After years of producing vehicles that get better fuel economy for European customers than they did for American customers, Ford is finally going to retool American factories to produce and sell the same vehicles stateside. This comes as Ford struggles to reduce costs and just posted its worst quarter in its 105-year history. Ford lost $8.7 billion in its 2nd quarter.
***
The paragon of personal responsibility, Rush Limbaugh, tried to take Sen. Ken Salazar to task over oil-shale drilling saying Salazar “and his fellow Democrats are still preventing America from using our own resources to lower gas prices and create new jobs”. No Rush, it’s been conservative blowhards like yourself that have prevented policies that would keep gas prices low. If renewable energy research had received any fraction of the corporate welfare dollars handed over to oil corporations in the past 30 years, US consumers would be demanding far less oil and gas. Oh, and more and better paying jobs would have been created along the line too.
Way to take responsibility for policies you’ve advocated for, Rush.
It’s interesting to note how conservatives are pushing for drilling when the technology to do so isn’t perfect yet. They’re taking the opposite stance with regard to global warming by saying we shouldn’t take action until technologies (models) are perfect. Drilling through shale and off our coasts will not reduce the price of gas. Part of the problem getting that message across exists within consumers: they want instant gratification and drilling sounds like it might deliver. So they’ll support it without thinking of the problems.
***
More fear-mongering from conservatives in the news: Jon Caldara wants to introduce a petition to repeal FasTracks on the Colorado ballot. Now, Caldara has never really had a good handle on what Colorado voters want and what they don’t want. He’s worked his whole life trying to convince voters that investment in the commons is a bad thing. Does Jon drink clean water provided by a municipality? More than likely. Does Jon drive on our highways and fly in our airspace, both of which are maintained by the public? Yup. Folks like Jon are among the most hypocritical in our midst. They’re only too happy to use the already established commons to their benefit, but don’t want to maintain the commons or expand them for future generations.
But my specific point to this article is this: voters approved the tax that would fund FasTracks in 2004, which wasn’t an overwhelmingly progressive year in Colorado. But even before gas prices shot through the roof, people in the Denver metro area realized the benefits that could be gained from expanded mass transit. As a result of the out-of-control commodity boom since then, construction costs have ballooned. Could RTD have forseen those increases? Unlikely. But does Caldara seriously think voters in 2008 want less mass transit now that they are having greater difficulties paying for gas? I think RTD should go back to the voters in the next year or two, make their case for keeping the original project, and ask for the additional funding. I think people would vote to keep the project running. Especially if they’re confronted with either less transit or a longer wait time if more funds aren’t made available.
Caldara has always been on the incorrect side of this issue. That he continues to be isn’t amazing, but it’s dangerous to those of us who want to maintain our infrastructure.
Regional mayors, by the way, are standing firm: they want FasTracks to be completed. They’re acting more like adults than Caldara by searching for solutions to achieve that goal.
pacified at SquareState has a good post up on this.
