UseMyFedTaxesInMyState

If Cars Are the Problem, They Can Also Be the Solution

Q: Is it just me or does it seem like the country would like the Big 3 solve all the ills of our national energy crisis? Where is the outrage for builders and buyers of homes that are much too large [high carbon sheltering]? Where is the outrage for online shoppers that get overnight shipping [high carbon shopping]? By the same twisted logic that places blame on the auto industry for energy, we ought to place blame on Toll Brothers and Amazon for high carbon sheltering and shopping. It would be more productive to work on these problems as a entire system and value chain - where all parties have collective responsibility to improve the entire energy result. Right now, we, as a nation, want to impose our will on the Big 3 to not only remedy energy issues but also holistically fix social issues like legacy healthcare, retirement, etc.. while other parts of the "free market" do very little to re-balance the transportation energy value chain and social issues. In what type of country do we set up rules where we have huge financial and tax incentives to continue to building more and more assembly line capacity, more and more retail space, more and more housing - all without an energy plan except "let the free market do what it's gonna do". When these uncoordinated incentives run their course we get disruptions like mortgage crises, automotive transportation supply crises, and other energy/economic displacements. Everyone including government needs to get over ourselves and create a coherent plan that includes all energy elements: Infrastructure, Utilities, Energy Suppliers, Automotive Manufacturers, Retailers, Home and Building Constructors, Customers, Local, State, and Federal Government, Financial Institutions. Price signals for food, energy, and transportation drive consumption behaviors. So if you want to create a future that consumes less overall energy, prices have to be structured and maintained to change behaviors. Anything less is a temporary band-aid.