Originally Posted by
N2264J
1) Stupid and hypocritical? There are two PhDs in Economics that signed that letter.
- Roger N. Jones, Ph.D., Professor, Professorial Research Fellow, Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Victoria University, Australia
- Gary Yohe, Ph.D., Professor, Economics and Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University, CT
2) It doesn't take a PhD in Economics to see that our manufacturing base has been decimated and those jobs aren't coming back. So why not manufacture the green technology the world wants to buy and then sell it to them at a profit?
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That is just it. The world DOESN'T want to buy green technologies because they're too expensive, they don't produce anywhere near the equivalent amount of energy per $, and in some cases, the green technology isn't really green at all! There isn't one green technology that produces the same amount of energy as cheap as a molecule of carbon.
There's so many flaws in your thinking, it isn't funny anymore. It is scary.
The only reason why we're seeing "greener" cars is because of our country's failed foreign policy and lack of a sound energy policy. This has nothing to do with going green. And our government meddling with our manufacturing and automative industries, for the sake of going green, is going to kill them and our economy.
I'll start by giving two examples.
Take the all new 2011 GMC/Chevy 2500HD and 3500HD trucks ... you know, Motortrend's Truck of the Year for 2011?
The Duramax diesel engine is one of the best engines ever produced. Unfortunately, for the 2011's, Government Motors required that they install a urea system to the exhaust system to cut down on emissions. This adds a significant cost to owning the vehicle. Equally more stupid, Government Motors locked the ECM unit which controls the parameters to the engine. This prevents someone from installing after market engine tuners. Why would one install a tuner? Well, my best friend has a pre-2011 Duramax with a Banks Tuner on the engine. He can detune the engine performance and achieve 27 mph on the highway at the touch of a button. Or, when he needs HP and torque, he hits another button and the engine becomes more powerful than factory settings. Nobody is sure why GM locked the ECM. Nobody in the industry has done that before. Personally, I believe it is the administration's involvement in Government Motors and preventing those stupid redneck country boys from being able to throw black carbon out the pipes. But, there in lies the rub.
Diesel is cleaner than gas because you don't require refineries to refine the diesel to gas. It just doesn't make any sense. This is why Europe is full of diesels, and gas vehicles are exclusive, as it should be!
Situation(s) #2. In 2008, VW made a diesel hybrid that got something like 80mpg, but they decided against debuting it in the USA. Why? In short, they didn't think Americans would buy it. This is because our government has targeted diesel fuel which is why we have the only country in the world where diesel is more expensive than gas. VW also thought Americans would view a diesel engines as too loud, diesel fuel as being dirty, etc. etc. I'd drive a diesel hybrid for 80mpg.
What is more ridiculous than that, BMW has developed a 5-series 520D diesel hybrid. IT GETS BETTER GAS MILEAGE THAN A FREAKING PRIUS !!! Do we have that in the USA ... NO. I'd rather be in a 5-series than a stupid "
I'm saving the world" Prius. Lastly, there is hope. VW is bringing their Hybrid Passat to the USA for 2012. (cheers) It gets 45-50MPG. And you can get it for $26,000 base or $30,000 nicely equipped.
If our government would just get out of the way and let our economy flourish, it would! Stop subsidizing green technology that doesn't work or nobody wants. It isn't going to save our economy. In fact, due to the wasteful government spending to subsidize these failed programs, our country has a serious debt problem. If a particular green technology has merits, it will thrive on its own due to capitalism and normal market forces.