Oct 17 - 46/45 - McCain +01
No more blaming the oil companies
Justice Scalia "doesn't want to deal with global warming." Who does? I'd like it to be over too. But it's not. It's something we have to deal with.And by "we," I don't just mean liberals. This is a problem for humanity. Don't give me that crap about, "well China has to do it." Yeah, they do. But so do we. What's so hard about conservation? It's as easy as chaning lightbulbs, driving less, or FUNDING ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF ENERGY. I'm not going to blame the oil companies. It's not their fault that they get billions of dollars of subsidies from the government every year. It may not even be their fault that their product is the only option people have. (If there are other sources of fuel I can put in my car, please enlighten me.) The option is not "walk or drive" in the greatest country in the world. It shouldn't be.
Scalia was referring to the current Supreme Court case involving at least 12 states requesting that the EPA enforce carbon monoxide emissions from new cars. Is that so hard? Why can't cars get 50 mpg? Oh right, they can. Hybrids do. (By the way, if you bought a new hybrid, hoping for a tax break, time's up. Hybrid makers have sold the government-suggested amount, so the tax break is receeding.)
For you market-determines-things type of people, explain this: the car report came out recently and American cars were 6 of the top 30. Doesn't that tell you that people are looking for a more gas-efficient car? Like those produced by Honda and Toyota, makers of hybrid technology. Car-makers can't give SUVs away fast enough.
New technology item of the day: Researchers at the University of Idaho have developed a solar panel that also recaptures heat generated by your car and converts it into even more energy for your car to use. They're helping to Stop Global Warming.
By terra - 11/30/2006
16 Comments:
equally important is the economic losses that America is losing out on. There is no reason acceptable reason that we are behind in the hybrid revolution.
even worse, there is no reason that we are not taking the lead on solar energy. in arizona, its sunny over 300 days a year. there would be such a benefit to greater investment in solar and wind energy....but its not done. and not only is the environment suffering, but the American people are losing out. When previously undeveloped countries are beating us to new technologies, all americans lose....and all americans should be embarrassed.
Obviously people are looking for more fuel efficient cars - that is why GM has ceased/limited production on SUVs like the Hummer and why there are more hyrid and high gas mileage cars in production and in planning now than ever before. That is exactly how the market is suppposed to work - and it is working since the companies offering these vehicles are prospering and the companies lagging behind aren't.
Is it so hard for the EPA to enforce rules - not really, but the job of the Supreme Court to interpret the laws, and if they do not believe that the Clean Air Act gives the EPA the power to do so, then it doesn't matter how easy or difficult it is to enforce those state laws. If this is what the states and people want, then there should be a push for legislation to give the EPA the power to enforce those laws.
Good points Chuck - we shouldn't be missing out on new technologies and we should be taking advantage of them as they come about. Efficient solar energy would be a great resource to utilize in areas sch as Arizona you mentioned.
That doesn't mean that we should be jumping on quick fixes like corn ethanol for fuel though - as it appears a good alternative now, it is a temporary solution at best and one for which I do not think people really realize the consequences. The by products of the fuel burning are better than petroleum, and it is a somewhat renewable, but by no means, sustainable resource - an argument vegetarians have beeen maing for years on why meat production in this country is awful. If people previosuly didn't believe we could sustain livestock production based on corn as the main feed for cows, then how could it be a sustainable resource for fuel in the long-run or even within the decade? Also, people fail to realize what effects the increased use of corn ethanol for fuel will have on other costs in their lives - corn is an ingredient in an overwhelming number of foods, beverages, and pet products and I highly doubt people realize the siginificant impact its increased use as a fuel source will have on these costs in the future.
I thought American car sales were slumping because American cars are crappy. If you look at a consumer reports American cars rank poorly in safety, reliablity, gas milege...etc. If companies like Ford and GM want to improve sales they need to put quality/innovation over production. They can produce 100,000 piles of shit every day, but it still doesn't mean I'm going to buy one of them.
Mike D., I think the BJ makes a good point. The American car companies should probably be out of business by now due to their in ability to respond to the needs of the American public. It seems like every report I see talks about American car companies reinventing themselves again to keep up with foreign producers.
The environmental area is one where thankfully the market has overcome pro-oil consumption policy in the United States. Pro-oil policy.
Good Post Terra. Wellsville, Ohio will soon have a 4 billion dollar coal conversion (to liquid fuels)plant.
This was not well covered in the news , but family from Columbiana Cty told me about this.
See this :
http://www.wtov9.com/news/10340436/detail.html
Kyle - I actually mentioned the Big 3's inadequacies in the post below this one as well - they have so many things wrong with them I would honestly be suprised if at least one of them isn't gone or absorbed into another before 2015.
First, The EPA will never have any teeth, so long as it's controlled by people who don't believe in global warming or the dinosaurs.
Second, Laws, economy, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes you people make me sick. I'm sure you all follow the laws completely at all times. I know that. You're stand up citizens of the greatest entity the world has ever known. And no reasonable decision can be concluded without the consideration of the wallet. Why would I ever want to change when it might cause other challenges? Why would I wish to cut pollution that will make my grandchild look like Total Recall mutants, when I could so easily keep using the same energy now in fear of dealing with a less volatile fuel that might disrupt the status quo. I'm happy with the way things are now. If my grandchild is a pussy, there's nothing I can do about it. What am I gonna do, weed out my pussy genes using stem cell technology that doesn't exist because it might lead to break through medical healing? Pff. Down with change!
"But the bell rang."--Ralphie Parker
I thought the Supreme Court was supposed to deal with the legalities of an issue not decide policy. Is someone suggesting that the constitution can be ammended by the courts to fit current conditions?
I spent 20 years calling on the Automotive industry. I am no fan of theirs. Yes they became greedy,complacent and arrogant but it took years for them to get that way and eventually found themselves in a postion that made it almost impossible to compete. They had become bloated ineffiecent organizations not only in top management but throughout the entire companies. Once management came to grips with the realities the various government agengies, the public and most of all their workers ignored the seriousness of the situation and today everyone is paying the price.
10-4 Fred...10-4
The Big 3 could be more competitive, but their retirement and HEALTH CARE costs too much. Sure their cars are the greatest, but people want value. When every car has a built in $1500 cost for health care, they are hugely disadvantaged, compared to Japan and Korea. People like good cars, but the LOVE good prices. The Big 3 cannot provide these great prices, largely because of the cost of health care.
Chuck - most/at least a substantial portion of Japanese cars are US manufactured so they face the same healthcare costs - they just planned and accounted for them appropriately unlike their US counterparts.
Wouldn't it make some sense for our govt to aid industry by taking some initiative to get the Health Care burden OFF the employers back ?...
Thereby putting our industry on a same competitive grounds as other countrys that do same
Not to sound Republican (God help me) But what exactly makes the employer solely responsible for the employees health care cost (as opposed to govt responsibility & of course some personal responsibility) ?????
The employer isn't solely responsible for the healthcare costs for thing, and for another, it isn't the job of the government to alleviate financial errors and mismeasurements that companies like the Big 3 have made. Chuck pointed out that high healthcare costs add to the cost of cars, but not really to the $1500 a car level though. For example, GM's pension liability of $2B represents well over 25 years of accrued pension liability that GM failed to account for in order to make their financial position look stronger. During this same 25 year period over 125 million cars were produced, meaning the incremental cost of pensions (which includes much more than just healthcare costs) was $16 per vehicle (as computed using sales figures from GM's historical 10-K annual reports and pension liability footnote found in GM's most recetn 10-K annual report for the year ended 12/31/2005 as filed March 28, 2006 with the SEC). The government alleviating th healtcare costs from the Big 3 isn't going to fix those companies, all that would be doing is plugging one of too many holes in their sinking ships.
While eliminating health care costs would help the big 3 I have to agree with Mike D.
Management and the union avoided the hard decisions, too many to detail here. As a result the day of judgement has arrived and the companies have so may structrual problems survival not innovation is job one.
As far as ethanol it appears to be a loser but is it possible. Brazil says yes.
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