Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (219190)	2/14/2005 9:02:32 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1575173

re: The problem with hybrids is their sticker cost. A comparable gas only model costs less and the savings in gas consumption doesn't make up the price differential......even over ten years. Hence, most people are buying them because of their commitment to the environment. For the cost conscious folks, they don't have that luxury. Hopefully, as demand grows, the price for hybrids will come down. I've been thinking there ought to a progressive tax on auto purchases. Very, very high sales taxes on the huge pig SUV's, to finance significant tax credits on hybrids. Lowering gasoline consumption has a political as well as economic benefit. The talk show Republicans will love that one. When you look at the history of gas consumption in this country, you have to wonder what Americans are thinking. I think it feeds right into what's happening now under Bush. Americans seem to have a self imposed daNile system going on. They intentionally don't pay too much attention what's happening in the country let alone the rest of the world. A classic example is FOX News's 80 seconds around the world segment where they discuss global news. I mean, doesn't that say it all.......their audience doesn't want to hear more than 80 seconds worth of news from the rest of the world. That daNile permeates everything........taxes......they don't want to believe their tax money is spent on good things. Better to complain and assume the worst.......gov't laziness and corruption is sucking out the well being of the American taxpayer. Secret intervention in foreign gov'ts and the support of corrupt dictators like Saddam.......of course, they don't want to know that we are capable of such garbage......after all, we are God's chosen nation. And then there are gas prices..........with inflation, they are about the same as they were in the 1970s. Does anyone bother to ask.......how can that be? After all, crude is much higher even when accounting for inflation. While other nations are charging substantive taxes on gas and putting the revenue from those taxes into improving alternative transportation modes and to fuel research on gas alternatives, we are barely taxing the stuff at all. A facsimile of what was done to cigarettes should be done to gas. Not only would Americans object........they don't even know what's happening in the rest of the world re. the matter. The rest of developed world has trains that go three times faster than a car on a freeway while we are on the verge of dismantling our train system and our freeway system is deteriorating badly due to overuse. I think Americans are in for rude awakening. This AM I posted an article on Europe's successful launch of the new Arianne rocket. It can compete with the best the US has to offer. France, Germany and UK have become formidable competitors in the aerospace business whether its jet planes or rockets. While we fight Iraq, their 'war' money is going into research and development. Same with the Japanese and the Chinese. In ten years, it will be interesting to see where everyone sits. I bet Iraq, the ME and Israel won't seem that important to us then. ted