Or are these people just plain screwy ?

http://www.liftport.com/

In theory, it's very possible.  The question is have we reached the technological stage of actually being able to build it.  One day, it will happen.

I saw this on an episode of "The Universe".  They were talking about the possibilities of how we would get into space in the future.  Just like anything else, well, most anything else, I guess there's always a chance.  There are a few things I wonder about, but I haven't really thought about it all enough to throw them out here right yet.

This is actually a very old idea first popularized by science fiction writers of the 1950s.  It is actually theoretically possible, but I very much doubt that a private organization would be able to raise enough capital to make a go of it.  We also still need some more work on the metalurgical aspects as current metals and/or composites lack the tensile strength to survive repeated use. 

L 

Exactly.  Think about what would happen if it fell.

With current advancements in nanotechnology the materials aspect of a space elevator are becomming more realistic.  If we are ever to really gain a foothold in space I think the elevator will be one of the keys.  The greatest hinderance we face with space exploration now is the enormous amout of energy (and $$$) needed to lift small quantities of material into orbit.  A space elevator or two placed in remote locations (for safety sake) could move vast amounts of hardware, and people, for a fraction of the current cost.

Sort of like Jack's Beanstalk.