Design the world's best range of autos for $250 Billion?

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Nomen Nescio - 20 Mar 2006 00:00 GMT

Read Nomen's comments below this news excerpt:

>The U.S. taxpayers' tab
>Americans have spent $250 billion on military operations and
>reconstruction efforts in Iraq, a war that is currently costing the
>Pentagon roughly $6 billion a month, according to the nonpartisan
>Congressional Research Service.
>
>This spending does not include so-called fixed costs that are part of
>Pentagon spending such as pay for the troops but accounts for only the
>direct war costs, such as bonus pay for combat operations, as well as
>fuel, munitions and other war-related expenses.
>
>The war's true price tag, however, will include expenses not included in
>this reckoning, particularly the long-term costs of providing lifetime
>health care to soldiers wounded in the war or suffering from mental health
>issues related to the conflict, recurring expenses certain to range in the
>billions of dollars per year.
>
>Nor do these costs include the interest on the additional debt incurred to
>finance the war.
>
>"There will be tail costs," said U.S. Comptroller General David Walker,
>head of the Government Accountability Office, a congressional agency that
>oversees federal spending. "There will be costs that will be coming down
>the road."
>
>Billions of dollars in tanks, aircraft, communications gear and other
>military equipment has been worn out, destroyed or given to new Iraqi
>forces during the conflict. "
>
>Some replacement funds are included in the Pentagon's current spending.
>But military officials say billions in additional spending will be needed
>to bring inventories of critical gear back up to pre-war levels.

GM lost $10,000,000,000 last year, a DROP IN THE BUCKET when compared to
this failed war. While government has no business investing in private
enterprises like automobiles, instead of dropping $250 billion and rising
into this black hole, had it invested it in auto development, as a partner,
we would catch up and overtake what is now the best the world has to offer.

Toyota, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz all would be pale in comparison to what the
U.S. could do if it would not squander its resources in Iraq. Its the old
guns vs butter argument.

Why not a flying car? Individual inventors on $100,000 budgets have built
them, though not commercially successful. Would not a few billion invested
in this project reap practical rewards and a hundred thousand jobs to boot?

Its okay for government to partner with the automakers. They do it all the
time with aerospace companies. Think of the level to which we could bring
automotives if the government through its full weight behind its very much
needed advancement. Don't count on GM, Ford, or Daimler-Chrysler to do it.
They all are narrow minded, immediate gratifiers. Only the governmnent and
the taxpayers who fund it have the forsight to think progressively.

Our cars remain a century behind aviation in every respect. Its Russian
roulette when you have to go somewhere. Here's one of a hundred possible
proofs: Travel insurance covers a missed flight due to an accident on the
way to the airport, BUT does NOT COVER a mechanical breakdown which causes
a missed flight (even when backed by tow and repair bills). Cars are plain
unreliable and as far as travel insurance companies are concerned,
uninsurable. Just $10,000,000,000 of government money would rectify this
by financing the development of aviation-rated auto systems that would
assure you of getting from point A to point B without worrying about a
mechanical breakdown. (If that sounds like a lot, its only 1/25th of the
cost of this illegal war--yes, its illegal because Congress hasn't (and
wouldn't) formally declared it....read the Constitution instead of
listening to politicians who need impeachment)

We have become the laughing stock of the world. We don't even make forks
and spoons anymore in this country. We have reduced ourselves to having
our star high school graduates flipping burgers and driving cars designed
by ex-toilet bowl e-nigger-neers.

The truth hurts.