A daydream. We have isolated homes. We have to drive to get anything from a job to a quart of milk.
On Nov 19, 8:29�pm, Doc Holliday <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The Big Three "Stick-Up" > By Chris Nelder | Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 > > http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/big-three-bailout/786 > > snip> > Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way > At some point, our concern has to be the long-term sustainability of > our economy, not just today's jobs. A truly sustainable economy has > plenty of jobs; they just might be different from the jobs we have > today. > > And the sooner we commit to building that sustainable economy, the > sooner we'll have the jobs we really need, making the things we really > need, like truly high-efficiency vehicles. It's a bad joke that > American manufactured vehicles in Europe already get 60+ MPG while the > same models here get under 35. > > Now, if GM fails, then so does the promise of the first serious > American-made PHEV, the Chevy Volt. And that would be a shame. But I > have no doubt that the world's more progressive automakers will be > quick to fill that void. The Japanese manufacturers are already light- > years ahead of the Big Three in PHEV technology, and are already > tooled up to crank those vehicles out in mass production. > > Meanwhile, scrappy young startups in Silicon Valley and elsewhere are > preparing to leapfrog the industry in technology, with high- > performance PHEVs and all-electric vehicles that blow the doors off of > anything the Big Three have planned, like the Tesla and the Aptera. > These companies are shooting for 100 mpg, not 30, and they plan to > deliver it in about the same time frame. > > We can do better, folks. With peak oil essentially already upon us, we > must do better. The rest of the world is already doing better. Why > cling to this lumbering beast that has done so much permanent damage > to the long-term health of our country? > > In the short term, I suppose we have no choice but to try to preserve > some of the Big Three's jobs, because such a massive loss will really > cut when the economy is as down and out as it is. But any sort of > public bailout must come with a lot of strings attached, to force the > companies to downsize, shed their obligations and start building > vehicles for the 21st Century. > Eventually, however, I think they must go. For over 50 years, they > have worked to ruin the future of transportation, stifle innovation, > bury patents, and stop any progress on controlling emissions. They > have spent hundreds of millions, and cost the public billions, in > obstructing progress. This cannot be allowed to continue. > > In the same way that that a redwood tree inhibits the growth of the > understory by blocking the light before it can reach the forest floor, > the Big Three have become an effective monopoly of bad design. Their > company cultures are rotten to the core, and they are about to topple, > making room and letting in sunshine where new, nimbler companies may > sprout and thrive. > The only real transportation solutions for the future will run on > electric power produced from renewable energy, because liquid fuels > are going into terminal decline. Transportation of both people and > goods will have to be switched rapidly over to electric rail and high- > performance PHEVs. With the firm support of the Obama administration > for a massive increase in renewable energy generation, a high-voltage > long-distance grid, and research and development of battery > technology, we can and will build those solutions right here at home. > New companies will take over the Rust Belt, reopen Detroit's shuttered > plants, and put everybody back to work. > But we don't need the Big Three to do it, and we don't need to do it > at gunpoint. >end snip > > Peace, > Doc --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
