently takes five weeks for food to arrive to famine-stricken districts in Niger, Africa. We believe that food can arrive faster where it is most needed. We are designing bio-degradable food packets that contain life-sustaining food and water for a small family. These packets can be air-dropped en masse to areas where people are starving. We believe air-dropping these packets will get the food to the people who need it most. People who are starving will not have to travel for miles, expending their precious energy, to receive food. This method will also be effective in preventing the food supply from being horded by rivaling factions in any region. One small aircraft can carry one pallet containing 500 individual food packets. Or, many pallets can be carried on a cargo plane.

A PLAN FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Naturally, Peace in the Middle East seems like a lot to ask. The goal is to consolidate a truce among all fighting factions. This can only be accomplished through a systematic de-weaponisation of the region . I recommend a plan for America to have a change of strategy so profound, that it shows our neighbors in the World that we do not want to change their existing order. Instead, we want to offer a new solution to the area's expanding refugee crisis.

I propose building 2 "Super-Safe Zones". One will be located outside of Baghdad; the other will occupy a large part of the Sinai Penninsula. These zones will buffer any population and sectarian violence. The one near Baghdad will be 50 miles in diameter, near the Euphrates River. It will have an outer perimeter which will serve as a barrier blocking the importation of weapons or explosives, including fuel. It will be built using prefabricated recycled materials and will have electric vehicles for transport. The primary energy source will be from Solar and Wind sources. Supplies can reach this area by Railway. Along the border of Iraq that adjoins Iran, a 5 mile wide Corridor can be constructed that guards a central 2 way Rail line. Along this route toward Basra, unmanned tanks will monitor this Railway and offer assistance if necessary.

The second "Super-Safe Zone" will need to have the cooperation and assistance of the Egyptian government. Just as the Camp David Accord provided the land of the Sinai to the Egyptian people, Egypt can lease this land to the U.N.. Security and operating methods will be very similar to the other "Super-Safe Zone". Additionally, desalination of ocean water can supply fresh water to grow food.

These areas can be utilized by all people of the World to mend differences in a weapons-free environment. The social wounds of hundreds of years of sectarian violence are almost too great to resolve in a short period of time. A positive environment that is segregated, yet integrated in parts, will offer a conducive location for this type of healing. Families that choose to participate will be setting an example for future generations to come. Gradually, areas of the Middle East will reach homeostasis. Sectarian violence will subside as a trend toward communication transpires.

Everyone has needs in this region. The more realistic everyone is about how necessary their needs are, the more likely peace can be attained. The possibility of a rogue nation acquiring a weapon of mass destruction is still very possible. However, the likelihood of that occurring is nominal if all players are dedicated to nuclear security and disarmament. Specifically, the threat of nuclear proliferation will be overshadowed by a multilateral search for nuclear solutions to Energy. Clearly the U.S. should provide a tactical buffer zone between nations that have separate intentions. But that should not be based on any ground troop assistance. Let's get our troops out of harm's way. Let's resolve this crisis in the Middle East using détente and strategic creativity.

RENEWABLE ENERGY SEAWATER PIPELINE CAN TURN DESERTS INTO HABITABLE HAVENS

Water is the basis for life. Much of our country is uninhabitable due to a lack of water. The land between Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico is arid desert. This land can be changed into agricultural prosperity with a precious commodity, water. We propose a seawater pipeline be built between the Pacific Ocean in Southern California and the Gulf of Mexico in Texas.

This pipeline would not be like the canal used to create the Salton Sea (). Instead it would be a pipeline, pumped with electricity and filled with seawater. The pumps would run on electricity created by the oceanic tides. Along the pipeline would be passive desalination greenhouses, where vegetables can be grown and fresh water produced for the local residents. This pipeline would create new oases where people will be able to live in the desert.

We would harness the power from the tides of the very oceans we draw the salt water from in order to generate the electricity that would power the pumps for the pipeline. Although other people () have proposed electrical generators that use the currents of the ocean, we have a completely different electrical generator in mind. Our electrical generator would use the movement of tides.

This concept is based on the use of barges as platforms for electrical generators. Each generator would have a cable and pulley leading to the ocean floor where an anchor would hold it stationary. There can be many generators stacked on top of these barges. As the barge goes up and down with the tides, generators will spin along the anchor lines to produce electricity. Using extremely powerful magnets, these generators can produce huge amounts of electricity using this design.

Construction can begin with the creation of these tidal electrical generation barges. Initially, the electricity generated from these tidal barges can be sent along power lines to shoreline communities. Eventually, this electricity will be used to run pumps that would pump ocean water into the beginning of the pipeline. Any excess electricity can be stored in deep cycle seawater batteries on the barges for use when electric generation is low. If there is a large amount of excess electricity generated, it can continue to power homes on the mainland.

The Pipeline itself will act as a passive desalination structure as well. With a Carbon Fiberglass Outerhull it will be relatively unbreakable. Along each side of the Pipeline, streaming channels of condensed fresh water will collect and purge into sloughes(or covered chambers) where they can outflow onto the land nearby. Thus, moistening the parched Earth, making plant growth sustainable.

Once the Seawater is flowing into the pipeline, main outlets at various locations can be opened and closed as needed. At each of these outlets, there will be also be a passive desalination system. To maximize the potential of salt water on the planet we can build a pyramidal structure that can purify water. This design offers maximum stability in high wind environments. The tripod of the pyramid provides a structure that can withstand extreme winds as evidenced by the Pyramids in Egypt. By utilizing every area under the pyramid to condense water molecules, we will provide an unlimited source of fresh water.

Within each pyramidal desalination unit, there can be shelves of corrugated plastic descending from the center down toward the base. These shelves offer water the greatest surface area to evaporate. By maximizing the surface area of water, we achieve maximum condensation up above at the wall of the pyramid. The pyramid concept also allows for the greatest convex of heat possible. Evaporation requires extreme heat to fully take place in a highly saline environment. The residue from this entire process will accumulate at the base of the pyramid. It is here that it can be collected for use in our deep cycle seawater battery system. The salt collected here will power the batteries which will power the salt water pumps for the entire seawater pipeline.

The design for this type of desalination unit can be deployed in deserts and regions with access to salt water. Our design entails a wall built from nested layers of waffle board, or corrugated plastic, separated by a few inches. This plastic will be perforated in certain areas to allow pure water to enter as condensed vapor and then freely leave the system along set path ways in the corrugated plastic. The peaks of the interior corrugated material would have holes down the center. As the salt water evaporates, the water vapor would go through the holes in the peaks of the corrugated plastic. Then it would condense on the greenhouse material and drip into the valleys of the corrugated plastic which do not have holes. As the water collects in the valleys of the corrugated plastic, it would flow down the sides of the pyramid. Avenues of water will flow into collector bins around the base of the pyramid into a collection area where it can be piped to nearby homes and settlements. With the advent of our seawater pipeline and pyramidal desalination units, deserts can become habitable havens.

U.S. GOVERNMENT CAN PURCHASE AUTO COMPANY AND MAKE HYBRID VEHICLES

The current state of the U.S. auto industry warrants your serious consideration. In short, I am proposing that you support me in developing a Corporate Government Enterprise (CGE) to purchase ailing auto companies. I propose the formation of a new Automobile Manufacturer, titled, the U.S. Auto Corp. at the current Chrysler Production facilities. The primary goal of this CGE will be to create 2 types of vehicles that will perform with high mileage as their main selling feature. They will utilize hybrid technology, as well as alternative fuels.

First off, the U.S. needs a Hybrid Economy Car that will be affordable to the average citizen. This vehicle can be a 4 passenger car similar to the Dodge Neon, but will get up to 60 MPG! The popularity of similar cars has catapulted Toyota to lead the Nation in auto sales this year. If our price point is under $15,000 per vehicle, we will have a guarantee of success in our domestic market. Furthermore, the mass production of such vehicles will drastically lower our dependence on foreign oil!

Secondly, the U.S. Auto Corp. can create a high mileage Delivery Truck that can be purchased by postal, medical, and passenger transportation services around the country. It will also utilize Hybrid technology and will offer an economical alternative to companies that are seeking to lower their operating expenses. This Truck can be modified to meet any specific function, from deliveries, to human transport. It will be retrofitted to run primarily on bio-diesel and/or hydrogen. The target fuel consumption will be 30 Mpg. With the specialization of our industrial and service sector needs in the U.S., these trucks will serve as a new transportation backbone for our country. Government organizations can use these vehicles, thereby diverting the money for new vehicle purchases back into the government.

Additionally, the purchase of an ailing auto company by the citizens of the Untied States, will serve as model for many other industries. The United States is in a unique position to create a Universal Health plan and Pension Fund for workers at the U.S. Auto Corporation. If this is created, it will serve as a plan that many other troubled U.S. industries can adopt to alleviate their fiscal crisis. I realize this is a major undertaking for our government, but I believe it will launch us into the 21st Century with a renewed economic directive. I will be leading a coalition of citizens in support of this idea. I am completely open to your input and discussion on this matter.

POSTIONING U.S. TROOPS AND ADVANCED RAIL SYSTEM ALONG THE IRAQI BORDER

We, at Cool Rock, believe in moving the troops out of Baghdad and positioning them at the border between Iraq and Iran. When we secure the border around Iraq, we can limit the transfer of weapons and terrorists from other countries. In so doing, we can ensure the safety of our troops and allow the Iraqis to rebuild without outside influences. Our Army Corps of Engineers can construct this secure border zone, which could have a 5 mile-wide perimeter, with rolled barbed wire and land mines on both sides. In the middle of the border zone, the U.S. can build an Advanced Rail System to transport Oil, Food and Supplies to and from various regions in Iraq.

The recent decision by England to pull troops out of Basra will leave our American troops more vulnerable to supply route disruptions. Turning to helicopters to supplement our supply line is not the answer, as terrorists have been downing one helicopter a week, on average. Clearly, our troops need to be fortified with a supply chain that is guaranteed. Sectarian violence in Basra and along the border prevents a stable supply route, unless action is taken soon. Securing the Iraqi borders with an Advanced Rail System will guarantee the safety and security of the region for years to come.

MAILBOXES FOR THE HOMELESS

Cool Rock is an organization dedicated to social and political change. At Cool Rock, we believe that everyone deserves a mailbox, including the homeless. Only when people have an address are they able to vote, seek employment and become active members of society.

We are turning to the private sector to get involved and help solve this issue as the USPS has not, as of yet, provided free P.O. Boxes to the homeless. We would like to construct specially designed cargo containers lined with mailboxes. These mobile mailbox trailers could be set up in homeless communities. Plus, they could even be moved with the homeless community in a transient situation, like a tent city. The homeless person would be given a box number and a key to retrieve mail. Sponsoring companies could advertise their name across these mobile mailboxes similar to how NASCAR vehicles display sponsor logos. Essentially, we would use advertising dollars to build and move these units. This would show how much the private sector truly cares about the homeless problem in America. By simply offering mailboxes, companies will be helping the homeless to help themselves. In addition, they will receive the benefit of a positive public image. Even if this effort is not tax-deductible, offering free mailboxes to the homeless will serve as a good publicity campaign for companies.

Non-profit organizations and individuals are already doing a tremendous job to fight the effects of homelessness. They are a great support with their efforts. Now it is our opportunity to become involved. Eventually, we would like to solve the problem of homelessness altogether.

REVOLUTIONARY ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE CHANGES TO THE OIL INDUSTRY

We are proposing ideas that will revolutionize the oil industry, which have the potential to give this industry a more environmentally sensitive image. The first idea is to ensure oil tankers carry enough supplies on board to completely clean up any potential oil spill. A special material that is thrown away every day can be used in this process. The second idea is designed to enhance the oil refining process. The excess heat and burn off from the coking process will be used to generate electricity.

The book Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins discusses the idea that cuttings from hair can be used to clean up oil spills, especially in water (p.70-71). NASA tested this idea and it works! The implication of this knowledge is incredible. Has the connection been made in the oil industry? Do oil tankers carry sacks of hair with them on board that could be deployed in case of a spill to soak up the oil they carry? This practice needs to be implemented if it is not already in place. Human hair is swept up and thrown away every day in barber shops across the country. This resource can be used to save fish and wildlife in case of an oil spill. Today, a U.S. Nuclear Submarine collided with a Japanese Oil Tanker.Fortunately, there was no oil spill. We need to prepare for the possibility of a major oil spill far in advance of one occurring.

During oil refining, especially during the coking process, a huge amount of burn off occurs. There is so much heat generated from this process that flames can be seen shooting out the tops of large smokestacks at refineries. All of this heat is essentially wasted. This heat should be used for a productive purpose, such as generating electricity. Adding electricity generators would be a small undertaking compared to the initial construction of the massive structures already in place at these refineries. The benefits of such a project would be potentially enormous. By working with electric companies to create and install the initial generators, both industries will profit from customers in the long run. The electric company has the additional incentive of saving fuel costs when they use this waste heat from the refinery. Even more fuel is saved via transportation costs when a new power plant is built in proximity to a refinery.

When we use wasted resources for productive purposes, we are doing our part to protect the planet for the future. Using hair clippings to clean up oil spills and using waste heat to generate electricity are two ways that the oil industry can demonstrate sensitivity for the environment.

RENEWABLE ENERGY MASS TRANSIT MAG-LEV RAIL SYSTEM CAN PAY FOR ITSELF

I am proposing a completely Renewable Energy based MagLev Rail System that would literally pay for itself using the earned revenue from a Wind Power Farm constructed at each Substation. By HARVESTING ELECTRICITY, you will immediately start paying back the costs to build the system, utilizing an electricity "buy-back" program that is currently in place. My Idea utilizes the benefits of renewable energy and introduces precision technology to the US Rail industry.

The First stage is to build one Substation, construct a 600 KW Wind Tower in that location. This gets the plan started with limited investments from the taxpayer base. Once proven performance is achieved, the next Substation can be built, and subsequently, every other one can be built in the same way (Using Funding From the Wind Towers). Each station would have 8 X 600 KiloWatt Wind Turbines - 16 in all. THESE WIND TURBINES CAN BE SUBSIDIZED WITH FEDERAL MONEY AND GENERATE REVENUE NEEDED TO BUILD AND OPERATE THE LINE BY SELLING ELECTRICITY TO POWER COMPANIES. The Net Annual energy generated from this initial phase would be approximately 75 Mega Watts of Energy. Electric companies like Seattle City Light, along with Puget Sound Energy have already purchased 150 Mega Watts of Wind Generated Energy annually.

The Second phase of construction will be the Rail Line itself. This will be funded from excess electricity revenue and taxpayer support. The Energy the Substations created would provide the revenue needed to finish the Rail line between them.

The Rail line would also have Arrays of Solar Cells lining the Southern exposure. They would provide extra energy revenue for construction. These panels will not only add to the Revenue for construction, but will ultimately run the System, providing additional power to the Wind Farm. After the initial line is fully operational and producing a profit, more routes can be added in the same manner.

The Key component in my proposal is the use of precision technology in building the support struts for the Rail system. Each pillar can be constructed from Alluminum Alloys and transported to the Rail site, where they will be rivetted together. This innovation will eliminate the huge construction costs of pouring concrete into forms. This practice has led to major setbacks in other projects. The most recent MagLev system to face problems with this method is in Georgia at the Old Dominion University. This pilot project is still Encountering problems due to the lack of uniformity in construction. Precision technology will eliminate any protential problems.

The unique aspects of MagLev technology assure safe and reliable transportation for decades to come. By building a MagLev Rail System in Stages, we can ensure that this system will pay for itself.