THANK YOU! Im glad to see Im not the only one in here disappointed about everyone's refusal to discuss issues instead of the insignificant fluff. Faos, do you honestly believe that vehicles that run on alternative methods are a bad idea? Do you honestly believe that oil-based vehicles will always be here?.......the oil supply is not infinite ya know....eventually, we are gonna have to address that issue and start finding some real alternatives... I reallize that goes against the principles of Republicanism, but ignoring the truth wont make it go away......and it doesnt make Kerry look bad to be for alternative fuels.
No, I don't believe it's a bad idea. But Kerry acts as if he's the first guy who thought of it and will impliment it. All I know is the Toyota Prius came out under the Bush years so I guess he gets credit for it.
oh good Lord... you cant possibly honestly believe Kerry thinks he is taking credit for alternative fueled vehicles....if you want to get technical, we have had electric cars for years.....so it isnt even to Bushes credit. The problem is, the government has not provided tax breaks to encourage research into finding a way to wean us off of a oil-based economy...but thats no big surprise since the oil companies are busy lining the politicians pockets(on both sides) to ensure we stay dependant on what they offer.
I think the use of hybrid cars or solar powered homes aren't based on consumers so much as they are based on the manufacturing industry. No one makes them because it would require changing an entire industry and industries are VERY slow to change especially when they make good profit off of one thing already. If comparable hybrids at comparable costs were made available to the public and they could get 60mpg in a compact and 35mpg in an SUV, you can bet they would buy them. If solar powered homes or homes with recycled water were affordable and could save hundreds or thousands every year for the homeowner on utilities, no question people would buy them. The problem is that the energy industry and automotive industry don't have any incentive to look for alternatives. I don't necessarily think legislation forcing them to do it is the answer, but if you can give them massive tax breaks to build oil and gas refineries, why can't they be given the same breaks to do research on renewable energy? I, personally, do not have a problem with tax breaks if there is a purpose for them. Stabalizing our energy and reducing pollution are worth it.
THANK YOU, JEFF !! You are exactly right. I saw an article stating that it would cheaper to drive a Toyota Echo than the Toyota Prius in the long run because the cheaper price of the car out weighs the Prius' better gas mileage. (I think there is about a $7000 difference between the 2 cars.)
Did you see the rest of Jeff's post? Those prices will come down once the technologies are more mature, which will happen a LOT more quickly if the industries get tax breaks for R&D. Before you claim that I am against ALL tax breaks, I would like to echo Jeff's position that tax breaks that have a defined and achieveable purpose are good. Reducing our dependence on Middle East oil can only be good for us in the long run. I got the show on ReplayTV and will not have an opportunity to watchi it until tonight, but I have been looking forward to this interview since late last week.
Why are tax breaks a bad thing? Why do you think I would be against them? as I understand them, tax breaks are incentives offered to people/companies to encourage them to do or use something...simplistically speaking of course...
An explanation, shockingly, appears on the John Kerry website. http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/energy/sources.html To be fair, here is George W. Bush's detailed explanation. http://www.georgewbush.com/Energy/Brief.aspx NOW feel free to criticize, based on the details of each person. And, gee... maybe... just maybe... people would buy hybrids if given a $100,000 tax break. You know, like for cars weighing over 6,000 pounds. You mean they're for the poor farmers? I didn't know my neighbor was a farmer. Why not provide incentives (since we do for every other f'ing industry) to promote alternative energy? I think Kerry made a nice point on The Daily Show yesterday. We can't drill our way out of this problem. We have to innovate. Feel free to argue this point - I honestly would like to hear this point discussed further.
well, slate wasn't impressed -- Kerry's charisma was less than zero: It was negative. He was a charm vacuum, forced to actually borrow mojo from audience members. He was a dessicated husk, a tin man who really didn't have a heart. His lack of vibrancy, his utter dearth of sex appeal made Al Gore look like Charo. . . . Watching Kerry strike out was especially heartbreaking given that Stewart was pitching not just softballs but marshmallows. Puffy interview marshmallows with rainbow sprinkles on them, and Kerry was letting them sail by as if he planned to get to first base on a walk. That may be how he hopes to win the presidency as well, but before he gets there, he'll have to jump through hoops a lot tougher than this exchange.
Somewhere Jon Stewart's cracking up. Is this what we've come to? Critiquing someone's performance on a satirical show?
someone with critical thinking skills might assume he is talking about providing different incentives for companies that help make the push towards popularizing this type of vehicle...
You sure are interested in this. Most of us haven't posted anything about this because, well, we don't need to do so. You seem to be implying that George W. Bush is human. Which is tragic. The guy presides over the most executions of any sitting governor (you can bet he didn't really review each; kill'em? KILL'EM!), he doesn't blink an eye about putting our troops on the ground to get killed in a country whose dictator had been reduced to bluster and who had NOT attacked us on 9/11 (while Iran sits there smiling because they got us to do their dirty work for them)... When Tucker Carlson (a conservative journalist) interviewed George about what a woman on death row had requested just before her execution: "'Don't kill me,'" he whimpered in mimickry, then changed his expression when Carlson's reaction was not what he had anticipated (aghast rather than smirking or laughing). Then you have the energy companies prison-raping consumers on their utility bills, in large part thanks to Dick Cheney's oh-so-human Energy Task Force. If they ever released transcripts from those meetings, it'd be a hanging party for all hands. Kerry? Not human enough? You go vote for George Bush, then. Such a great human being.
The sad thing is that Jon Stewart is probably laughing not because it's funny but because it's absurd. basso - the article is right. Kerry's appearance on The Daily Show wasn't great - he relied too much on talking points when this was an opportunity to sit back and shoot the bull (and use sarcasm/comedy to beat back the allegations against him). John Edwards did that well when he announced his candidacy on TDS. John McCain is very good when he's on the show, too. Attack Kerry for not giving details... and then attack him for not being personable. Nicely done. I think it takes a rare politician to both provide details and be personable at the same time. I don't think either candidate can do it this year. Damn that sucks. The brilliance of The Daily Show is that it doesn't take itself seriously. Clearly, the same cannot be said of John Kerry.
