Germans happily pay more for clean energy. Why don’t Americans?

[Zero Sum 305]

When there is money to be made the evil capitalist will capitalize on it.

Favorable to businesses that capitalize on cheap parts? Care to give a example. No need the make the big bad corporate businesses look bad. With any product you can buy a quick fix or spend more and do it right. Once again this should be left up to the people. "you get what you pay for"

Inefficient furnaces tend to arise from cheaper parts. Cheaper parts are installed in units that sell more because they are more 'affordable' to more customers.

More customers purchase the unit = more profit for the manufacturer. Its supply and demand 101.

Political science 101 comes in when the manufacturers get lobbyists to buy congressional votes against incrementing incentives for more efficient units that spell out less profitability from the replacement of cheaper units.

If you want to hyperbolize it to the point of big-bad biz, and evil capitalists, its your deal. I merely give you what it is: profits before efficiency.

[mawilson 2,133]

Let's talk about the Holocaust. I'd love to see you introduce beer into that conversation

British schoolchildren 'think Auschwitz is a beer'

Edited April 21, 2011 by mawilson

[^_^ 5,021]

British schoolchildren 'think Auschwitz is a beer'

VJ needs a facepalm emoticon.

[mawilson 2,133]

VJ needs a facepalm emoticon.

You said you would love to see it. Do I get a pint of cold Auschwitz now?

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

You said you would love to see it. Do I get a pint of cold Auschwitz now?

[_Simpson_ 250]

Inefficient furnaces tend to arise from cheaper parts. Cheaper parts are installed in units that sell more because they are more 'affordable' to more customers.

More customers purchase the unit = more profit for the manufacturer. Its supply and demand 101.

Political science 101 comes in when the manufacturers get lobbyists to buy congressional votes against incrementing incentives for more efficient units that spell out less profitability from the replacement of cheaper units.

If you want to hyperbolize it to the point of big-bad biz, and evil capitalists, its your deal. I merely give you what it is: profits before efficiency.

I wont make excuses for stupid consumers. You buy cheap you get cheap. So dont buy cheap.

[HeatDeath 430]

Perhaps you know much less about Germany than you make yourself believe. As a born and raised German that has still spent more of his life there than anywhere else and still has all of his family and friends there, I think I have a pretty good grasp on what Germany is and isn't. It's not a nation of little fascists and autocrats as you would want to believe and propagandize around here. But hey, whatever floats your ignorant little boat, my friend.

I didn't say Germany was "a nation of little fascists and autocrats". I said it's a nation of people who like having their leadership caste composed of fascists and autocrats.

Big difference.

Edited April 21, 2011 by HeatDeath

[Zero Sum 305]

I wont make excuses for stupid consumers. You buy cheap you get cheap. So dont buy cheap.

Good for you. What furnace do you have at home, if you have one?

"Stupid consumers"... sounds a lot like the consumers have real choices and the cheaper choice is a stupid one. Good to know!

Those that own furnaces would do well in posting here what they paid and what energy efficiency rating they went from and to. Then you can assign them an intelligence coefficient.

The philosophy would be good though... if enough not-so stupid customers buy better gear, do you think the market would adjust itself to lower prices on high quality, high efficiency units? Or would they merely follow the law of supply and demand? And more importantly, would we be here to overgeneralize both customers and producers?

Edited April 21, 2011 by Zero Sum

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

that's one thing that irked me about the euro. before the euro, you could get a nice beer for 5 marks. now it's 5 euro!

True, a number of things have gotten pricier when they converted to the EUR. Although, your regular pint beer can still be had for about 3.50 in many little corner pubs. Can't beat the retail prices for beer, though. It goes for between EUR 0.60 and 1.00 per liter. That's the equivalent of about USD 7.00 - 12.00 for a case. Here you get a six pack for the lower and a 12 pack for the higher end of that scale. Plus sales tax.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

British schoolchildren 'think Auschwitz is a beer'

That's just silly. Everyone knows that Fcuking Hell is a beer.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

they need a pissen beer too.

[HappyInHawaii 6]

All this talk of beer is making me thirsty. SanMigel in PH was pretty tasty and really inexpensive. It took a while to get used to drinking it on ice at some places.

I am all for paying a little more now "to invest in using our current fuels more efficiently and environmentally cleaner as well as implementing alternative energy sources".

Back 8 or 10 tears ago when car manufactures whined and moaned about, oohh how much more expensive cars and truck will be to build if they had to meet better fuel economy standards, and the government at that time just rolled over. I was pissed off about that. And I truly think the car manufactures had they improved the mileage then, maybe they could have been more competitive before the collapse.

I could go on and on in all different directions because some people live in their own private little world and they got theirs now. It so easy for them to forget before, they benefited from the same democratic government they now refuse to contribute to.

Anyways, enough of my ranting and raving. I got get back to work. Peace

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

All this talk of beer is making me thirsty.

Me too. It's about time to head over to the Wing House for happy hour.

[jundp 191]

If you are seriously arguing that the relative liberalism of post-war Germany represents a fundamental shift in an aspect of Germanic national character that remained unchanged for almost a thousand years, I think you may not have as solid a grasp on human nature as you might want.

I think some of us here have a better grasp on German national character than you might.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I think some of us here have a better grasp on German national character than you might.

It might have changed recently, but I noticed when I was a kid over there that the Germans were probably the nicest peeps on earth, yet they did have an "ant colony - bee hive" mentality. It's not a bad thing, it was just what it was. It seems to work.