flipdog1

Thursday Outlook: Commodities, Global Markets

I calculated 194,400,000.00 troy OZ.
I can rest easy now.lol

On Anti-Suburbanism and Government Land Ownership

I am not sure the point of the article,either.
In general , planners and planning have been behind the curve,and hiking without a compass,thus walking a long circular route and returning to the 1950's, albeit with more local government control.
Folks making decisions without skin in the game.

PG&E Wants DOE Dollars for Underground Air Energy Storage

Lets see here boys.
California is not allowing drilling for oil or gas.
Soon,refiners will be history and huge gas and petroleum pipelines will be idle.
Rent the pipe lines and fill them with air.
A permit to build anything will take years anyway.
Saves a lot of CO2 pollution.
(I hope you see the humor in this)

Distinction Between Positive and Normative Economics Misses the Point

So, you are one of the people who propose and craft all the CRAP coming out of DC and local zoning and utility boards,which deprive us of our freedoms and our wealth.
Do you sleep well?

Debunking PHEV Mythology

I can say there is a LOT of interest in Cars,and even more opinions.The 1st chapter of the play is not even written,and opinions abound about winners.My opinion is that the real winner is probably just an idea in someones mind,and will eventually come to the fore.In the meantime I am driving my gas guzzling ,paid for GMC trucks,until I can find a used diesel V W at a value price.
There is too much research ongoing for what I see now to be the end game.

Homebuilders Are Buying Up Lots

When new lots are developed in the future the minimum cost for builders will be based on developed land costs.Then the true costs of the some absurd environmental regulations and government fees will come to light.Smaller, more efficient ,homes will be affected.
I have been watching zoning regulations for 40 years,and its all about control and $.They are mostly fighting the last battle's unintended consequences,and are mostly late and behind developers,who have actual skin in the game.
When the present approved supply is gone ,the next batch will just cost more.

The Middle Ground with Global Warming

Don't you just love tunnel vision?
The science is far from settled,we can drill here and keep our assets here, we can easily change to nat gas for big trucks and boilers,we will change to alt energy when it is naturally economical.
Have a nice day.

Tight Sands Natural Gas: An Ignored and Promising U.S. Energy Frontier

Why do folks become idiots when elected to Washington?
Why do enviro-nuts put humans lower on the scale than minnows?
Why are producers punished ?
Because we allow it to occur.
Drill Here,Drill Now,transition from oil to gas over 20 years,and live happily ever after.
Have you seen the Google map of the city our money built in the desert ?(Palm near Dubai ,on the sea)
They would have been smarter to have built a greenhouse and a nuclear reactor , because the oil will run out.Then What?

The Seven Immutable Laws of Bubbles

Great article!
I tried to warn folks in RE and Govt in 2006 ,but none wanted the wheel to stop.
What do you think of the automobile bubble,I think since the late 70s?
1st the moat disappeared ,then finance terms went from 2 years to 6 years.Much was driven by govt mandates of safety and fuel economy?
Sorry about being late to read.

Wal-Mart Could Give Solar Energy Tremendous Boost

Economics!
Research is on going,panels are getting more efficient,batteries/st... are getting better.An overnight success is just around the corner.The corner is just down the block and over the hill. Wal-Marts Pilot study is gutsy and instructive.
Good for them.

Why GM Is Ready for a Rebound

One definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over ,expecting a different result.
I have 2 GMC PU's.I like them.
The 94 model cost too much at $23000,but has 228,000 miles and is still great.
The 2001 cost $45,000 which was too high,and I bought it used for $25000 in 2003.
My point is that GMC is a good reliable truck,that costs tooo much.
The theme of my discourse is that the two entities that brought GM Chrysler and Ford down,The UAW and Management ,are in charge of the New GM.
Why do you think any thing will change?
In 70 years they managed to eliminate the WIDE MOAT the domestic manufacturers had after WWII.
They allowed stockholders and debt holders to spend billions to modernize plants and processes,had a large tarfif on imports,and in return coerced insane work rules and benefits,leading to today.
Why do you think an auto is financed for 4 times as long today as it was in 1968?
I believe it is because they cost 4 times more than they should,since the unions had an $80/hr rate,and most folks would be fortunate to average $20.00/hr.
I could be wrong , but just think .

Rustbelt Renaissance?

The transition from OIL to EV should be a natural progression,based on the economics of transportation costs, which can be done with leadership.Pushing the folks will leave a lot of unhappy campers.

What's the Real Cost of the Cap-and-Trade Program?

I do not believe CO2 is a pollutant,but necessary.
CO2 makes up .o35% of the atmosphere or2.208E12 ton of CO2 of the Total Atmosphere of 5.811E 15 tons.If we do not(can not) account for normal use and sequestration ,and using your numbers, we could double in 70 years .In my opinion, real advances in new, economical, technology will occur in the next 10 years and make carbon tax unnecessary and invalid.
More needs to be done with the carbon cycle before cap and trade.
Global Warming by Human is not settled science!

More on the Scarcity of Land Debate

Land is not created equally,but is valued by association with available water in any form ,such as aquifer,lake, stream ,river ,or rainfall.It is no accident that the main concern of Mars and our Moon is the presence of water.
Available land is diminished by zelous enforcement of the Clean Water Act,The Endangered Species Act ,the BLM and local Zoning.

Recession Fades, But Recovery Lags

FYI
Pelosi was put into the majority in 2006,because of the war.
She spoke early and often for raising taxes,as did her compatriots.
Higher Taxes are a disincentive for folks to invest and borrow at the margin.
The President heaped on the confusion with a lack of transparency,not of whether taxes were going up,but by how much and what level would be affected.
The question I have is .Why would anyone invest or borrow to improve a business when the marginal gains would be taxed away?

You want recovery,reign in Government spending at the margin,do an about face on raising Taxes and fees,allow drilling any where,get off CO2 as a pollutant,put some people in jail for the mortgage mess,replace tax law with a simple tax system ,reduce the size of the government,revisit the EPA authority,and GET BACK TO THE RULE OF LAW.