

Former president George H.W. Bush jumps on the Volt bandwagon



Sources: Bloomberg, Fox News, General Motors

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RE: volt
By Nfarce on 4/3/2012 3:09:23 PM , Rating: 1
And I actually like the Volt and am a conservative. However I do not see it worth $40 grand, and keep in mind it has received $3 billion in government subsidies to stay afloat (even after laying off 1,300 employees temporarily due to low sales):

So the bottom line here is that it's not Republicans so much bashing the car as they are bashing the way the Volt was rammed down America's throats by the federal government with our tax dollars (gee that sounds familiar doesn't it SCOTUS?). The Volt has hardly been the revolutionary game changer in main stream "Green Energy" transportation as it was envisioned by the current administration.

And unlike petroleum products being in just about every aspect of our lives somehow from HDTV/PC monitor bezels to transporting chicken to grocery stores, a Chevy Volt is not affecting our daily lives - subsidized or unsubsidized.

RE: volt
By Keeir on 4/3/2012 6:33:23 PM , Rating: 4
I'd like to take a second to aside that link.

It's based on an "analysis" done by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy with a rather "flawed" center piece. That any and all subsidies given to a Volt supplier are 100% accountable to the Volt program.

Lets look at noted examples in the article. "GM Brownstone Plant" got a grant from the DOE. Yes, this plant produces Chevy Volt batteres. It is also slated to produce batteries for a variety of cars, including Buick LaCrosse Hybrid. Hamtramck recieved funding as well. Of course, it produces Volts, Malibus, and planned next gen Impala. Compact Power produces battery modules for both GM and Ford. So it's unclear why thier entire subsidy is accounted against just 1 GM product.

But you know what the most telling thing is? I go to the Mackinac website and I am unable to find the study . Apparently this Hohman felt so confident in his analysis, he needed to keep the details to himself. So I did some digging. James Hohman usually analyzes Pensions and Unionization of Local Michigan Government. His public bio doen't mention much besides he has a BBA in economics from Northwood University (Bachelors of Business Adminstration... school does not offer BA/BS/BSE degrees). He is ~27 years old, and he is career has essentially been working for a think-tank only. (I am unable to find any other employment history).

So lets look again, a 27 year old professional think tank employee with little experience in automobiles, manufacturing, technology or even government incentives makes an undocumented statement that is picked up by new sources. That's not really a good basis for forming an opinion. While I usually don't condon focusing the individual, without his study or analysis, all I can do is form a reaction based on his personal credentials... which don't show a reason to trust his word about this type of analysis.

RE: volt
By Nfarce on 4/3/2012 8:09:26 PM , Rating: 2
Yeah there is no "official" study of the true Volt cost by an entity like the CBO because the government has hidden the true costs from all. Take note that we do know how much failed Big Green energy companies like Solyndra received in that 2009 "stimulus" bill (

But for the Volt and subsidies, not much "official" info is out there. Don't you find that just a little bit suspicious? What does the government have to hide there? Or is it because so many different hands were in this pot that the cost can never be truly tallied? But even if the study is a half-truth at best, it's better than no truth at all. It's not a matter of if the Volt got's a matter of how much it got.

RE: volt
By Keeir on 4/4/2012 12:12:21 AM , Rating: 4

You misunderstand.



For A THINK-TANK to not produce a STUDY is ODD since its thier PRIMARY FUNCTION.

The CBO on the other hand is the Congressional Budget Office. Its PRIMARY FUNCTION is to run financials on direct budget items voted on by Congress of the Untied States. Since the majority of Volt subsidies were not DIRECT decisions by Congress, the CBO would never produce a study focused on just the Volt, it would be outside thier duty statement. The GAO is the Government organization that would be more likely a source. But even the GAO would prefer to focus on say the ATVM loans rather than a single car.

