Our World and Everything in It

 
Dingell should get off his duff if he doesn’t want that conflict. The new senate flat out told Exxon Mobil and the Bush Administration to “stop the denial” about global warming and CO2. It exists. Dingell is dragging his feet on the issue, not because he doesn’t believe in environmentalism, but because it will hurt our already ailing automotive market. It looks to me like Pelosi is tired of waiting. Her committee is scheduled to have all info in and ready for the public by July 4^th, this year. Dingell’s memorandum listed no deadline for completion.  Let’s think about this. It’s noble for Dingell to try to protect Michigan’s auto industry and much of our economy and his stock and mine.  But is stalling on global warming and the advent of new fuels the right way to do it?  I would gladly convert my Ford stock to invest in a new hydrogen plant. I would make more money, the hydrogen plants would employ people, and Michigan would be a forerunner for this alternative fuel and grow wealthy. Ford would still be rich.

 
Slowing the rush to stop global warming may help a little in the next year or two for American carmakers. They have very few hybrids and will not have much until 2009. Consumers are dialing down this winter and gas prices have dropped. That will help sell a few more cars. However, a savvy car buyer will be concerned about resale, just like large homeowners. And the weather is everyone’s conscience these days. It’s like that little voice that says something is not right. Don’t ignore it. The weather isn’t going to ease up. Eventually it will propel people to do whatever to stop it from escalating.

 
I think the Big 3 ignored the little voice in lieu of Big Oil. Bush’s refusal to meet with the Big 3 is suspicious as if to say we’ve already paid you big time to continue as is, don’t whine.  Explain Daimler-Chrysler with no hybrid at the auto show. In 2003, they produced 3 hydrogen fuel buses for Iceland and invested in their hydrogen infrastructure. They obviously knew the shift was coming. They have nothing to offer Americans yet. Isn’t that curious? Why didn’t they invest in hydrogen plant facilities in Michigan?  Or have they? It would be ideal. We’re surrounded by water.

 
And what about Toyota? The Prius is not that new. The moment that car came out, the Big 3 should have seriously taken notice. Change was in the air. What happened to foresight? Where was marketing? While companies like GE and Dupont invest millions in an environmental future, much of it overseas, and stand to reap billions from it, the Big 3 have lost ground and are drowning in Big Oil. Toyota will pull farther ahead in the next two years. They will have perfected the technology. They already streamlined their manufacturing, cut their energy costs 20%, and will cut them by another 15%. With cost down they will produce a cheaper car. By 2009 Americans will have a choice to buy very expensive, don’t have the bugs out yet, limited models of hybrid American cars, compared to a cheaper, perfected, Asian version that offers many choices.  

Stalling environmentalism and alternative fuels is doing more harm than good for our auto industry and economy.  To the people out there screaming global warming is a hoax, it’s a ploy, what if it is? The weather isn’t helping that argument any. And outside of being a virtuous act for the earth, environmentalism is moving the world’s economy in a different direction. We’re noticeably behind our competitors. They are positioned to overtake us on that front. We can thank Big Oil who furnished some of its $1146 per second net income for the denial machine that’s put us on this merry go round about global warming. Only a few American companies grabbed the golden ring of green. Michigan will not improve until it grabs this opportunity for what it is, a golden opportunity.  Pelosi’s committee will if anything get things moving. To that I say, get on with it.