Hummer Heroes

Despite the bad press, and the disdainful looks from the dutifully outraged, those who drive gigantic Hummers for real or compensatory reasons, are progressive technology heroes. That's how things work.

First off, if it is true that they use a lot of fuel, they are paying lots of extra tax per mile because each gallon of gasoline includes tax. And those things are made to go off road, so the real deal won't even be using highway infrastructure.

The way things really change, like the switch from whale oil to petroleum products, is for one source to become less abundant as another becomes more easily obtainable. Such things often involve discovery, development, vision, profit, and improved ways of doing things. They almost never involve technology dictated by thugs in lawyer and politician suits. Good things come because nature demands and offers them. Synthetic markets only retard the process. Like the solar goods available in CA.

They even advertise that they are as cheap as regular energy, once you account for state, federal, local, and power company rebates and incentives. That's like saying a horse and buggy is as fast as a Bugatti, provided you truck it to the finish line prior to the start of the race. Such a market increases the motivation to produce a bunch of what exists, but no incentive to make a product which is really does the job better than the existing technology.

Better things can and should be built. Especially designs which free people from centralized control of power, fuel for transportation, water, and all else. Those who benefit from power and control over those necessities resist and fight any change which places the individual in control over his own utilities and mobility.

Incentive and need to create really effective alternatives, which can stand on their own merit, are not there if tax dollars are used to cover the shortcomings in design and function. If fuel is used up, and costs increased due to scarcity resulting from Hummer use, I guarantee those who love to play will find ways to make it happen by other means. Maybe using fat from liposuction clinics. That's how things have always worked.

People find ways to tame or make use of nature in a manner which fits a set of parameters. It's called engineering. So, you ask how can I make this monster all terrain vehicle go a long way at 100 mph without making lots of smoke and trouble. Then creative smart people set out to make it happen.

Of course, it does skew the game when that which is not very harmful, if at all, is treated as if it is. Politicians, newspeople, and science often mix to give a picture as clear as viewing a horse race through a kaleidoscope. Based on truth, but nothing close to the real picture.

Instead of the crazy attitude that Hummers are somehow hurting the world, reality and truth should be embraced. They give something to shoot for. How can I equal what a Hummer can do, not sacrificing space, speed, or utility, but using another power or fuel source? That's how humans think in a FREE world; not in terms of "How can I lower my standard of living and that of my comrades, while patting myself on the back for doing good?".

Contrary to everything the class war beneficiaries and killjoy thugs may tell us, I am all for corporations throwing big lavish parties, buying and using private jets. refurbishing their offices, generally spending money that pays people to do and make things. But then, I am not for government investing a dime in any private company, telling them who to do business with, or interfering in any way other than to prevent them from using force or fraud.

I would forbid the sale of arms outside the US, regardless of the customer. But I'd also forbid the government from engaging in foreign aid of any kind. Let the citizens do what they want independently as far as charitable acts go.

Controlled and artificially manipulated markets are the plaything of the arrogant egomaniacs who assume they know better than the people what is good for them. The truth is, there are no limits to the possibilities in the realm of energy and all else that makes life a bowl of cherries. Don't be fooled by people who claim to know all the options, therefore they use your money to fund what they say are the best of the allegedly limited choices.

I hope the enthusiasm for the unknown, and the belief in what is possible comes through as much as my dislike of the people who try to manage the lives of others. Safe to say I find the trend toward a Brave New World over the last thirty or one hundred years, completely unacceptable, and I would embrace any revolution to restrict this government to its originally stated functions.