“I feel that as diesel comes on strong, consumers should be allowed to use both interchangably with home additives for vehicles.”
That’s fine if you can figure out how to collect road taxes on the oil, until then you don’t want to get caught using #2 heating oil in your road vehicle. EVs are a great idea for relatively short commutes, as soon as the cost of gasoline/diesel gets high enough they will become cost effective and we will see plenty of them.
Just to repeat…ground effects have been tried and failed here in nothern NE…and in very well insulated houses…the best defense against energy costs. We have super insulated house and used ONE oil “fill up” per year in Aug. for heat and hot water, with NO WOOD or alternative source. Heat pumps still won’t work effectivly for any one here…it’s been researched and tried and we are stuck with oil/gas as choices. Lots of wide window ledges for nick nacks though.
Besides, oil companies are pleased with the reduced use of their product…like the price of gold, it just increases the value per gallon…they make the same profit with less commodity.
Hence the statement"should be allowed"
Mike, I don’t want to sound insensitive; but anyone who is in a position of having to choose between buying food and getting to work is living beyond their income
That’s exactly the way you’re sounding…It is VERY VERY INSENSITIVE. I suggest you take a look at these family situations before you start judging them. I know MANY families who are NOT living beyond their means and have to make that choice every day.
“I think it’s safe to assume that the “big 3” will all be gone in a couple of decades.”
Maybe Chrysler, but Ford and especially GM have large international businesses. And GM makes a lot of money overseas.
“I can’t believe they are still trying to do any manufacturing in the U.S., truly a lost cause.”
I guess that all the car manufacturers are going out of business. BMW, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and others are building plants in the US. How could they all be so wrong?
Would you buy and EV if it was available today? Would you pay $100,000 for it? If so, buy a Tesla. Sure, these cars can be built, but not mass produced and not at an attractive price. They will be in a few years, but not yet.
Hey, guys. Where did that fellow traveler Red Leader go? Is this a troll? We’re all still having fun, but where is the instigator?
This is a very important point. Capitalism is the best economic system - but absolute capitalism is something a society, or, community, in certain circumstances, might not be able to tolerate. An example: Let’s say we were in a shipwreck at sea. I had the foresight to pack a small suitcase with food and water and was able to get it into the only surviving lifeboat. Me, you, your wife and three children. Rescue was probable but not certain. The smallest sustenance might make the difference between life and death. My price for 1 oz. of water? $10,000 cash. What actions should this small society take? Would absolute capitalism serve in this case?
Sorry, I’m not a traveler but I am a realist. See above.
“Hence the statement"should be allowed”
The use of untaxed fuel (which has been proposed by 2/3 of the current presidential candidates as a temporary measure, BTW) is not a very good idea. It is a short term measure that would send the wrong message; do whatever you want and the government will bail you out (not unlike the current mortgage bailout proposals). This little blip in fuel prices may help the public see a little reality for a change, decisions have consequences.
Welcome back! I missed you! We often get someone who throws stuff in the punch bowl and disappears. I’m glad you are not among them. Yes, laisse faire capitalism is harsh and most people won’t stand for it. But your idea about turning gas purveyors into utilities isn’t going to work.
This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to examine the way our government and economy mesh. I hope the teachers have this before their students. What is the government’s role? When should government intervene in economic affairs? Should anti-trust laws be repealed? If oil producers in the US decided to cut production, a la’ OPEC, in order to drive prices up further should government intervene? All questions to provoke thought and discussions.
The problem we face is that the general public and the politicos have sat on their hands since 1974, fat, dumb, and happy. Now we’re in a serious bind with a nation whose economic engine runs on petroleum and we haven’t much lead time to make the necessary modifications.
There are many people in this country who would not be much affected if gasoline were 15dpg. Unfortunately, there are many more who are in or entering economic distress - and that money going to the oil producers and futures traders is not being spent on the other facets of our economy.
We are all quick to point out that auto. companies are indeed “international”. Why do we deny the obvious that oil companies are as well…? Short of nationalizing the oil assets within their boundries, there is little IMO the govt. can do directly.
What it can and must do is encourage alternate energy source developement in small industries by declaring a national emergency and releasing the patent rights on battery and alternative energy research that oil and auto companies have bought up under false pretences, to competitive american businesses. Let the technology genie out of the bottle,
There are trillions of barrels of oil still left in the ground that our international oil comps. have incentive to develope until every last drop is used for energy…then we go to an alternater source. Plastics, fertilizers etc. and other oil based commodities will be held in jepardy if we allow oil companies to be the only decision maker.
Govt. intervention on the side of AMERICAN business is needed.
What, exactly, is an “AMERICAN business”? Is it someone like Halliburton, who now has a “second headquarters” in the UAE? Or are you referring to someone like Westinghouse Nuclear Energy, who is headquartered in the U.S. but is currently owned by Toshiba? There is no such thing as an “AMERICAN business,” just businesses that happen to be located in the U.S. at the moment and/or businesses that happen to have american owners at the moment. It’s really a meaningless term. BTW, I assume you actually mean the U.S. when you say america (as opposed to north or south america, or the NAFTA countries).
Agree that we live in a globalized world. Thomas Friedman’s book, “The World is Flat” gives a good description how international businesess work. IBM’s senior VP of Purchasing is in China. IBM’s laptops are now called Lenovos and made in China.
The Westinghouse power turbine division is now owned by Siemens of Germany. The Westinghouse tradename for small appliances has been sold to the highest bidder in China. The Westinghouse lightbulb division was sold long ago to Philips of Holland. The Westinghouse name now has nothing whatsoever to do with Westinghouse.
Ditto for GE small appliances, long ago sold to Black & Decker, but the GE name sold to the highest bidder in China. GE is going to spin off its major appliance division soon; the Chinese or Koreans will likely be the successful bidders. GE TVs and other electronics were sold off long ago to a French company.
Some time back Whirlpool bought the Appliance Division of Philips, the European electronic giant. Globalization works both ways.
Globalization has many benefits, economies of scale, more economical research, worldwide sourcing of components and standardization of successful designs. The Russians would just love to participate in this game, but their quality, work productivity and business standards are so pitifully low that it’s difficult to make them part of any manufacturing team.
The Dell laptop I am typing this post on was made in Malaysia from components from all over Asia with nothing from Austin Texas (Dell’s Head office & plant) or the US; not even the shipping box. Just the advertising!
You are talking to some of the right people, but have you contacted your representatives to tell them what’s on your mind? If you , and we, don’t we’ll get the same old stuff. BTW, I think the gas guzzler tax should be extended to trucks in addition to cars. Did yo know that it’s still out there? What do you think, Red?
Anti-trust legislation was developed in the late 1800s to curb these excesses. Standard Oil and Vanderbilt were not allowed to dominate the US econmy, or hold it to ransom. The National Geographic this month (June)has an interesting acticle on oil supply and demand. They normally don’t get involved in economic and business issues, but this is too important to ignnore. They don’t point the finger at anyone as being guilty of conspiracy or hoarding.
What, exactly, is an “AMERICAN business”?
We are talking businessess w/o foreign investors…domestically owned and responsible to American regulation and receiving the necessary incentives to make them competitive on the world market…Halliburton, not. The smaller the better.
The problem now, thanks in part to our massive deficits, capital has had to come from abroad even for the smallest. We have lost control, look at oil prices, safety regulations and the paralysis of govt. to do anything about it.
No doubt that all business needs to make a profit. As we have found though, those that sell products here are really not concerned with our safety first; only if it affects their profits.
I still don’t understand the concept of “american business,” in this century. Businesses of any size will always have “foreign investors” if they are publicly traded. There may be a small number of privately held businesses that are exclusive owned by folks who happen to be U.S. citizens, but they are required to follow the same regulations as anyone else doing business in the U.S. (no more or less). There is certainly no such thing as an “american” automotive company or an “american” energy company. The nationality of a companies owners is not relevant.
Foreign investment is not a “problem,” it is just another source of capital. The “problem” is the trade deficit that is a direct result of this country consuming more than it produces (especially energy). Additional regulation is not the solution.
Foreign investment is not a “problem,” it is just another source of capital. The “problem” is the trade deficit that is a direct result of this country consuming more than it produces (especially energy). Additional regulation is not the solution.
Just my point…additional regulation is NOT needed. What is needed is regulation inforcement which is NOT occurring. The professed “libertarion” point of view is silent when it comes to defining national security as proper regulation of foreign investment. To view FI as just another source of capital is a naive view of the world today as with investment comes control. China gets away with regulatory constraint on our part because it IS a major capital investor.
The major source of terrorist funding nation in the world, Saudie Arabia is allowed economic freedom that Cuba is not because of it’s energy/financial strangle hold on us and others…So please don’t preach that regulatory control is unneeded. People will suffer…and not of their own choosing here in the NE because of lack of energy regulation.
With capital comes power and control. We are loosing our capital…we are loosing control.