Cap-and-trade or gas tax: Are we fooling ourselves?
Are both too offensive to Americans?Oil is trading around $50 per barrel, yet supplies are building and there are oil tankers full of oil with no where to go. If oil prices were driven purely by the fundamentals, oil would probably be about $20 bucks a barrel. And, until the US economy fully kicks back into gear - something that could take longer than Obama's first term - oil prices probably won't increase significantly.
So, will $7500 tax credits on 60,000 Chevy Volts per year really inspire the American populace into greater fuel efficiency, or will 60,000 Volts simply serve as a tool to balance GM's CAFE requirements, enabling the sale of more gas-guzzlers?
Recently, because of Congressional concern and consumer sentiment, President Obama indicated that cap-and-trade could be put on hold. Likewise, Obama has not been a strong proponent of a gas tax. Still, aren't we fooling ourselves if we believe that real change can be achieved without a significant change in energy prices? Of course, aren't we fools to believe that Americans are ready for such change?
Labels: cap and trade, Chevy Volt electric vehicle concept, gas tax
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:35 AM
4 Comments:
I love these article titles! Is 'going green' too offensive?? ha ONLY in USA would you hear that. Climatologist and world scientists have said 'its already too late' to avoid our kids having to deal with 3 foot rise in ocean levels! Any idea what that means to global political, business and social models ?? It will mean wars based on grabbing extra left over lands, wars based on having enough food to feed the masses, wars based on continual stubborness of Americans to see whats in front of their noses...catastrophes that make 9/11 look like a water droplet in an ocean of world chaos....
So whats really 'offensive' our ignorance to reality or saving our planet for our childrens children ???
Only in America ! OMG........
Only in America is right.
I truly believe we have our future in our hands, but thinking the future is going to be driven by cheap oil is complete insanity. However, if we wait for oil prices to naturally rise or for global warming to force our hand, it will probably be too late.
I think most Americans know this, but years of irrational denial isn't easy to overcome. We've become overly fat and lazy. We wait and react to life rather than taking action to create a better life for ourselves.
Gasoline produced from carbon neutral synfuels from biowaste (garbage and sewage) and eventually from nuclear energy (Green Freedom concept), will be more expensive than the gasoline that is produced today.
So plug-in hybrids should help to mitigate the higher cost of carbon neutral synthetic gasoline.
The Obama administration needs to mandate that all gasoline sold in America contain at least 5 to 10% carbon neutral gasoline by the year 2020 in order to get the synfuel industry started in America.
http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/1999/01/synfuels-and-price-of-oil.html
Couldn't cap and trade be a great way to get something like that going?
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