Comments on: President Obama Addresses Plug-in Car Batteries and US Auto Industry in Upcoming Budget and References the Volt http://gm-volt.com/2009/02/25/president-obama-addresses-plug-in-car-batteries-and-us-auto-industry-in-upcoming-budget-and-references-the-volt/ Real-time news, information, and discussion about the Chevrolet Volt. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:41:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Bob G http://gm-volt.com/2009/02/25/president-obama-addresses-plug-in-car-batteries-and-us-auto-industry-in-upcoming-budget-and-references-the-volt/#comment-98080 Bob G Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:26:52 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1540#comment-98080 #121 RB says, "It may be helpful to examine the UN population projections ..." Fascinating! Thanks for pointing that out. Perhaps I am oversimplifying the situation. #121 RB says, “It may be helpful to examine the UN population projections …”

Fascinating! Thanks for pointing that out. Perhaps I am oversimplifying the situation.

]]> By: RB http://gm-volt.com/2009/02/25/president-obama-addresses-plug-in-car-batteries-and-us-auto-industry-in-upcoming-budget-and-references-the-volt/#comment-97947 RB Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:46:58 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1540#comment-97947 #120 Bob G continues his comments on excess human population with the comment <i>Right now, there are still enough resources to keep most of us alive. But species are going extinct at an accelerating rate, arable land is being paved over, resources are being depleted far faster than they are being replenished, and the temperature of the planet is rising. There are almost 7 billion humans, and demographers don’t expect it to level off until 10 billion. It’s quite obvious to me that this situation is not sustainable.</i> ------------------------------------------------------------ It may be helpful to examine the UN population projections for the next 50 years. Their low-variant projection is widely considered to be a dispassionate forecast. The numbers from years 2000 to 2050 are (for age group 0-4, world population, in millions) 621 624 578 547 516 503 ...332 This trend is more indicative of a collapsing population than an exploding one. #120 Bob G continues his comments on excess human population with the comment Right now, there are still enough resources to keep most of us alive. But species are going extinct at an accelerating rate, arable land is being paved over, resources are being depleted far faster than they are being replenished, and the temperature of the planet is rising. There are almost 7 billion humans, and demographers don’t expect it to level off until 10 billion. It’s quite obvious to me that this situation is not sustainable.
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It may be helpful to examine the UN population projections for the next 50 years. Their low-variant projection is widely considered to be a dispassionate forecast. The numbers from years 2000 to 2050 are (for age group 0-4, world population, in millions)

621 624 578 547 516 503 …332

This trend is more indicative of a collapsing population than an exploding one.

]]> By: Bob G http://gm-volt.com/2009/02/25/president-obama-addresses-plug-in-car-batteries-and-us-auto-industry-in-upcoming-budget-and-references-the-volt/#comment-97734 Bob G Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:42:48 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1540#comment-97734 #116 RB Says: "Actually the planet is supporting them quite well. The major cause of early mortality is AIDS and other diseases ..." Right now, there are still enough resources to keep most of us alive. But species are going extinct at an accelerating rate, arable land is being paved over, resources are being depleted far faster than they are being replenished, and the temperature of the planet is rising. There are almost 7 billion humans, and demographers don't expect it to level off until 10 billion. It's quite obvious to me that this situation is not sustainable. But then, maybe the goal isn't for the human species to survive perpetually in a sustainable balance with our environment. Maybe the goal is to grab as much as we can get, party while we can, use it all up, then go extinct like the dinosaurs. If that's the goal, then we are on the right path. #118 There is no such thing as fair trade in the real world. Says: " ... but that we are bad crooks is no excuse to become better crooks." I gave examples of how other countries give themselves advantages. What does the USA do that makes us unfair traders? I think some of this is a cultural difference. My Asian friends tell me that negotiating over there isn't about a win-win solution or fairness to all parties. It's about politely but relentlessly pushing to get the absolute best deal for yourself. And if someone else lets you take advantage of them, then they are weak. Until we learn how to negotiate effectively in that environment, we will continue to decline. Because candidate Obama said that he would negotiate *fair* trade deals, I voted for a democrat for the first time. I hope he doesn't disappoint me. #116 RB Says: “Actually the planet is supporting them quite well. The major cause of early mortality is AIDS and other diseases …”

Right now, there are still enough resources to keep most of us alive. But species are going extinct at an accelerating rate, arable land is being paved over, resources are being depleted far faster than they are being replenished, and the temperature of the planet is rising. There are almost 7 billion humans, and demographers don’t expect it to level off until 10 billion. It’s quite obvious to me that this situation is not sustainable.

But then, maybe the goal isn’t for the human species to survive perpetually in a sustainable balance with our environment. Maybe the goal is to grab as much as we can get, party while we can, use it all up, then go extinct like the dinosaurs. If that’s the goal, then we are on the right path.

#118 There is no such thing as fair trade in the real world. Says: ” … but that we are bad crooks is no excuse to become better crooks.”

I gave examples of how other countries give themselves advantages. What does the USA do that makes us unfair traders?

I think some of this is a cultural difference. My Asian friends tell me that negotiating over there isn’t about a win-win solution or fairness to all parties. It’s about politely but relentlessly pushing to get the absolute best deal for yourself. And if someone else lets you take advantage of them, then they are weak. Until we learn how to negotiate effectively in that environment, we will continue to decline.

Because candidate Obama said that he would negotiate *fair* trade deals, I voted for a democrat for the first time. I hope he doesn’t disappoint me.

]]> By: Hill Arity http://gm-volt.com/2009/02/25/president-obama-addresses-plug-in-car-batteries-and-us-auto-industry-in-upcoming-budget-and-references-the-volt/#comment-97638 Hill Arity Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:07:48 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1540#comment-97638 Rahid Amul: "I love the word re-imagined. I believe with a blank check, anything can be done. " Well sure. If its all just a holygram. Rehab programs like to tell you that "With God - anything is possible." What they mean is "With the right computer programming" anything "seems" possible. When will we acknowledge the artifice of the entire enterprise? Or does that mean growing up? Rahid Amul:

“I love the word re-imagined. I believe with a blank check, anything can be done. ”

Well sure. If its all just a holygram. Rehab programs like to tell you that “With God – anything is possible.” What they mean is “With the right computer programming” anything “seems” possible.

When will we acknowledge the artifice of the entire enterprise? Or does that mean growing up?

]]> By: There is no such thing as fair trade in the real world. http://gm-volt.com/2009/02/25/president-obama-addresses-plug-in-car-batteries-and-us-auto-industry-in-upcoming-budget-and-references-the-volt/#comment-97583 There is no such thing as fair trade in the real world. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:47:56 +0000 http://gm-volt.com/?p=1540#comment-97583 #114 Bob G "the USA is not trading fairly, then we are sure doing a poor job of cheating" That's true, but that we are bad crooks is no excuse to become better crooks. That's like saying the government doesn't work perfectly, getting elected to it so that you're part of the problem, and then functioning incompetently to prove your point while you destroy from within. What positive outcome does that possibly accomplish? Don't the perfect be the enemy of the good. Perhaps instead, we could lead by positive example, and build (jobs, growing economy) a clean, competitive, livable 21st century efficient economy (it's 9 years into it, time to get off our butts and actually do something). Wouldn't that be novel, instead of our recent can't do attitude and dragging our feet, kicking and screaming, towards a cleaner, healthier world for our grandchildren? The last time we had a massive burst of creative innovation and commercial technology application in this country was 1913. Every hunderd years? #114 Bob G

“the USA is not trading fairly, then we are sure doing a poor job of cheating”

That’s true, but that we are bad crooks is no excuse to become better crooks.

That’s like saying the government doesn’t work perfectly, getting elected to it so that you’re part of the problem, and then functioning incompetently to prove your point while you destroy from within. What positive outcome does that possibly accomplish? Don’t the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Perhaps instead, we could lead by positive example, and build (jobs, growing economy) a clean, competitive, livable 21st century efficient economy (it’s 9 years into it, time to get off our butts and actually do something). Wouldn’t that be novel, instead of our recent can’t do attitude and dragging our feet, kicking and screaming, towards a cleaner, healthier world for our grandchildren?

The last time we had a massive burst of creative innovation and commercial technology application in this country was 1913. Every hunderd years?

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