Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

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Res Ipsa
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

Post by Res Ipsa »

ajax18 wrote:
Sat Apr 16, 2022 12:39 am
Is it possible yes, is it practically possible in a short time frame…not even close.
Just tax the rich.

Oh wait that might not work, as it turns out Democrat oligarchs like Michael Bloomberg pay less than half the rate of income tax as average Americans. Even so Bloomberg probably pays a higher rate than Al Sharpton, Charlie Rangel, Jesse Jackson Jr., Maxine Waters, and Patrice Cullors.
I didn’t say tax the rich unless they are Democrats. Or unless they are black. But thank God you had the opportunity to express your resentment of black folks who get elected to national office.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

Post by Physics Guy »

If you’re in the market for sports cars then a Tesla may very well be a steal. We test-drove one and it was cool, all right. And it was priced competitively with other electric cars.

The trouble is that all electric cars seem to cost about twice what a perfectly good gasoline-powered family car costs, if you buy it used after just a few years. That was even after including the substantial government rebate.

And unless you pay considerably more still, electric cars still all have range issues. Our only common range challenge is just a run back and forth to the airport to pick someone up, but for us that’s an hour each way on the Autobahn, where we’re used to going 100mph most of the way. That’s iffy at best without recharging.

For the number of times we go to the airport, I guess we could just take a hit for the planet and slow down a lot. It just seems hard to pay twice what we’re used to paying in order to have half the convenience we’re used to enjoying, especially when waiting a couple more years seems to promise adequate range at lower price with better value retention.

We decided, with some disappointment and guilt, not to be early adopters. We’re still hoping to make the switch soon.
I was a teenager before it was cool.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

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ajax18 wrote:
Sat Apr 16, 2022 12:39 am
... Democrat oligarchs like Michael Bloomberg ...
The term 'oligarch' [from Greek 'rule by the few'] was adapted as a descriptor for the small Russian clique of very rich people close to Putin who (like him) got their money by effectively stealing state assets after the fall of the Soviet Union. They are a tiny clique of people who are privileged and enjoy considerable power because of their closeness to someone who is effectively a criminal dictator. If Putin falls, so will they.

Calling Bloomberg an 'oligarch' simply because he is a rich guy whose political views you dislike is ridiculous. He started from a very modest background, and made his money fairly and legitimately. If he was a Republican you would regard him very differently.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

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He started from a very modest background, and made his money fairly and legitimately. If he was a Republican you would regard him very differently.
If he were Trump you'd say he was cheating on his taxes.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

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Interesting that taxes don't work at all, environmental regulations don't work at all, gun control doesn't work at all, but bans on abortion are super effective. eh?
No, you're roght that bans on abortions won't stop them anymore than legislation against homicide will stop all murders.
And when the Confederates saw Jackson standing fearless like a stonewall, the army of Northern Virginia took courage and drove the federal army off their land.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

Post by Chap »

ajax18 wrote:
Sat Apr 16, 2022 11:44 am
He started from a very modest background, and made his money fairly and legitimately. If he was a Republican you would regard him very differently.
If he were Trump you'd say he was cheating on his taxes.
In the case of Trump, there is evidence that he was ... I think the word was "smart" in that department? I mean, properties that changed value depending who he was telling about them, and so on. And of course his accounts are STILL being 'audited', or so he claims.

In the case of Bloomberg? Not so much. And since he has given away a lot of money he might have kept for himself, it does seem unlikely that he would be worried about avoiding tax:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_B ... ilanthropy
In August 2010, Bloomberg signed The Giving Pledge, whereby the wealthy pledge to give away at least half of their wealth. Since then, he has given away $9.5 billion overall including $3.3 billion in 2019. According to Chronicle of Philanthropy, he gave away the most money of any philanthropist in 2019.[180][181]
According to a profile in Fast Company, his Bloomberg Philanthropies foundation has five areas of focus: public health, the arts, government innovation, the environment, and education.[182][183] Through the foundation, he has donated and/or pledged $767 million in 2018.[184][183][185]
2011 recipients included the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; World Lung Foundation and the World Health Organization. According to The New York Times, Bloomberg was an "anonymous donor" to the Carnegie Corporation from 2001 to 2010, with gifts ranging from $5 million to $20 million each year.[186] The Carnegie Corporation distributed these contributions to hundreds of New York City organizations ranging from the Dance Theatre of Harlem to Gilda's Club, a non-profit organization that provides support to people and families living with cancer. He continues to support the arts through his foundation.[187]
Bloomberg gave $254 million in 2009 to almost 1,400 nonprofit organizations, saying, "I am a big believer in giving it all away and have always said that the best financial planning ends with bouncing the check to the undertaker."[188]
Charities associated with Trump have ended up paying him money. Or at least buying him portraits of himself.

Naah. There's no comparison, and you know it.

Next lie, please.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

Post by K Graham »

Still waiting for "NY outlawed guns" lie to be addressed.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

Post by Res Ipsa »

Physics Guy wrote:
Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:43 am
If you’re in the market for sports cars then a Tesla may very well be a steal. We test-drove one and it was cool, all right. And it was priced competitively with other electric cars.

The trouble is that all electric cars seem to cost about twice what a perfectly good gasoline-powered family car costs, if you buy it used after just a few years. That was even after including the substantial government rebate.

And unless you pay considerably more still, electric cars still all have range issues. Our only common range challenge is just a run back and forth to the airport to pick someone up, but for us that’s an hour each way on the Autobahn, where we’re used to going 100mph most of the way. That’s iffy at best without recharging.

For the number of times we go to the airport, I guess we could just take a hit for the planet and slow down a lot. It just seems hard to pay twice what we’re used to paying in order to have half the convenience we’re used to enjoying, especially when waiting a couple more years seems to promise adequate range at lower price with better value retention.

We decided, with some disappointment and guilt, not to be early adopters. We’re still hoping to make the switch soon.
Individually, you do what you can. When I had to replace my first Prius, a Tesla was too pricey and there was no alternative with enough range. So, I replaced it with another Prius. My next replacement will be an electric, as the increases in range combined with the build out of charging stations makes an electric vehicle work. (Not to mention the extension of light rail service).

It’s government’s role to help create the conditions that enable folks to make the transition.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

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K Graham wrote:
Sat Apr 16, 2022 1:27 am
Here is America's top selling Truck decked out with all the bells and whistles.

Image
As a conversation apart from ICE versus EV-alternatives, I’m always amazed that car prices are what they are, and that many are purchased at these price levels. Based on what I see on the roads, I can only imagine that significant numbers of Americans choose to live saddled with heavy auto debt.

If I had a job that paid me $500K a year, I might consider buying something with this kind of price tag. Without good tax reasons or the ability to write this cost off through a business, It doesn’t make sense for us. It would divert too many dollars from other maintenance, family, recreational or investment opportunities.

As for the Cybertruck’s $40K intro price … I’ll believe that when I see it. : ) And that’s still hard to justify in a functional used car market offering a variety of alternatives… although the car market seems pretty dysfunctional at the moment.

To tie back into the conversation about energy, this is where a well-planned urban mass transit system would play a strong role, for many of the right reasons.
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Re: Shifting U.S. to 100% Renewables

Post by Gadianton »

I'm also amazed at how people, especially unhinged right-wingers, can afford trucks like this. They are all over and drive recklessly. To the credit of my right-wing friend, he's very good with his money and doesn't waste it on cars that depreciate 50% in six months.

I remember those couple of years back, that QAnon guy in my neighborhood -- who has now moved -- decided that what I did for a living was aligned with the deep state, and of course I must be doing so well and want to preserve the world order as it is. But in that same conversation, he was the one talking up how he was paining over the decision to buy a 75,000$ truck (which he was going to equip with a mounted machine gun to kill liberals with). If you add up all the cars I've bought in my life, including a new sports car, new SUV, used Merz, two more used cars on top of that, and a new motorcycle and a used motorcycle, it might barely cross 75,000$ (and that's counting sales tax and extended warranty if any), but not even close to 89,000$.
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