"We own the automobile companies. Why not?"

Saturday, July 18. 2009

"We own the automobile companies. Why not?"

If anyone ever doubted that government ownership of GM and Chrysler would result in congressional meddling above and beyond simply returning the two auto companies to financial well-being, they need look no further than the comments of Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA).

The Des Moines Register's Philip Brasher reports: (via Michael G. Franc)

Sen. Tom Harkin said he wants Congress to use a climate bill to force auto companies to make new cars and trucks capable of running on 85 percent ethanol as well as conventional gasoline.

"We own the automobile companies. Why not? I think that will be an easy one," Harkin said Thursday, referring to the government interests in Chrysler and General Motors.

Posted by Tom Elia in Politics at 09:58 | Comments (20) | Trackbacks (0)

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Harkin's missing a bet: designing cars to run on piles of old Obama speeches would be even MORE non-polluting, and there are stacks and stacks of them to use. More on the way. A never-ending river of blather fuel.

#1 clyde on 2009-07-18 11:30 (Reply)

Who didn't see this coming? Hope and change is coming...

#2 JJ E. on 2009-07-18 11:34 (Reply)

Ethanol? Ethanol? Where has this idiot Harkins been? Unless he's a major investor in ethanol--which I strongly suspect--then he knows as well as anyone that it costs more to produce a gallon of ethanol than gasoline. Not only that, but when we experimented with producing ethanol last year, nearly half of the world's population almost starved because they couldn't get US-grown corn (the prime ingredient from which ethanol is made) and corn prices here went from $2.00 a bushel to nearly $20.00. No one in their right mind should be advocating the use of this ridiculous "alternative energy source".

#3 jonnot on 2009-07-18 11:35 (Reply)

Who's "we", Senator?

#4 Susan on 2009-07-18 11:44 (Reply)

Iowa Senator = corn from Iowa = ethanol comes from corn = ethanol subsidies for his farmer buddies

#4.1 Steve Wenneborg on 2009-07-18 12:03 (Reply)

Boycott Iowa products!

#4.1.1 Joe Ricky on 2009-07-19 23:06 (Reply)

That's a great idea! Let's keep burning up the world's food supply! It beats burning up all that yucky black stuff we're leaving in the ground in this country.

#5 Mike O (Homepage) on 2009-07-18 13:32 (Reply)

OK, while we're at it make them methanol compatible as well.

Oh, that won't support ADM and Conagra?

Never mind...

#6 Flighterdoc on 2009-07-18 13:42 (Reply)

As a former flex-fuel vehicle owner. I think it would be great to have more FF vehicles... It would help point out to many more people how crappy E85 is. I used E85 exactly one time in my FF vehicle. If very poor performance and very poor fuel efficiency is you quest that is the product.

#7 mndasher on 2009-07-18 13:48 (Reply)

...and it's so much fun having to strip the head off your engine every 30,000 miles because the valves have burned out. The most consistently secure occupation in Brazil, where ethanol is standard, is owning an auto shop that refurbishes the valves in those bloody Beetles that infest the whole darn country.

#7.1 roger on 2009-07-18 18:57 (Reply)

And don't forget that you cannot transport ethanol by pipeline, because it absorbs water, it has to be trucked or shipped.

#8 Someguy on 2009-07-18 13:55 (Reply)

Ethanol is junk fuel. It is nowhere near as "energy dense" as gasoline, so it takes a lot more of it to do the same work as gasoline.

Never mind that it takes an incredible amount of water, and other energy just to produce one gallon of this crap fuel.

We have oil, natural gas running out our ears, and this moron wants E-85?

Moron!

#9 gary on 2009-07-18 13:58 (Reply)

I agree that Senator Harkin's motivations are suspect, and that the only green that interests Al Gore is the kind they print at the Treasury. But the auto modifications in question would make it possible to use a variety of fuels, including gasoline, ethanol, methanol, or any combination. As the Brazilian experience indicates, this has the potential to break the OPEC cartel, reducing the price of gasoline while defunding terrorism. I encourage doubters to read Energy Victory, by Robert Zubrin.

#10 Jerome on 2009-07-18 14:01 (Reply)

Wasn't it the Iowa Caucus that brought us The One? Bugger off, Iowa.

#10.1 miriam (Homepage) on 2009-07-18 16:11 (Reply)

Corn.
Crap crop, crap fuel.

#11 maggiew65 on 2009-07-18 14:35 (Reply)

We live in rural southwest Iowa, and we want flexfuel as much as we want Harkin and a bullet between the eyes. This disgrace continues to be re-elected by the union masses in the eastern part of the state and the confused handout-awaiting masses in the larger metros.

He's been our Biden, known for making up outlandish exaggerations as he goes along. Unfortunately, combined with a statist drive and a penchant for lining his friends pockets with your tax money, he's a dangerous fool

#12 HatlessHessian on 2009-07-18 14:42 (Reply)

Because of govt subsidies for corn ethanol, farmers have stopped growing soy beans to plant corn. The soy market has moved to Brazil to supply the number one consumer of soy protein, China. Where are Brazilian farmers getting the land to grow mega-tons of soy beans? The rain forest!!! Ha! Harkin hates the environment!

#13 jbinnout on 2009-07-18 16:37 (Reply)

Why not require all drivers to carry a bushel of corn in the trunk?

After all, Congress owns the country, doesn't it?

#14 Andrew_M_Garland (Homepage) on 2009-07-18 18:11 (Reply)

What is the real cost of petro? Half the defense budget goes to protecting our access to foreign oil. Meanwhile, flex fuel is also bad, because the engines have to be set up with low compression to run on regular gas. Raise the compression ratio from 8.5:1 to 13:1 and the fuel economy of ethanol power would be close to gasoline.

As far as converting food to fuel, making ethanol leaves 24 pounds of protein from every 56 pounds of corn to be used in animal feed.

#15 Bob on 2009-07-18 18:56 (Reply)

Oh please please please. Please let Congresscritter meddling wreck GM and Chrysler and throw the UAW completely out of work faster than they otherwill.

#16 John on 2009-07-19 14:57 (Reply)

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