And This.
My guess is that Obama supporters who have just seen their net worth decline by 30% or 40% won't be very interested in paying over half their incomes in taxes for the next four years. That would make it more difficult, and likely impossible, to rebuild the wealth that they have lost in the current collapse.
Obamanomics may not work out the way he thinks they well. Dropping oil prices are just going to lower gas prices below where he thinks they should be. Lower energy costs are going to make you want to just do what you want travel-wise, home-ownership-wise and greenhouse gas-wise and you won't want the government asking telling you to cut back anyway. And won't The One's alternative energy fantasies require more subsidization from the government if the un-alternative energy costs are low?
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3 Comments
Excellent point, Theo. It is well proven that savings devices cause the use of more of whatever it is that you are saving. We drive much more fuel efficient cars and SUVs than we did 15 years ago and we therefore drive more. And we want them loaded up with hundreds of pounds of options plus state required safety equipment. It is a true miracle of engineering that our vehicles are as efficient as they are.
We buy more efficient refrigerators, but do we buy smaller ones? No. So we still use more electricity. Same with all the cool looking washers and dryers. They look so european and efficient, but they are smaller and use more energy to do the same amount of laundry 'cause you do more loads. And I don't think you can buy one of the new-fangled design dryers that is gas fired rather than electric (way more efficient than asking the electric company to burn the gas for me, turn it into electricity, ship it to me and then use it to make a heating element glow...)
Efficiency simply means more utility for the same energy use, whether it's miles per gallon or light glow per watt. Where do I have compact flourescents in my house? In 2 lights, both on timers for burglar-fooling. I figure they're not supposed to burn out and use next to no electricity, so why not let 'em run whether I need the light or not. I don't bother turning them off when I am home; I may not remember to turn 'em back on when I leave.
Some of the biggest electricity sinks in the country are server farms, the backbone of the internet, the soul of our more efficient, statist society. Lord knows how much electricity this post will cause to be consumed as it is read by all 7 of the people who glance at Jessica's Well from time to time.
Thank goodness we have all of the state-mandated energy savings devices we do. They will be a great comfort as we go through the next 4 years* in relative poverty due to the current meltdown and the Obama Regime's higher taxation. And when I can't afford to run my heater next winter, I won't even be able to warm my hands over a bare incandescent bulb.
*new campaign statement: "Are you going to be as well off over the NEXT 4 years as you have the last 8?" Not just "NO", but...
Shep...you are doing yeoman duty this week. Your posts are not only informative, but inspiring! Thanks...from one of the 7.
I find it amusing that one city, whose name I forget, had a free exchange of incandescent bulbs for the correct, cough, compact fluorescents. Electricity usage went up 8%.
Goddamned social engineers and statists.