Hillary Clinton and Americans: What do you think about this national energy plan?

Question

Raise CAFE mileage to 45mpg for cars and 35 for SUVs and pickups. Raise GAS TAXES to $2 a gallon and use the tax revenue to retool Detroit for hybrid car production and to buy back all the millions of gas guzzlers on our roads. Then crush the guzzlers and use the metal for hybids production. This was an idea by a brilliant columnist and I think this idea may be our only hope.

Answer 1

The first thing to do is to grant the Texas separatists their wish and kick Texas out of the Union. Once they are out of the way, the white trash Republicans will never get another ultra-right winger into the presidential office.

With the Republicans permanently out of the executive branch and Texas oil polluters out of the country's wildlife reserves, the Democrats will finally be ready to pass all the energy saving measures they can. Then the socialist liberals will make sure the oil gets to the consumers at a reasonable price, regardless of whether the remaining conscum thank them for it or not.

Answer 2

Gm is all ready trying to retool for hybrids. They are hoping in less than 10 years 50% of their cars will be hydrogen fueled. Vote Bush out of Office because he only wants to make his buddies in big oil richer, he is only hurting the people he is suppose to watch out for. On the same note if you tax gas a 2.00 a gallon it will only hurt the lower and middle class people. There will be people who could not afford to get to work, this enlarging the lower class and push people to take action, remember the tea tax lot of good it did England. I would like to see gas guzzlers go but we live in a free country. I know people who drive large cars and pick-ups because they have to. What about them. Is it Do you want to include large semi's that ship everything around, I see lots of hunger on the way. What kind of light bulb do you use In your house. Did you know there are some that use half as mush energy. Have you changed yours? I have. Do you drive a car or take the bus? I took the bus all the time because that helps. I would be willing to bet you are as much of the problem as anyone else and you do not even know it.

Answer 3

It is an interesting idea but it overlooks a few factors.

1) Classic car enthusiasts who collect & refurbish old cars (and sometimes even drive them in parades). Think 1950s golden oldies.

2) Used car market. Not everyone can afford a new car, and mass transit service is simply inadequate or nonexistent in some areas. Consider rural areas for instance, where there is no bus service, and no trains. For those who work graveyard shift, mass transit is usually inadequate since it is designed for those who commute to work in the morning and leave work at night.

3) Raising required mpg on cars, SUVs and pickups will increase the price of new cars, which will probably cause used car sales to go up. Thus, it would take longer for any offset in pollution to take effect.

4) Higher gas tax means higher gas prices. This would be hard on the travel, tourism, and transportation industries. Every other industry also depends on the transportation industries so price of goods overall would go up.

Answer 4

Then you have not done much research. There are car company's looking into hybrids. GM is the leader. They are now testing a fleet in DC that runs on hydrogen, not spelled right I know. What you are saying here will only hurt those you say you are trying to help. Why do we not depend on more wind power to make electric power. Do you have a solar water heater. Do you have one thing in you house that helps. I find most people that preach like you have done very little to stop what is happening. To quote a old saying, "Clean up your own back yard First." once you have done that then stop goggling everything and do some really work, go out and see for yourself and maybe you can do some good. Till you get off your butt and do do something yourself leave the rest of us whohave alone

Answer 5

"sin" taxes unfairly punish people who have low and moderate incomes. Better to ration-that is more fair for all. Hybrids are not the answer. When they get old they will be to costly to fix, so people will just throw them away. That will fill up our land fills with toxic batteries. If gas gets too expensive people will start stealing it more. They may vandalize pipelines and start huge fires like in Africa. Whats next? Hybrid riding lawn mowers, snowmobiles, outboard motors? You are crazy if you think America is ready to give up it's toys. What about your Barbecue? I bet the one you had 20 years ago had half of the BTU's of the one you have now. How many times do you turn the whole thing on just to cook 1 or 2 steaks? Have you been out on Saturday or Sunday? Those people aren't all going to Church. They are going to Costco and Wal-Mart to load up on more crap that is made in some of The dirtiest factories on the planet in China. The Chinese are using the profits to crush their bicycles ane use the metal for cars. All these policy ideas are just going to add more red tape, more bureaucracy. Then we will have to raise taxes so we can buy vehicles for the people that work for the National Energy Police.

Answer 6

While it sounds promising at first glance.....the dirty little secret is that despite our whining about gas prices, particularly the more recent gouging, Americans don't really want/care about fuel efficiency .

We LIKE to drive vehicles w POWER , or V8s would have been gone long ago !! We enjoy taking our world on the road w us.......hence the popularity of the SUVs & Mega SUVs.

As stated previously here we have had technology available for many years which would save gas (oil) but the folks who sell the oil to us LIKE the $$ we pay, much the same as the folks who sell us cigarettes & alcohol even though we & they, know the health risks associated. It's about money , power , & influence brought to bear by the people possessing those assets.

Answer 7

...Raise gas taxes to 2 bucks a gallon!?! Are you out of your mind? That would single-handedly cause economic ruin and have a huge percentage of the population throw out whatever politicians support such a far-fetched idea. As for a national energy plan, the only problem we have today is that oil comes mostly from hostile and chaotic countries that have aims contrary to ours. Building nuclear powerplants, allowing drilling in the AWNR, and using more coal is the most practical and effective manner for a national energy plan. It won't happen because all the environmentalists will scream and holler about pollution and the poor lemmings that will suffer from drilling.

Answer 8

A pipe dream. The oil companies and oil producers won't let it happen. The technology for alternative fuel and more economic vehicles have been around for t least 20 years but the oil companies and car manufacturers have suppressed it.

Answer 9

Good for detroit