United States Patent Application: 0100205856
Our United States Government owns, has the technologies in hand, to, as a practical matter, extract Carbon Dioxide from the air around us and, using freely-available environmental energy to drive the processes, to convert that CO2 into any form of hydrocarbon fuel, or plastics manufacturing raw material, we now import from OPEC.
Imagine, if you will, that, one evening, maybe while you're lounging on the sofa and comfortably watching your favorite TV show, out of the night, a gang of thugs bursts into your home, beats you up, casts you out your door into the yard, and begins looting your home, stealing and carrying away all your possessions, everything you had, over the course of a lifetime, accumulated.
Lying injured and unable to move in the middle of your front yard, you call out, you scream as best you can, for help.
A few dim lights blink on in neighboring homes, then go out, despite the commotion. Across the street, a guy who was once your best friend back in high school actually steps out his door, takes a look at what's going on, clearly sees you lying there, bleeding, in your yard, sees the thieves going in and out your door carrying the fruits of your life's work to their getaway van, and, then, turns his back, goes inside and pulls the door closed behind him. Another guy you once worked side-by-side with at the same company for a number of years does the same thing.
Maybe even a cop cruises slowly by, shines his spotlight briefly on you, without doubt seeing your bloody face, seeing the thieves going in and out carrying away your things, then, clicks his light off and drives on.
One of the thieves walks over to you and tells you to shut up, that if you don't quit calling out, screaming for help, even worse will befall you, or your wife.
How would you feel? Injured, in pain, bewildered, unable to act on your own, what would you do? What, in fact, could you do?
Your friends, your neighbors, even your government as represented by the cop, ignore the crimes being committed against you and the injuries inflicted upon you.
The tragic essence of that scenario actually played out, is playing out, in the personal life of one of us here.
And, in an even more subtle way, it is playing out right now in the lives of each and every US citizen, and especially in the lives of those US citizens living and working, or looking for work, in US Coal Country.
Every day, we are forced to watch as more and more of our national, and our personal, wealth is carted off to the OPEC getaway van.
Every day, we in Coal Country worry about our livelihoods, our children's futures, do our best to provide for our loved ones, while those who present themselves as environmentalists, honestly so or not, tell us that what we do, or want to do, for a living is wrong, that we are ruining the planet for everyone, especially through emissions of Carbon Dioxide.
Every day, now, our government knows better, knows the truth, but is doing nothing insofar as we know to stop the theft and to promote, to broadcast, the truth.
First, as we've documented, for only one example in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | US Navy 2008 CO2 to Synfuel | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 7,420,004 - Producing Synthetic Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels; 2008; Assignee: The USA, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy; Abstract: A process for producing synthetic hydrocarbons that reacts carbon dioxide, obtained from seawater or air, and hydrogen obtained from water, with a catalyst in a chemical process such as reverse water gas shift combined with Fischer Tropsch synthesis. The hydrogen is produced by ... ocean thermal energy conversion, or any other source that is fossil fuel-free, such as wind or wave energy. The process can be either land based or sea based";
our United States Government knows full well that Carbon Dioxide, as is co-produced in only a small way, relative to some natural sources of emission, such as the Earth's inexorable processes of planetary volcanism, from our essential use of Coal in the generation of truly abundant and truly affordable electric power, is a valuable raw material resource.
We can reclaim Carbon Dioxide, even from the environment itself, i.e., "from seawater or air", and then, using environmental energies, i.e., "wind or wave energy", to drive the process, convert that Carbon Dioxide into all forms of "synthetic hydrocarbons".
We've also documented that other branches of our US Government, in addition to the US Navy and the US Department of Defense, know that to be true, as well.
For instance, as seen for one example in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE "Green Freedom" CO2 Recycling | Research & Development; concerning a news release from our United States Department of Energy: "'Green Freedom (TM) - A Concept for Producing Carbon-Neutral Synthetic Fuels'; 2007; Jeffrey Martin and William Kubic; Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM; Introduction: We have developed a low-risk, transformational concept, called Green Freedom (TM), for large scale production of carbon-neutral, sulfur-free fuels and chemicals from air and water. Green Freedom (TM) utilizes carbon-neutral power to recover carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; split water into hydrogen; and, convert hydrogen and carbon dioxide into synthetic fuels and organic chemicals. Green Freedom's (TM) synthesis-gas process is based on ... current technologies that are in wide use. (Those technologies include) a process to separate carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce useful hydrogen as a byproduct; a process to generate supplemental hydrogen by splitting water; and, a carbon neutral power source. Many useful organic chemicals can be produced ... (and we) have developed Green Freedom (TM) concepts for evaluation specifically for production of methanol and gasoline";
our US Department of Energy undertook the development of technology that, using one "carbon neutral power source" or another, would reclaim CO2 from the environment, "from air and water", and then convert that Carbon Dioxide into "methanol and gasoline".
Our take on it here is that the USDOE's "Green Freedom (TM)" Carbon Dioxide-recycling technical development program was in addition to the USDOE's development of the conceptually related "Syntrolysis" Carbon Dioxide-recycling technology, as embodied and explained for one example in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Converts More CO2 into Hydrocarbon Syngas | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 7,951,283 - High Temperature Electrolysis for Syngas Production; 2011; Inventor: Carl Stoots, et. al., Idaho; Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance (USDOE/Idaho National Laboratory); Abstract: Syngas components hydrogen and carbon monoxide may be formed by the decomposition of carbon dioxide and water or steam by a solid-oxide electrolysis cell ... . Government Interests: This invention was made with government support under DE-AC07-05ID14517 awarded by the United States Department of Energy. Claims: A method for producing at least one syngas component, comprising: directly exposing water and carbon dioxide to heat ... (and) supplying an electrical current ... to the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to decompose the steam and the carbon dioxide of the inlet steam with the at least one solid-oxide electrolysis cell to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide ... . The method ... further comprising routing the hydrogen and the carbon monoxide to a synfuel production process. The method ... further comprising producing the carbon dioxide as an off-gas or waste gas in a manufacturing process ... .Embodiments of the invention relate to the production of hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) ... from water or steam and carbon dioxide; the hydrogen and carbon monoxide may be used in fuel production. ... (Further), carbon monoxide and hydrogen may be catalyzed in a Fischer-Tropsch process to convert the carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbons".
And, herein we learn that, just as the USDOE's development of "Syntrolysis" CO2-recycling processes led to the evolution of technology so innovative it is believed to be patent-able, so did the technical developments undertaken under the auspices of "Green Freedom (TM)"; and, the USDOE process disclosed herein notes how a full range of different products can be synthesized from Carbon Dioxide, but, it focuses on one, and we chose to emphasize one, in particular: Gasoline.
First, as does the US Navy in expositions of their CO2-recycling technologies, and as does the USDOE in expositions of "Syntrolysis", the USDOE posits the use if nuclear energy to power "Green Freedom (TM)"; but, like the US Navy in their allowance, in their above-cited "United States Patent 7,420,004 - Producing Synthetic Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels", of environmental, i.e., "wind or wave" energy as an alternative, the USDOE, as well, admits of the potential for so using environmental energy, as seen in an advance excerpt from the "Detailed Description" segment of the full Disclosure of the US Patent Application which is the subject of our dispatch herein:
"The method of the present invention is powered by a power source. Possible power sources include, but are not limited to, nuclear power, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, wind power, photovoltaic solar power, thermal solar power, and other appropriate power sources now known or hereafter developed. The use of a nuclear power plant is disclosed throughout but is just one example of how the process hereof can be powered. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the power source may be any power source suitable for use in the method of the present invention".
That said, comment follows more extensive excerpts from the initial link to:
"United States Patent Application 20100205856 - Method of Producing Synthetic Fuels and Organic Chemicals from Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide.
http://www.freepatentsonline.
Date: August 19, 2010
Inventors: William Kubic and Jeffrey Martin, Los Alamos, NM
(Note that Kubic and Martin are the scientists named in our above-cited report concerning the USDOE news release: "Green Freedom (TM) - A Concept for Producing Carbon-Neutral Synthetic Fuels". Further note that this Patent Application is becoming well-aged, and might soon transition into an issued US Patent, in which case the links we enclose herein to the Application will soon cease to function. We will attempt to keep apprised of the situation, and make report accordingly. At the time of this transmission, the Application is active, and all links we enclose are operable, though official US Patent and Trademark Office links to Patent Applications sometimes do not survive email transmission.)
Assignee: Los Alamos National Security LLC, NM
(Los Alamos National Security; "Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS, LLC) is a private limited liability company (LLC) formed by the University of California, Bechtel, Babcock & Wilcox Technical Services, and URS Energy and Construction. It assumed direct management and operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory on June 1, 2006".
Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a method of producing synthetic fuels and organic chemicals from atmospheric carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide gas is extracted from the atmosphere, hydrogen gas is obtained by splitting water, a mixture of the carbon dioxide gas and the hydrogen gas (synthesis gas) is generated, and the synthesis gas is converted into synthetic fuels and/or organic products.(As far as "splitting water" to obtain Hydrogen goes, we are, as seen for one example in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE and Delaware Sunshine Extracts Hydrogen from Water | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent Application 20130175180 - Devices and Methods for Increasing Solar Hydrogen Conversion Efficiency in Photovoltaic Electrolysis; 2013; Inventors: Daniel Esposito, et. al., MD and DE; Assignee: University of Delaware'; Abstract: Devices and methods for photovoltaic electrolysis are disclosed. ... Government Interests: This invention was made with Government support ... by the Department of Energy. The Government may have certain rights in this invention. This invention relates generally to electrolysis, and more particularly to devices and methods for increasing solar hydrogen conversion efficiency in photovoltaic electrolysis";
getting better and better at that, again using environmental energy to drive the process. The USDOE herein makes Hydrogen production from water an integral part of their scheme.)
Government Interests: This invention was made with government support under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention.
Claims: A method for producing a chemical product comprising the steps of: extracting carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere; producing hydrogen gas; combining said carbon dioxide gas and said hydrogen gas to produce a synthesis gas; and converting said synthesis gas to said product.The method ... wherein said method is powered by a power source selected from the group consisting of nuclear power, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, wind power, photovoltaic solar power, thermal solar power, and combinations thereof.
The method ... wherein said product is selected from the group consisting of fuel, diesel fuel, jet fuel, gasoline, petrochemicals, plastics, butane, methanol, ethylene, propylene, aromatic compounds, petrochemical derivatives, derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof.
The method ... wherein said product further undergoes a process to convert said product to a fuel, wherein said process is selected from the group consisting of Synthesis Gas-to-Methanol, Methanol-to-Gasoline, Methanol-to-Olefins, Fischer Tropsch wax conversion, Fischer-Tropsch, and Fischer-Tropsch oil refining.
The method ... wherein said extracting step further comprises the steps of: absorbing said carbon dioxide gas using an absorbent solution; stripping said carbon dioxide gas from said absorbent solution, wherein said stripping step produces a mixture; and separating said carbon dioxide gas from said mixture.
The method ... wherein said absorbent solution is selected from the group consisting of lithium carbonate, potassium carbonate, cesium carbonate, rubidium carbonate, francium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, beryllium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, strontium carbonate, barium carbonate, potassium carbonate and potassium hydroxide mixture, sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide mixture, and mixtures thereof (and) said absorbing step uses a gas-contacting device to capture said carbon dioxide gas, wherein air is circulated in said gas-contacting device, and wherein said air comes in contact with said absorbent solution, and said carbon dioxide gas is absorbed by said absorbent solution to produce a solvent containing said absorbed carbon dioxide gas (and) wherein said gas-contacting device is selected from the group consisting of ... natural draft cooling towers, assisted draft cooling towers, forced-draft cooling towers, absorption columns, absorption columns with trays, absorption columns with random packing, absorption columns with structure packing, hollow-fiber absorbers, cooling ponds, spray ponds, natural alkaline lakes, and combinations thereof.
The method ... wherein said stripping step uses an electrolytic cell to separate carbon dioxide gas from said absorbent solution, wherein separation produces said mixture, and wherein said mixture comprises carbon dioxide gas and oxygen gas (and)wherein said electrolytic cell is selected from the group consisting of a hydroxide cell, a bicarbonate cell, a three compartment cell, and a mercury cell (and) wherein said electrolytic cell comprises: an anode compartment having an anode; a cathode compartment having a cathode; a membrane, wherein said membrane separates said anode compartment and said cathode compartment (and) wherein said membrane is selected from the group consisting of a diaphragm, an ion-exchange membrane, a cation-exchange membrane, and an anion-exchange membrane.
A method for producing a chemical product comprising the steps of: extracting carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere, wherein said extracting step further includes the steps of: absorbing said carbon dioxide gas using an absorbent solution, stripping said carbon dioxide gas from said absorbent solution and producing a gas mixture, and separating said carbon dioxide gas from said gas mixture; producing hydrogen gas; combining said carbon dioxide gas and said hydrogen gas to produce a synthesis gas; and converting said synthesis gas to said product.
A method ... wherein said methanol is converted into synthetic gasoline using a process selected from the group consisting of Synthesis Gas-to-Methanol, Methanol-to-Gasoline, Methanol-to-Olefins, Fischer Tropsch wax conversion, Fischer-Tropsch, and Fischer-Tropsch oil refining.
A method of producing urea from atmospheric carbon dioxide comprising the steps of: extracting carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere; producing hydrogen gas; producing nitrogen gas; converting nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas to ammonia; combining ammonia with said carbon dioxide to produce urea.
The device ... wherein said product is selected from the group consisting of fuel, diesel fuel, jet fuel, gasoline, petrochemicals, plastics, butane, methanol, urea, ethylene, propylene, aromatic compounds, petrochemical derivatives, derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof.
(We have previously and separately documented most of the steps and technologies specified by the USDOE herein as components of their Claims, including the electrolytic separation of CO2 from scrubbing solutions via electrolytic processes, and, as in:
West Virginia Coal Association | ExxonMobil Coal to Methanol to Gasoline | Research & Development; concerning both: "United States Patent 4,348,486 - Production of Methanol via Catalytic Coal Gasification; 1982; Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Abstract: Methanol is produced by gasifying a carbonaceous feed material with steam ... . This invention provides a process for producing methanol by the substantially thermoneutral reaction of steam with coal"; and: "United States Patent 4,035,430 - Conversion of Methanol to Gasoline; 1977; Mobil Oil Corporation; Abstract: The conversion of methanol to gasoline boiling products in a plurality of sequentially arranged catalyst beds";
their specified "Methanol-to-Gasoline", no matter which of our abundant natural resources, whether Coal or Carbon Dioxide, we make the Methanol from.
And, as we look ahead to research data we've already gathered, we will be reaffirming all of the steps specified by the USDOE herein, in their "Claims" section, in yet other reports to follow; so, we are resisting the urge to explain herein all of their Claims with inserted comments and references.)
Background: The United States is dependent on petroleum and natural gas for about 63% of its energy. The U.S. has less than 2% of the world's petroleum reserves and is drawing down its own reserves at a disproportionately high rate. That is, the U.S. obtains about 40% of its petroleum from domestic sources. It is likely that the peaking of oil production and increasing international demand will drive prices very high. The impact of high prices could have a profound effect on the energy sector and transportation sector. The production of plastics, petrochemicals, and other chemicals will likely also be affected. The transportation sector accounts for around 65% of the U.S. petroleum consumption and the largest components of the transportation sector are gasoline and jet fuel. The U.S. also depends on petroleum for petrochemicals, feedstocks, lubricants, solvents, and a variety of other uses. On average, about 20% of an oil barrel serves as the source of critical raw materials for the world's consumer goods. Shifting from a reliance on petroleum to electrical power cannot make up for the loss of fuel and raw materials that will result from declining petroleum availability. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a process that provides readily available sources of hydrocarbons needed to produce liquid fuels, petrochemicals, and related goods while overcoming the significant disadvantages of existing energy technology such as carbon dioxide emissions, large scale process waste, and significant environmental and health impacts.
U.S. economic security depends on a stable supply of transportation fuel and chemicals; however, around 78% of world petroleum reserves are found in politically unstable regions. Increasing worldwide competition for dwindling petroleum resources in unstable regions could compromise U.S. energy security. Therefore, it is imperative that the U.S. develop a stable and dependable energy alternative to natural resources. It would therefore be beneficial to provide reliable sources of hydrocarbons for fuels and chemicals thereby eliminating potential supply problems.
Alternative fuel sources, such as hydrogen or other liquid fuels, cannot replace petroleum in all of its uses. Alternative approaches currently being considered generally have an inherently limited capacity and application, significant technical risk, or are prohibitively expense. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a product that will replace petroleum but can yield the same or similar products as petroleum, is abundant, and relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture (and) it would be beneficial to provide a process for producing fuel that is a carbon-neutral source of energy and minimizes environmental impact.
One possible replacement for petroleum-based transportation fuels is hydrogen gas. However, there are technical obstacles that must be overcome in order to utilize hydrogen as a safe and economical alternative. Safe, long-distance transportation of hydrogen is expensive. Cost estimates for storing and transporting hydrogen vary between $0.90 and $6.50 per kilogram. Implementation of a hydrogen economy requires a massive investment in infrastructure which means massive expense. Also, hydrogen may be impractical for some applications such as large airliners, long-distance ground transportation vehicles, and large construction equipment. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide an inexpensive compact alternative fuel without requiring transformation of the transportation infrastructure and technology.
Varieties of methods have been developed and are being developed for alternative fuels, however, there is a need for a process that produces fuels and organic chemicals that have the same or similar yields as natural resources and that are reliable, relatively cost-efficient, and have a low-impact on the environment. One known process for producing synthetic fuel is the Fischer-Tropsch process and it is incorporated herein by reference. The Fischer-Tropsch process is a catalyzed chemical reaction in which carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and hydrogen are converted into liquid hydrocarbons of various forms. The principal purpose of this process is to produce a synthetic petroleum as a substitute, typically from coal ..., for use as synthetic lubrication oil or as synthetic fuel. This is a process that may be used once carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas have been obtained, but it does not provide a mechanism for obtaining the gases. Other known processes for producing synthetic gasoline are the synthesis gas-to-synthetic methanol process and, the Mobil.RTM. Methanol-to-Gasoline process which are incorporated herein by reference. The synthesis gas-to-synthetic methanol process is a widely known method for producing methanol. Methanol may be used as a useful product and may be converted by the Mobil.RTM. Methanol-to-Gasoline process. The Mobil.RTM. Methanol-to-Gasoline process is a method of producing liquid hydrocarbons for use as synthetic fuel and organic chemicals from methanol. Again these processes may be used once carbon dioxide gas and hydrogen gas are obtained but they do not provide a mechanism for obtaining the gases. Several other processes are known in the art for converting hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide gas into fuels and organic chemicals, but it would be beneficial to provide a method of supplying the carbon dioxide gas and the hydrogen gas that is practical, reliable, and has a low-impact on the environment.
(Note in the above discussion that it is already known that we can convert Carbon Dioxide into various products via "the Fischer-Tropsch process" wherein "carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and hydrogen are converted into liquid hydrocarbons"; and, "other processes". The technology disclosed herein is sort of pulling it all together.).
Summary: In one of many illustrative, non-limiting aspects of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing synthetic fuels and organic chemicals including extracting carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere, producing hydrogen gas, combining the extracted carbon dioxide gas and the produced hydrogen gas to produce a synthesis gas, and converting the synthesis gas to synthetic fuels and organic chemicals.
In another of many illustrative, non-limiting aspects of the present invention, there is provided a nuclear power reactor or other power source to provide power for the method of the present invention and to aid in collecting the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The method hereof includes extracting carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere by absorbing the carbon dioxide gas using an absorbent solution, stripping the carbon dioxide gas from the absorbent solution using an electrolytic cell that produces a gas mixture, separating the carbon dioxide gas from the gas mixture, producing hydrogen gas using a process such as steam electrolysis, combining the carbon dioxide gas and the hydrogen gas to produce a synthesis gas, and converting the synthesis gas to a chemical product. The resultant chemical product includes synthetic fuels and organic chemicals and may be, but is not limited to, fuels, diesel fuel, gasoline, petrochemicals, plastics, butane, methanol, ethylene, propylene, aromatic compounds, petroleum derivatives, mixtures thereof, and derivatives thereof.
In yet another of many illustrative, non-limiting aspects of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing urea including extracting carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere, producing hydrogen gas, producing nitrogen gas, combining the hydrogen gas and the nitrogen gas to produce ammonia synthesis gas, converting the ammonia synthesis gas into ammonia, and combining the extracted carbon dioxide gas and the ammonia to produce urea.
There is provided herein a method of producing synthetic fuels and organic chemicals from atmospheric carbon dioxide. In one embodiment, carbon dioxide gas is extracted from the atmosphere, hydrogen gas is obtained by splitting water, a mixture of the carbon dioxide gas and the hydrogen gas (synthesis gas) is generated, and the synthesis gas is converted into synthetic fuels and/or organic products.
The method of the present invention is powered by a power source. Possible power sources include, but are not limited to, nuclear power, hydroelectric power, geothermal power, wind power, photovoltaic solar power, thermal solar power, and other appropriate power sources now known or hereafter developed. The use of a nuclear power plant is disclosed throughout but is just one example of how the process hereof can be powered. It will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the power source may be any power source suitable for use in the method of the present invention.
(Figure 2) illustrates one embodiment of the method of the present invention. In this embodiment, the method for producing synthetic fuel and organic chemicals includes four steps.
First, an extracting step ... extracts carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere (and) also produces hydrogen as a byproduct.
Next, a hydrogen producing step ... produces hydrogen gas.
Third, a combining step combines the carbon dioxide gas from the first step and the hydrogen gas from the second step to produce a synthesis gas.
Finally, a converting step converts the synthesis gas to a product.
Possible products produced from the method of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, fuel, diesel fuel, gasoline, petrochemicals, plastics, butane, methanol, urea, ethylene, propylene, aromatic compounds, petroleum derivatives, other organic chemicals, mixtures thereof and derivatives thereof."
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We'll close our excerpts there so that we can emphasize what our own United States Government, through its expert scientists in the United States Department of Energy, is telling us, i.e:
We can, as a practical matter, extract "carbon dioxide gas from the atmosphere", and then, using one form or another of environmental energy, "hydroelectric power, geothermal power, wind power, photovoltaic solar power", to drive the process, we can convert that Carbon Dioxide into stuff like "diesel fuel, gasoline, petrochemicals, plastics, butane, methanol, urea, ethylene, propylene", etc.; into anything, in other words, we fight foreign wars to defend our privilege of being extorted by OPEC for the supply of in the here and now.Again, we have previously and separately reported on and documented most of the technical details specified herein by the USDOE, and we will again be confirming most, if not all, of them in reports to eventually follow.
But:
Stand on notice you purveyors of public knowledge in United States Coal Country, you journalists and reporters, should you elect to remain obstinately silent about these developments, these opportunities:
The next time you report on the closures of Coal mines or on higher prices for electricity because of Cap and Trade CO2 taxes, or on higher prices for Gasoline; or on yet another OPEC-related Middle East or Arabian war we're getting tangled up in; or, the next time you see a young mother filling up a rusted-out old Chevy so that she can go flip burgers to supplement her laid-off Coal-mining husband's unemployment checks; keep one thing in mind:
You did that.