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I knew we have more agreement in common despite our usual discussion focus on differences. LOL. I certainly agree with you on the need for government to refrain from subsidizing industries. An industry (or a job) should only exist if it turns out more value (judged by individual consumers) than the input factors. Regarding tar sand itself, IMHO, unless North America finds itself in some kind of a blockade (even then Alaskan oil and Appalachian gas fields look more promising), the tar sands should be left there until drilling technology allows drilling all the way down to the magma or finding hot geothermal spots. The business of pumping heat down from surface to melt tar really is not cost-ineffective. That's the nature of market value: it changes over time due to available technologies and opportunity cost. Whenever human efforts are directed towards one goal, other goals are starved of resources. Even if something will become profitable in the very long wrong doesn't mean it's a good investment now. Government really should refrain from introducing distortions, as it is notoriously incompetent in terms of return on capital in a timely fashion. In reality, however, government doesn't exist as a thinking or acting being. It is the individuals who can profit from coercing others that actually make government policies. Such machinations can only succeed so long as the people are misguided into giving consent.
I too am interested in the hybrid technology not for CO2 or fuel consumption reasons; I only drive 5000 miles a year, so how much fuel can it possible save: the time horizon to get initial investment back is practically infinite as the hybrid drive train especially battery will deteriorate before recouping initial cost. Hybrids do however offer a meaningful insurance policy to the individual family in cases of oil shocks and other dystopic scenarios. That's why I'm more interested in a hybrid with greater ground clearance and lower gearing, and the ability both to drive on battery alone and to function as a big household generator, plus the ability to attach "farm/garden/construction implements" like a skid-steer machine. LOL.
posted by 76.118.39...
, Fri, 4 Feb 2011 17:11:03, Sat, 5 Feb 2011 07:10:28, Sat, 5 Feb 2011 11:50:28
, Thu, 3 Feb 2011 18:27:38
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