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Actually, we have and still subsidize coal today. And lumber is also subsidized.
I can see a problem with that, but not just for the poor. My point to the OP is that subsidies run rampant throughout the tax code. Targeting the hybrid and electric tax breaks as some special mechanism to transfer wealth is simply inaccurate. We could argue any tax break is a "transfer of wealth." If that is the case, then no tax breaks should be had. Period.
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There is an easy solution here. Government should not subsidize ANY products.
I've been in my house for seven years and my electric rates have not gone up any at all.
I did the math on solar. Even with 50% government subsidies the payback is at least 15 years.
Solar is years, if not decades, away from being a cost effective solution.
We Americans should be the last people complaining about cost effectiveness. We've created a lifestyle that has enslaved us to debt. And even though it will take me years to recoup the cost of installing solar panels on my house, I would never recoup the cost of spending that amount on a more expensive car, or on gas and in general the typical lifestyle choices I see around. May be you're not in a position to strive for such independence, I am.
There is an easy solution here. Government should not subsidize ANY products.
That is impractical and incompatible with the history of our country. The government has subsidized people, products, and businesses since its inception.
Our oil industry could easily survive without subsidies. Solar would not in Germany.
And yet, oil subsidies exist here and solar energy is gaining ground in Germany.
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The difference is obvious. And it is rarely smart to subsidize something. If the Germans had actually found a way to develop solar power with the requisite economies of scale, we would all be using it.
Not necessarily. It is easier to live in the present than to think farther into the future and prepare for it. The latter requires planning and investment, now.
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Your problem, or at least one of them, is that whenever somebody qualifies one of your statements, you fly off the handle. That's when the subject gets changed, you put words in peoples' mouths, or start bantering about some country that has little in common with your own.
Your statement sire, is an example of flying off the handle. At least mention what you consider as such, and NEVER forget the perspective.
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Countries/Situatations are not al part of the same schematic where the same input can be inserted into all with the same results. Do you recall when you actually tried to compare rail in Taiwan to that in the USA? Good grief, how stupid was that?
I will gladly take what you consider stupid as a word of wisdom. It is how far apart it seems we're as individuals. What was wrong with comparing high speed rail in Taiwan to that in the USA, BTW? Provide some clues so you may be put in the right place, again.
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My scrambling for safety was an example of irony. In addition to being an angry little man with little in the way of a critical thinking skills, you also have a frightening inability to discern between seriousness and humor.
Now, get on with your foaming at the mouth response. I am sure it will be most enlightening.
I've been in my house for seven years and my electric rates have not gone up any at all.
I did the math on solar. Even with 50% government subsidies the payback is at least 15 years.
Solar is years, if not decades, away from being a cost effective solution.
Let me ask you a question.....
What's your payback period on doing nothing?
In NJ, a typical payback is four years.
I am in the solar industry, so I can speak with authority on this issue. I have sold over 200 solar systems over the last three years. I have not sold ONE American made panel.
1st, the government should not be subsidizing Chinese or other Asian made products, which is what is happening right now. At 30% per system.
2nd, IF the government is going to subsidize the alternative energy program, it should be on American made panels ONLY! That would at least create jobs.
3rd, fewer than one in 5 homes in NJ even qualify to have panels due to shading and structural issues.
Is quoting Mark Twain supposed to elevate your position?
Your post that I responded to was straight out of hypocrisy central.
I don't believe in government interfering with the free market but...defense...children... environment...health...civil rights..blah blah blah
Nope. Quoting Mark Twain does not "elevate" my position, it simply illustrates it.
I think that the government should intervene in situations in which the strategic defense of the nation is involved. That is about it.
Reliance upon outside sources for key commodities (oil, titanium, irridium, uranium and plutonium) puts the nation at risk. Should they take action to insure ready access to strategic materials? Of course.
But what is wrong with alternative energy?Even if global warming isn't real, alternative energy has its benefits.
I think you raise a good point. I think that the global warming debate actually does a disservice to the environmental efforts by serving as a distraction and a red herring. We need alternative energy; the air is dirty, and the water is dirty. I think those issues are more real to most people than if it's filtered through the debate about humans contributing to global warming.
We Americans should be the last people complaining about cost effectiveness. We've created a lifestyle that has enslaved us to debt. And even though it will take me years to recoup the cost of installing solar panels on my house, I would never recoup the cost of spending that amount on a more expensive car, or on gas and in general the typical lifestyle choices I see around. May be you're not in a position to strive for such independence, I am.
Hmmmmm.... not sure what you are saying. Debt is not a problem with me. Investing in solar panels that have a 15 to 30 year payback just has no appeal.
Buying a $100,000 sports car brings me pleasure. Spending money on solar panels does not. Therefore it must provide a return on my investment.
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