Monday, December 8, 2008

So this is what ranting feels like

I know a lot of people that don't deserve it will suffer if GM fails. I realize that the failure of such a company will have a far-reaching effect on many sectors. But I still can't help but hope that their ship sinks because they have caused their own demise.

"General Motors announced today that they have again developed an electric car - the Chevy Volt. The company first developed an electric car - the EV-1 - in 1996, and leased a number of prototypes to Hollywood stars. The EV-1 was made after California legislators mandated the production of zero-emissions vehicles.

But at the same time that the company was producing the world's first electric car, it was also engaged in litigation to force California to lift its mandate.

When the litigation succeeded, and California lifted the requirement for zero-emissions vehicles, General Motors immediately ceased production and had all of the prototypes of the world's first electric car shredded. Now, the company is re-introducing an electric vehicle -- but this one includes a gasoline motor that will automatically switch on after forty miles of driving. When asked about the reason for ceasing production of the EV-1, Denise Gray, the Director of Hybrid Systems for General Motors, didn't have a lot of answers."

This is no conspiracy theory folks, this happened and is happening. There is a documentary called "Who Killed the Electric Car" I would recommend to anyone that wants more info. Moreover, GM has been buying up green technology patents for years only to shelve them because they wanted to eliminate the competition. All of the Big 3, not to mention Big Oil own a large percentage of green technology patents actually. Yet we wonder why we saw gas prices skyrocket in 2008.

What kind of greedy business philosophy would drive companies to act so irresponsibly toward the American people and the environment? If the American people are supposed to "buy American" shouldn't we at least be confident in the knowledge that the same companies we are supporting with our consumer dollars are not ultimately looking to screw us? The way I see it, Big Oil and the Big 3 have become the modern day pusherman.

Maybe now is not the time to get people riled up over this issue; after all, gas prices have fallen recently and it's not hurting pocketbooks as much right? Perhaps when we start to feel the pinch closer to home, that anger will well up again. And by the looks of it, by then, we'll have paid the Big 3 billions of dollars to keep making all the wrong decisions.

No comments: