America needs therapy

[georgemw at speakeasy.net]

On 1 Oct 2001, at 11:05, Eric Murray wrote:

> On Mon, Oct 01, 2001 at 09:55:34AM -0500, Harmon Seaver wrote:
> >       Besides which, the true cost of gasoline at the pump would be
> > $10-15 @ gallon without all the gov't subsidies to the oil industry.
> > 
> > http://www.icta.org/projects/trans/rlprexsm.htm
> 
> The study says  $5.60 to $15.14, not $10-15.
> 
> 
> A quick glance find some glaring errors-- 
> 
> -it completely ignores taxes paid by the oil industry.
> 
> -under Environmental Health and social costs they count:
> "noise pollution ($6 to $12 billion), and improper disposal of batteries,
> tires, engine fluids, and junked cars ($4.4 billion) also add to the
> environmental consequences wrought by automobiles."
> 
> It's quite a stretch to claim those as costs of oil.  We'd have
> significant costs for those kind of items even if we all used electric cars
> or even horse and buggy.  Although I suppose that unlike
> a car's engine, when your horse fails, you can eat it.

Not to mention things like "travel delays due to road congestion ($46.5 to 
$174.6 billion)," which not only would still exist with electric cars, but
is a cost ALREADY paid by automobile users.  To  call something like
that a "hidden subsidy of the oil industry" should be enough to get this
"study" rejected by a reesponsible reviewer.

George

> 
> 
> Eric