Put Green Cars On the Highway

Dhalsey,

You won't have to worry about government telling you what vehicle you can drive. The marketplace will determine that function. It's becoming very unprofitable to build and sell SUV's,so you'll you probably be able to pick up your next one on the used resale lot. As for where you got your thought -probably FOX NEWS.....

I'm an SUV guy, a stewart & scientific student of environmental research. I want a choice in what kind of vehicle that I buy. I don't want the government, in response to so called global warming hoax perveyors, telling me what type vehicle that I should buy. The reason is simple-liberty, freedom and the pursuit of happenness! Wonder where I got this thought?

Electric Vehcles are not only extremely enviromental friendly but are also a weapon in fighting the phenomena of dictatorship as many of the top oil producers are undemocratic countries. Oil independence is my idea of ending the dictatorships' power and in the long term eliminating them completely and replacing with democratic governments.
http://anhouraday.blog.com

Regarding the December 31, 2008 article, ???Put Green Cars on the Highway,??? by Jennifer M. Granholm. As a sophomore in high school, I believe that the government needs to focus on alternative energy sources including wind, solar, and tidal. The leaders in these new technological fields seem to be wealthy citizens, rather than large corporate companies. Individuals like T. Boone Pickens are leading this front in developing large-scale power sources. Although several others who are focusing on alternative sources, there needs to be an increase in technological development from corporate companies in order to achieve a green country. Although Thomas Friedman???s book paints a wonderful picture, this cannot be achieved without an increase in efforts from companies and a development in green technology. If energy harnessing sources are made available to the public at a reasonable price, this can be achieved, but until then, we need to keep trying.

Why in Michigan? What boggles my mind is "Why not in Florida"? We have Florida State University and the University of Florida sitting here, why in the world are these two institutions not leading the way in "solar power"? We have NASA and a bunch of other aeronautical companies sitting on their duff. We have ports of entry to import and export anything we need or make. We can hire the author, the governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm, if she wants to come down and help out when her term limits are up. What gives?

That 'vision of the future' in this article is NEVER gong to come true. Period, done with, over: it's never going to come true. Why? Because those technologies (solar power, wind power, etc.) are always going to be too expensive for the regular American and will be an eyesore as well, which no American wants on their home.
This article writer is asking for something that is BEYOND the ability of any President in the next 200 years to make happen.

Focus on solar power for big businesses, wind energy for big businesses, etc. If you can prove to them that they can save money by generating some of their own power..... they will be burning a path through your doors to do so.

Unfortunately, Pala98, that won't work, because the oiil companies, like Big Tobacco, will just pass the costs of the court battles and taxation onto their customers.
Nationalizing the industry (just like we should nationalize the health care industry, home mortgage industry, ,etc.) would be good.... but there is little to no political will to do that, on either side of the room.

Yes, there does need to be a financial incentive (actually, PENALTY) for car manufacturers to make more fuel-efficient vehicles. However, there is no political will for doing that, even on the side of Obama and his followers, because the Repukians would EXCORIATE them for even thinking of 'interfering in free-market capitalism!'

Isn't taking market share away from Big Oil incentive enough, why do taxpayers have to subsidize capitalism?

I agree, the problem and solution is beyond what capitalism is capable of dealing with over a short term but socialism is not the answer. Yes, the answer is for Government to do what only Government can do

Big Oil causes cancer - economic, political and environmental cancers. Short of nationalizing the industry, which should be done for national security reasons regardless, do what we did with Big Tobacco ??? sue it and tax it to near extinction and use the money to fund correction of the ills it has caused.

When we have converted to alternate energy sources and Big Oil can own them, that are OK, the tax naturally goes away, we retain our freedom of mobility, clean the air and cool the planet.

Peak Oil is the best thing that can happen to us ??? if we manage it well.

What???s the chance of that?

Good ideas do not need subsidy.

It really is that simple.