Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
American plants that build foreign brands receive more subsidies than GM. I don't have a problem with it because the subsidies create and save jobs. It's an investment.
We are America.
Not Japan. Not Europe.
Subsidizing things is like throwing a rock through a window and then paying 1/2 of the replacement cost to the window owner.
Subsidizing things is like throwing a rock through a window and then paying 1/2 of the replacement cost to the window owner.
...tell that to the 1000's of people employed by these companies and the 1000's of businesses that rely on those workers to consume products. Many partnerships between government and private industry are beneficial to the economy. If fact the partnerships are vital to the economy.
Forbes is such a joke of a magazine. It routinely does little more then partisan spin pieces which is why you can't take someone serious who links to Forbes.
Patrick Michaels is senior fellow in environmental studies at the Cato Institute and author of Climate Coup: Global Warming's Invasion of our Government and our Lives
Undoubtedly just the person to approach the subject from a disinterested and neutral point of view.
Care to defend these fine examples of Detroit engineering?
Once certain defects on the Corvair were fixed, it was a perfectly decent car. Unfortunately, the damage was done by then. Ralph Nader and the Mustang caused its sales to tank.
The '63 AMC Rambler was a decent car, although not exactly exciting. Detroit offered far better choices that year (the Corvette Stingray should've been the Car of the Year that year)
As for the Vega, "Pinto Mustang", and Volare, Motor Trend were obviously being paid off or swayed by some other type of pressure.
Once certain defects on the Corvair were fixed, it was a perfectly decent car. Unfortunately, the damage was done by then. Ralph Nader and the Mustang caused its sales to tank.
The '63 AMC Rambler was a decent car, although not exactly exciting. Detroit offered far better choices that year (the Corvette Stingray should've been the Car of the Year that year)
As for the Vega, "Pinto Mustang", and Volare, Motor Trend were obviously being paid off or swayed by some other type of pressure.
The point remains,......endorsement of the Volt by the car magazines is worth about as much as a mouthful of warm spit.
Though the goal of "preserving freedom" by subsidizing the Volt sounds reasonable, the numbers do not add up.
Problem #1: Too much importation of fuel. To cut back consumption to match domestic production (5 million barrels/day), would require cutting automobile use by roughly 75% (or cut the 230 million vehicles down to 57.5 million on the road). Politically unappetizing.
Problem #2: Cost. Now, if the glorious State subsidized the replacement with GM Volts (or any other electric vehicle) at $40k a pop, that's "only" $6.9 Trillion to maintain the status quo. Whether the customer or the taxpayer gets the bill, it's still almost SEVEN trillion dollar bills. And that doesn't include the increased taxes to pay for infrastructure that fuel taxes will no longer be sufficient to pay for. Or the increased load on the Electric Grid. Because Electric cars are not the most efficient use of electricity for land transportation.
Problem #3: If the real goal was to move the most cargo and passengers by the most efficient, frugal, durable, and least polluting means, that would suggest electric traction rail - in all its forms: mainline, interurban, streetcar, subway, funicular, cogwheel, etc., etc. Unfortunately, that is NOT what government is doing at this time.
In short, the Volt is a political boondoggle and bribe to various interest groups. It will do more harm than good, raise the cost of transportation, increase tax burdens, waste resources, and delay the inevitable transition to electric traction rail that is desperately needed ASAP.
America needs to "get back on track" - go RAIL! 'Lectric Rail!
Though the goal of "preserving freedom" by subsidizing the Volt sounds reasonable, the numbers do not add up.
Problem #1: Too much importation of fuel. To cut back consumption to match domestic production (5 million barrels/day), would require cutting automobile use by roughly 75% (or cut the 230 million vehicles down to 57.5 million on the road). Politically unappetizing.
Problem #2: Cost. Now, if the glorious State subsidized the replacement with GM Volts (or any other electric vehicle) at $40k a pop, that's "only" $6.9 Trillion to maintain the status quo. Whether the customer or the taxpayer gets the bill, it's still almost SEVEN trillion dollar bills. And that doesn't include the increased taxes to pay for infrastructure that fuel taxes will no longer be sufficient to pay for. Or the increased load on the Electric Grid. Because Electric cars are not the most efficient use of electricity for land transportation.
Problem #3: If the real goal was to move the most cargo and passengers by the most efficient, frugal, durable, and least polluting means, that would suggest electric traction rail - in all its forms: mainline, interurban, streetcar, subway, funicular, cogwheel, etc., etc. Unfortunately, that is NOT what government is doing at this time.
In short, the Volt is a political boondoggle and bribe to various interest groups. It will do more harm than good, raise the cost of transportation, increase tax burdens, waste resources, and delay the inevitable transition to electric traction rail that is desperately needed ASAP.
America needs to "get back on track" - go RAIL! 'Lectric Rail!
There's an easy solution to all the pollution and gas consumption. All Congress has to do is pass a law that no one can put a gasoline powered vehicle on any public highway until it is PAID FOR IN FULL.
Subsidizing things is like throwing a rock through a window and then paying 1/2 of the replacement cost to the window owner.
So, you're opposed to billions in subsidies afforded to Oil companies?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
