The Balkanization is real and it's clear the Elites have little, if any, understanding about how the rest of us live. Nor do they care to know. Their God-given role is to prescribe how WE should live.
I'm not sure the divide can be bridged ... I am coming to the conclusion saying no to the prescriptions is best. There are many, many more of us than them.
Kimberley Strassel did an excellent piece in the WSJ earlier this year about those elitists' views. It's downright scary, yet it is the Democratic Party.
"The elite give President Biden an 84% approval rating, compared with 40% from non-elites. And their complete faith in fellow elites extends beyond Mr. Biden. Large majorities of them have a favorable view of university professors (89%), journalists (79%), lawyers and union leaders (78%) and even members of Congress (67%). Two-thirds say they’d prefer a candidate who said teachers and educational professionals, not parents, should decide what children are taught.
More striking is the elite view on bedrock American principles, central to the biggest political fights of today. Nearly 50% of elites believe the U.S. provides “too much individual freedom”—compared with nearly 60% of voters who believe there is too much “government control.”"
Not only do the "elite" class possess no understanding of the peoples over whom they presume to rule, but (1) they actively detest them, and (2) they pay no price for being wrong.
They push policies that make themselves feel good yet are hugely destructive for those whom they affect, and they don't give the slightest damn about any of it. "Learn to code," they say.
Meanwhile, if a "doctor" goes on TV and urges me to do something medically, it doesn't matter what kind of stupid nonsense he pushes, he won't know of any unintended or negative consequences, he won't receive any blowback, and he won't give a damn if he does.
If my doctor does something similarly stupid or shortsighted that deeply harms me or mine, even if I can't sue him or exact any legal price, I can still cut his tires or snap his neck.
I agree “the best and brightest” are not really, and not qualified to make decisions for me. You note the EV situation. Let me suggest that EVs are a paradigm shift that isn’t yet understood. Think of the personal computer. Of what we understood with the Apple //e and first IBM PC, and then look at what we have today. Would have been a massive mistake for “the best and brightest” to dictate the future of computing based on what they thought they knew then.
A Tesla semi hauled 80,000 pounds 500 miles through a mountain pass on one charge. Not stopping 2 hours every 150 miles. My $50k Model Y is said to be able to charge 150 miles of range in 15 minutes ( I have not tried.) When Walmart is 30 miles away gas stations are also few and far apart but with rural electrification I can start every morning with up to 330 miles in my Tesla tank. The “charger” requires nothing more than my arc welder, a 50A circuit. Can also use a simple 120v outlet. So maybe the EV is better for rural use than urban? I also have an F-150, 6 motorcycles, and an ATV, so I’m covered whatever happens.
EVs are a paradigm shift before the paradigm was ready to shift. There is little to no effective infrastructure for charging and studies show there isn't nearly enough generating capacity for the grids needed to support widespread charging stations. I don't doubt it will get figured out, but the idea that such a shift can be forced by policy is insane.
In your example of the PCs, the infrastructure was already there and the work was really a work transfer from manual processing to chip processing. Similar, but not the same challenges as putting millions of EVs on the road.
No, the internet was not there. Few had any idea what would come. Of Macintosh. Or iPhone.
I agree government has no place in picking winners and losers, no place in forcing or even promoting EVs. But Tesla (without government assistance) has built an excellent Supercharger network. Can drive most anywhere in the USA with small inconvenience. Up to 150 miles in 15 minutes with the middle model.
Agree, EV can not be forced without great error. Just as computers could not have been forced, we would be stuck with PC-DOS 3.3.
Those who do not drive EVs can not seem to understand why EVs do not need a gas station on every street corner. Why would I go somewhere to wait 15-30 minutes and pay 3-4x more than I pay at home? Pound The Much Maligned Grid with up to 250 kW demand during the day when supply is at premium? Or 15 seconds to plug in at home. 15 seconds to unplug. Sleep all night when charging during the times electrical power is must plentiful using a modest 7-10 kW load.
The one place fast EV charging is useful is on major transportation corridors. This is what Tesla has been doing.
Tomorrow I have a 150 mile drive. Not sweating it at all. No chargers on the route. Expect to return home with about 100 miles remaining. Not even leaving home with a full battery.
But no matter how happy you are, it didn't change the grid concerns or the fact that the true total cost of ownership of an EV has not become a reality to most individual owners. It has to fleet owners and they are getting out of electrics as fast as they can.
This pattern has already been witnessed with compressed natural gas.
Market trends indicate most people don't agree with you.
One of your best analysis pieces.
The Balkanization is real and it's clear the Elites have little, if any, understanding about how the rest of us live. Nor do they care to know. Their God-given role is to prescribe how WE should live.
I'm not sure how to bridge that divide.
I'm not sure the divide can be bridged ... I am coming to the conclusion saying no to the prescriptions is best. There are many, many more of us than them.
Kimberley Strassel did an excellent piece in the WSJ earlier this year about those elitists' views. It's downright scary, yet it is the Democratic Party.
"The elite give President Biden an 84% approval rating, compared with 40% from non-elites. And their complete faith in fellow elites extends beyond Mr. Biden. Large majorities of them have a favorable view of university professors (89%), journalists (79%), lawyers and union leaders (78%) and even members of Congress (67%). Two-thirds say they’d prefer a candidate who said teachers and educational professionals, not parents, should decide what children are taught.
More striking is the elite view on bedrock American principles, central to the biggest political fights of today. Nearly 50% of elites believe the U.S. provides “too much individual freedom”—compared with nearly 60% of voters who believe there is too much “government control.”"
Archived at: https://archive.is/PL3XV
You’re on the money with this one Michael ….
Not only do the "elite" class possess no understanding of the peoples over whom they presume to rule, but (1) they actively detest them, and (2) they pay no price for being wrong.
They push policies that make themselves feel good yet are hugely destructive for those whom they affect, and they don't give the slightest damn about any of it. "Learn to code," they say.
Meanwhile, if a "doctor" goes on TV and urges me to do something medically, it doesn't matter what kind of stupid nonsense he pushes, he won't know of any unintended or negative consequences, he won't receive any blowback, and he won't give a damn if he does.
If my doctor does something similarly stupid or shortsighted that deeply harms me or mine, even if I can't sue him or exact any legal price, I can still cut his tires or snap his neck.
I agree “the best and brightest” are not really, and not qualified to make decisions for me. You note the EV situation. Let me suggest that EVs are a paradigm shift that isn’t yet understood. Think of the personal computer. Of what we understood with the Apple //e and first IBM PC, and then look at what we have today. Would have been a massive mistake for “the best and brightest” to dictate the future of computing based on what they thought they knew then.
A Tesla semi hauled 80,000 pounds 500 miles through a mountain pass on one charge. Not stopping 2 hours every 150 miles. My $50k Model Y is said to be able to charge 150 miles of range in 15 minutes ( I have not tried.) When Walmart is 30 miles away gas stations are also few and far apart but with rural electrification I can start every morning with up to 330 miles in my Tesla tank. The “charger” requires nothing more than my arc welder, a 50A circuit. Can also use a simple 120v outlet. So maybe the EV is better for rural use than urban? I also have an F-150, 6 motorcycles, and an ATV, so I’m covered whatever happens.
EVs are a paradigm shift before the paradigm was ready to shift. There is little to no effective infrastructure for charging and studies show there isn't nearly enough generating capacity for the grids needed to support widespread charging stations. I don't doubt it will get figured out, but the idea that such a shift can be forced by policy is insane.
In your example of the PCs, the infrastructure was already there and the work was really a work transfer from manual processing to chip processing. Similar, but not the same challenges as putting millions of EVs on the road.
No, the internet was not there. Few had any idea what would come. Of Macintosh. Or iPhone.
I agree government has no place in picking winners and losers, no place in forcing or even promoting EVs. But Tesla (without government assistance) has built an excellent Supercharger network. Can drive most anywhere in the USA with small inconvenience. Up to 150 miles in 15 minutes with the middle model.
Agree, EV can not be forced without great error. Just as computers could not have been forced, we would be stuck with PC-DOS 3.3.
Those who do not drive EVs can not seem to understand why EVs do not need a gas station on every street corner. Why would I go somewhere to wait 15-30 minutes and pay 3-4x more than I pay at home? Pound The Much Maligned Grid with up to 250 kW demand during the day when supply is at premium? Or 15 seconds to plug in at home. 15 seconds to unplug. Sleep all night when charging during the times electrical power is must plentiful using a modest 7-10 kW load.
The one place fast EV charging is useful is on major transportation corridors. This is what Tesla has been doing.
Tomorrow I have a 150 mile drive. Not sweating it at all. No chargers on the route. Expect to return home with about 100 miles remaining. Not even leaving home with a full battery.
Good for you. If it works for you, great.
But no matter how happy you are, it didn't change the grid concerns or the fact that the true total cost of ownership of an EV has not become a reality to most individual owners. It has to fleet owners and they are getting out of electrics as fast as they can.
This pattern has already been witnessed with compressed natural gas.
Market trends indicate most people don't agree with you.