Energy efficiency

I'm listening to some people talking on the radio about the new mandates for more fuel efficient cars by 2020. I don't see why it's taken this long for people to take action; we were talking about improving efficiency in houses and cars at least as far back as Jimmy Carter's presidency. The argument that more fuel efficient cars will "cost" more ignores the fact that we're paying more for gas now than we would be if cars had been more efficient decades ago, as demand would be much lower than it is. Thus, the long-term result is that more efficient cars cost less, because the cost of fuel is ultimately lower.

Now, if there'd been a higher gas tax long ago, to make saving fuel more appealing to the masses, we'd have seen better vehicles long ago. (Now we're in a recession and even I question the viability of raising the gas tax(es) at this time.) But weren't you more concerned about saving fuel when gas was $4 a gallon? And the thing people seem to forget is, we're dumping our mistakes on our children and grandchildren. Even so, I think there are more and more people recognizing that we need to make big changes in how we use fuel.

On another note, I like T. Boone Pickens's idea that we should fuel commercial trucks with natural gas. It's produced in the US, and I believe it's cleaner than gas.

Now, in QlownTown. everything is powered by gas or hot air, but what types I won't say.