Good article! Though, I think it still doesn't truly address the issue entirely. And I don't begin to believe that American society remotely understands this issue. But, the problem begins there.
We have accepted and even encouraged poor fuel economy ourselves. As far as I can tell, fuel economy hasn't changed since the 1970's. Yet, with all the advancement in other technologies, we don't expect efficiency. No, we expect raw horsepower - and gadgets. We expect safety but, how is it that when discussing safety, clean air and healthy water don't fit into the equation? I owned a 1981 VW Rabbit diesel that I purchase because the engine in my '77 VW camper blew. I intended to run biodiesel in it but, never truly made the effort (I'm guilty). That 81 Rabbit got an advertised 51 mpg - it actually got around 54. Today you can buy a 2005 VW Beetle TDI that gets around 47 mpg. That's a disgrace! But, not near so disgraceful as that we as a society allow it or again even encourage it. My friends wouldn't have chuckled at me had my 81 Rabbit have the power that the new TDI does but, that again describes the problem - this is why the lobbying works. In a culture that is so closely tied to the romance of the automobile, and a society that prides itself on power, in all forms, only necessity will change our driving habits. And 40 mpg ain't near enough! Not for me anyway. I have to wonder what would happen if we did all drive hybrid-diesels with regenerative braking and beyond that, curbing our driving habits by reducing the amount of hours we are on the road. Imagine an auto industry trying to stay afloat with a consumer base that purchases a vehicle with a power plant that will last 300,000 miles while only driving 7,000 miles a year. The car would reasonably last for 40 years. The only way that such a setting would work would be for the auto industry to reduce the quality of the vehicle. This I expect to be a reality. The lobbyist will make it so. And as a society, we will accept it. There is a piece of the puzzle that amazes me when we discuss renewable resources. There is always that faction that says that renewables destabilize the petro industry as a whole (the oil companies, the auto industry, textiles, transportation, etc). That it will cost money and people will lose jobs. However, these same people fail to mention that those folks who are left without employment, will have opportunities in newly created and much safer positions - jobs manufacturing, transporting, distributing, installing and maintaining safe, friend, renewable products and services. Same goes for reducing emissions from power plants and factories. "It will cost too much" is the common argument. But where is the money spent to perform the reductions? Hopefully, back to the U.S. economy. But, the American public is will to believe the arguments and accept it. It MIGHT be a different story when the American auto industry goes by the way of the rest of the manufacturing industry. Still, we will continue to subsidize oil. We will prop of the Big 3 with emergency protections when necessary - "in the interest of the American people". And we will accept it. By the people, for the people doesn't mean much anymore does it? Sorry for the rant! Do good things, Ken MH <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> said: > April 3, 2005 > ADVICE: PERSONAL FINANCE > > Detroit boneheads still push gas hogs > U.S. imports oil, risks its security on cars > unsuited for rest of world > By SCOTT BURNS > Universal Press Syndicate > > HoustonChronicle.com > http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/mym/3114747 > > Nearly 35 years ago General Motors asked a consulting firm > to examine a problem. Imported cars, mostly Japanese, had > captured 25 percent of the California car market. > GM management was worried. While the Big Three still had > 90 percent of the national market, the top brass at > GM saw California as the future. > > So they had the problem studied. > > Today, General Motor's market share is > down to 25 percent. The Big Three have seen > their share shrink to 57 percent. Our domestic > carmakers (including Chrysler) have lacked foresight and > innovation for so long they are now fighting to hold > market share in the big categories essential for survival: > midsize cars, SUVs and minivans. > > Management will blame this on intractable labor costs. > While labor costs are definitely a problem, it's time to > consider a larger problem: intractable bonehead management. > > The same Japanese managements that are derided for their > conformity and slow decision-making are eating Detroit's > breakfast, lunch and dinner. > > Today, General Motors and Ford are well-positioned to be > dinosaurs. So is Chrysler. Worse, they are threats to > national security. > > Here are problems > > How is this happening? > > Here are three main thrusts: > > • The industry has consistently lobbied against any changes to > the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) rules, even as > our dependence on imported energy has increased. The > domestic carmakers talk about a global industry but have > acted as though the United States was peculiarly immune to > rising energy costs. One side effect is that domestic cars are > unsuited for foreign markets because foreign markets are > geared to fuel efficiency. > > • The industry has focused its profitability on gas guzzlers that > are either supersized — like the Hummer 2 (10/13 mpg), the > Lincoln Navigator (13/18 mpg), the Chevrolet Suburban (14/18 mpg) > and the Cadillac Escalade ESV (13/17 mpg) — or on an array of > super-muscle cars that are remarkably fuel efficient > relative to their forebears but still send plenty of > money to bomb throwers in the Middle East. > > • Rather than innovate and invest in hybrid technology, as > Toyota and Honda have done, the U.S. industry has > repeatedly labeled the most successful new car in a decade as > a "niche market" car. Ford, belatedly, is licensing Toyota > technology for its first hybrid. > > When fuel efficiency becomes crucial, American consumers > will have two ugly choices: Send enormous amounts of money > to the Middle East for oil, or send enormous amounts of > money to Japan for efficient cars. > > The consequences of all this are neither good for the country > nor pleasant. As some talk about $3 gasoline by summer, > no remedies are available in auto dealer showrooms and lots. > That's a pretty good reason to brand General Motors, Ford > and Chrysler as major risks to national security. > > Buy fuel-efficient cars > > Is there something we can do? I believe there is. A recent > survey showed that two out of three Americans, including > NASCAR fans and conservatives, think buying more > fuel-efficient cars is patriotic. > > Skeptics should check out http://www.40mpg.org a new > organization devoted to convincing the other boneheads — > the ones in Congress — that government-enforced, > higher fuel-efficiency standards are essential. > > Conservatives have regularly defeated efforts to raise the > CAFE standards, arguing against government intrusion in the > private economy. I consider myself a conservative, but it's > time to recognize that our national security is > being threatened by Detroit. > > The 40mpg Web site offers an online calculator that shows > the benefits of moving from any mileage you put in to > 40 miles per gallon. You can also check the three online > calculators on my Web site (www.scottburns.com) to see > the economic benefits of driving a more fuel-efficient car. > > Questions about personal finance and investments may be > sent to: SCOTT BURNS, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas 75265; > e-mail can be sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Burns' Web > page is www.scottburns.com > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > -- _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
