Bailout Watch 9: DetN Buries McCain Op Ed– $5k Fed Tax Credit for Alt. Fuel Vehicles

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

I'm flabbergasted. Presidential hopeful John McCain (or someone on his staff) pens an opinion piece for The Detroit News and the paper doesn't make ANY mention of the Arizona senator's bespoke opus on their on-line home page OR the Autos section. In fact, I would have missed McCain's rant entirely if not for an article in… The Detroit Free Press. WTF is that all about? Anyway, John is holding fast to his "no federal bail out for losers" position. Per se. "With a transition to alternative-fuel vehicles, we can rejuvenate the auto industry, drive cheaply and cleanly and be more secure. I will bring customers to the showroom with up to $5,000 in tax credits to encourage the purchase of these cleaner cars." Did he say American cars? No? Shit! Chill Motown; McCain's left himself some mighty fine wiggle room. "I will continue to meet with the leaders and workers of the Big 3 automakers. If the industry should need federal assistance, I will consider any reasonable proposal they develop that moves the industry to a more stable and prosperous future." So I guess that means McCain still considers it unreasonable to suggest that a federal bailout is reasonable. Or the other way around.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

More by Robert Farago

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 14 comments
  • ZoomZoom ZoomZoom on Aug 19, 2008
    Gleetroit : I have considered these algorithms and it makes sense at peak traffic hours, but I know we don’t have signals that are as intelligent as they could be when I have to stop at 2 am on an 8 lane divided road, for a red light at a Michigan left with nobody there. (I’ve actually been a bit obsessed with this whole traffic light thing becuase I’m fighting a red light ticket at the moment). You are right on. Overwrought mathematics really ARE NOT NECESSARY at 2 am. It might be understandable if traffic algorithms seemed to work correctly at other times (like rush hour), but they never do. I constantly see three directions stopped at a red when the green side has no traffic, and at all hours of the day. Or a 30-second green left-arrow for two cars, while 30 or 40 cars wait in two or three other directions! It's a mess, in every city that I've been to! "Smoothing out traffic down the road" is just another nebulous way for the government bureaucrats to escape accountability. After all, who's gonna check on that?
  • Netrun Netrun on Aug 19, 2008

    @Gleetroit: I think what you are looking for is what they have in that most technologically advanced nation: the Czech Republic. They're system (same as the rest of Yirrup, I believe) works much like our system during daylight hours. At night it becomes a little more efficient and has the functionality I think you crave. Say you are approaching the stoplight and there is no cross-traffic. That is, no cross-traffic has passed under the light for two light-cycles. If you then flash your high beams at the traffic light, it will change the light from red to green in seconds. In practice, the system works wonderfully. I agree that used widely we'd save a lot of gas here in the US of A where we have more traffic lights than miles of roads (it seems). @McCain: Just which way does this guy feel about anything? No matter what I hear on Monday, by Wednesday of the same week I hear him saying the opposite. Every week! Doesn't make any sense. That's not to say I'm eager to try to spend my daughter's inheritance with every cash-strapped solution Obama wants to try, however. Which leads to my quandry: is our system of finding leaders for our country broken? Or is it that only rich people willing to pander to fools (us) are electable?

  • Philipwitak Philipwitak on Aug 19, 2008

    here's the thing about mccain: there's gotta be a better way. here's one - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fZHou18Cdk&feature=related [please forgive me if i have sinned. and delete this comment.]

  • Joeaverage Joeaverage on Aug 27, 2008

    Wonder if that tax creedit would apply to vehicles which carry alt.energy tech but never use it like the E-85 loophole. Wow - look - a better more green car... Yeah, it would be if the owner ever ran it on E-85. (No, not arguing for more E-85, just saying if the credit is given, then it needs to be put to use. Otherwise it is just more gov't money flying out the window...) Why not give me a $5K tax credit to put up solar panels at my house and then another $5K off of a pure EV vehicle? There is some real tangible change and not some more of the age old political shell games our politicians play in this country.

Next