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Hi folks -- there is so much hype right now about electric vehicles and their future. This hype has become more intense as Detroit Auto Show opens today, and copmpanies like GM and Chrysler are working public relations to defuse any thoughts that they might not have a rosy future.
However, if we are to believe a report by the National Research Council, subsidies of "tens to hundreds of billions of dollars" will be needed over several decades to spur development and deployment of plug-in hybrid vehicles. The problem is one of the cost of batteries. Consequently, a PHEV may cost $18,000 more than a similar internal combustion engine powered car. It is the lithium-ion batteries that are the main reason for the price differential. According to the report, battery technology is developing at a rapid pace, but marked cost reductions won't take place anytime soon. These lithium-ion batteries are especially important for cell phones and laptops, but of course are much smaller.
There still is hope for a breakthrough that will drive down costs. In the end some 13 million electric cars are projected to be on the roads of America by 2030, These vehicles can be serviced by the power grid so long charging takes place at low load times of the day.
Hi folks -- my thanks to Ed Garten for this newsworthy clip:
Director Oliver Stone's upcoming Showtime documentary miniseries "Secret History of America" promises to put mass murderers such as Stalin and Hitler "in context." "Stalin, Hitler, Mao, McCarthy -- these people have been vilified pretty thoroughly by history," Stone told reporters at the Television Critics Association's semi-annual press tour in Pasadena. "Stalin has a complete other story," Stone said. "Not to paint him as a hero, but to tell a more factual representation. He fought the German war machine more than any single person. We can't judge people as only 'bad' or 'good.' Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and its been used cheaply. He's the product of a series of actions. It's cause and effect ... People in America don't know the connection between WWI and WWII ... I've been able to walk in Stalin's shoes and Hitler's shoes to understand their point of view. We're going to educate our minds and liberalize them and broaden them. We want to move beyond opinions ... Go into the funding of the Nazi party. How many American corporations were involved, from GM through IBM. Hitler is just a man who could have easily been assassinated."
NOTE THAT DURING THE PAST DECADE RESEARCHERS HAVE POURED OVER DOCUMENTS AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ON THIS TOPIC, AND SEVERAL BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ON GM AND HITLER/NAZIS. Timing is evverything here. 1939 -- Opel and the Nazis, maybe. 1941 or 1942, Opel is divorced from GM and highly unlikely. CONSPIRACY THEORIES ARE VERY HARD TO CONVINCINGLY PROVE, MR. STONE!!!!
Hi folks -- I had a great treat this morning. I got over to the SD Automotive Museum around 8 a.m., and met a number of the folks who are participating in a 100 mile rally that precludes the LaJolla Concours that will be held at the Cove tomorrow beginning at 9 a.m. I met Museum director Paula Brandes, and a number of the car owners. Some of the highlights included the Mercedes 250 SE Convertible owned by Roy Orbison (with a plate "Pretty Woman"), and the Ferrari owned by actor William Holden now owned by Barnbaby Brokaw. The weather was simply terrric, as it is almost every day in this area of the world.
Yesterday my friend Rebecca Morales took me to the LaJolla Historical Society, where they have an exhibit on motoring in LaJolla in the early eyars. Rich people, wonderful cars in the period berfore 1940 were depicted. But there were also a number of photographs of people who fixed cars, owned cas stations, and kept folks on the road.
Hi folks -- my apologies for not including more photos -- I am having some problems uploading pictures right now while in SD.
So I rented from Alamo a Chrylser Sebring Convertible, with a rate so low that I couldn't get an economy car instead. This car demonstrates to all why Chrysler almost went out of business! It has a huge, bulbous rear end, like many older people. It is anemic in terms of pick up -- to the point where when I step on the gas the car sounds like a sewing machine and threatens to blow up. The suspension is such that the car grunts when turning lieft, and let's pray I don't have to use the feeble brakes.
The top takes up virtually all of the trunk when it is down, in part because of the complicated boot mechanism. If you don't have a trunk barrier in place, sensors come into play and prevent the thing from operating.
Yet when the top is down, as it was yesterday as I was coming back from the Automotive Museum and I was driving down I-5, life couldn't be much better. Life will take a turn today as I go to the Historians Meeting. Nothing like being around a bunch of high-powered nerds, almost all of whom wear glasses and have pinched faces.
Hi folks -- hard times for museums right now, and SD Automotive Museum is no exception. There is a special exhibit on Porsches right now, and the cars are nice, but certainly not exceptional. There are the old standby exhibits in place, including the Cadillac (?1947) that can be driven for months at a time, if desired. The gift shop is nice, but I wish they would carry my book there. Plenty of models for sale. And the library has some ads for sale as well. Too good a library to be so static right now, and SD ahs too rich a history. With all the tourism, there should be more here!
Hi folks-- after a nice and productive sabbatical it is back into the classroom! The following syllabus serves as only a preliminary guide to my course this term, as modifications will take place during the term. Sorry for formatting problems -- this happens when I try to insert the Word file into this blog site.
HST 344-- Science, Technology and the Modern Corporation: The Automobile and American Life
Texts:John Heitmann, The Automobile and American Life.
Jack Keroauc, On the Road.
Ben Hamper, Rivethead.
Tom Wolfe, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.
Grades: The final grade for this course will be based upon one Mid-Term Exam, (30%), Three Critical Book Reviews (40%), and Final Exam (30%). There is an option in terms of the book reviews.Instead of writing the three reviews, you may decided to write a term paper of 10-15 pages on a topic selected from a list that I will provide.However, you must make this decision no later than January 20. The grade scale is as follows: A94 to 100; A-90 to 93; B+87-89; B 84-86; B-80 - 83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C- 70-73.A similar pattern applies to lower grades.Letter grades are assigned a mid-point numerical grade. Additionally, attendance can influence your final grade: if you miss more than 3 classes, one letter grade will be deducted from your grade; if you miss more than 6 classes, a two letter grade reduction will take place.A good grade for this course is a C+.Grade averages may be influenced by such factors as trends over the time of the course; for example, how you finish is far more important than how you start. Policies for exams strictly follows History Department Guidelines, and make-ups will only be offered with a valid, documented excuse.
Critical Book Reviews: Three critical reviews of assigned books serve as integral assignments in this course. Each review should be 3-5 pages in length, typed, double spaced. One should aim to critically summarize the book, aiming sure to discuss the authors content, themes, and perspectives, and then also provide an introspective response to the book that incorporates one’s own evaluation of the work’s authenticity and value.
Attendance at lectures is crucial if you are to expect a good grade in the course, and I want you to be at every class if that is at all possible. On many occasions material presented is not covered in the readings, and so many of the ideas discussed central to the development of modern science are complex and often confusing. Your attitude and what you bring in to the classroom can make the difference between a mediocre offering and a most positive educational experience.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and offenses will be punished accordingly. A first offense will result in a failing grade for the exam or paper in question; a second offense will result in a failing grade for the course. Further, it is totally unacceptable to hand in a paper that is the result of work in another class.
Course Purpose:It has been said that the automobile is the perfect technological symbol of American culture, a tangible expression of our quest to level space, time and class, and a reflection of our restless mobility, social and otherwise. In this course we will explore together the place of the automobile in American life, and how it transformed business, life on the farm and in the city, the nature and organization of work, leisure time, and the arts. This is a most complex transition that we will study, as the automobile transformed everyday life and the environment in which we operate.It influenced the foods we eat; music we listen to; risks we take; places we visit; errands we run; emotions we feel; movies we watch; stress we endure; and, the air we breathe.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND ASSIGNMENTS
The week of:
Week 1/January 4Introduction; What our cars tell us about ourselves. The car in everyday life: the automobile age and its contradictions.Automotive Pioneers
Reading: Heitmann, .Introduction, Chapter 1.
Films: “Wild Wheels”; “The Secret Life of the Car; “Horatio’s Drive”
Week 2/January 11 Putting America on the Road; Henry Ford and the Model T
Reading: Heitmann, Chapter 2.
Film: “Automoible Parade;” “Gussle’s Day of Rest”
January 18MLK Day
Week 3/January 20 The Rise of General Motors
Reading: Heitmann, pp. 54-63.
Film: “Master Hands”
Week 4/January 25Advertising, Styling, Design and the Art of the Automobile
Reading: Heitmann,pp. 64-71.
Film: “Automobile Advertising 1910-1940.”
January 29Review of Keroauc book is due: Film:“Kerouac”
Week 5/February 1On the Road
Reading: Heitmann, Chapter 4.
Films: “Grapes of Wrath;” “Route 66;" “Detour.”
Week 6/ February 8Religion, Courtship and Sex
Readings: Heitmann, Chapter 5.
Films: “Thelma and Louise”; “Motorcycle Diaries”
Week 7/ February 15The Interwar Years: The Great Depression, Aerodynamics, and Cars of the Olympian Age
Readings:Heitmann, Chapter 6.
Films: “The Crowd Roars;”“Burn Em’Up Barnes.”
Week 8/February 22World War II:Detroit, the Arsenal of Democracy
Readings:Heitmann, Chapter 7
Film: “Jitterbugs.”
February 26Mid Term Exam
March 1-5 – Mid Term Break
”
Week 9/ March 8 The Post War Industry and Technological Suppression
Readings: Heitmann, pp. 133-154.
Film: “Tucker”
Week 10/ March 15Chrome Dreams of the 1950s
Jan & Dean andthe Beach Boys
Readings: Heitmann, pp.154-163.
Film: “American Graffiti”
March 15Review of Wolfe Book is Due
Week 11/ March 22 The Rise of the American Muscle Car
Readings: Heitmann, pp.164-178.
Films: “Goldfinger;” “Thunderball” “Bullitt.”
Week 12/ March 29 & 31 Oil Shock I: Japan, James Bond, and Mobile Lovemaking
Readings: Heitmann, pp. 178-184.
Film: “Easy Rider;”“Gone in Sixty Seconds.”
Easter April 2and 5
Week 14/April 7, 9 and 12 The Automobile World Upside Down, 1980s to the Present.
Readings: Heitmann, pp.185-194.
Film:“Fast and Furious;” “The Bourne Identity.”
April 14Stander Symposium
April 16Review of Ben Hamper book is Due
Week 15/April 19 The Automobile Industry and the Future; Sum Up
Hi folks, I just finished The Road Scholar and Condescu's description of his visit to Detroit and then a friend sent me an short essay from Porter Stansberry on the city. Having just been to Detroit, and planning to go again in a few weeks to the Detroit Auto Show, I thought this work was most appropriate to post. Without question, America is at the tipping point, if it has not already tipped over. What Stansberry alludes to is trend that we pray will not continue. I have no idea who Stansberry is, whether a right wing crank or a legitimate scholar, but his ideas merit your consideration in this matter.
Stansberry writes of Detroit in October, 2009:
In 1961, the last Republican mayor of Detroit lost his re-election bid to a young, intelligent Democrat, with the overwhelming support of newly organized black voters. His name was Jerome Cavanagh. The incumbent was widely considered to be corrupt (and later served 10 years in prison for tax evasion). Cavanagh, a white man, pandered to poor underclass black voters.
He marched with Martin Luther King down the streets of Detroit in 1963. (Of course, marching with King was the right thing to do... It's just Cavanagh's motives were political not moral.) He instated aggressive affirmative action policies at City Hall. And most critically, he greatly expanded the role of the government in Detroit, taking advantage of President Lyndon Johnson's "Model Cities Program" – the first great experiment in centralized urban planning.
Mayor Cavanagh was the only elected official to serve on Johnson's task force. And Detroit received widespread acclaim for its leadership in the program, which attempted to turn a nine-square-mile section of the city (with 134,000 inhabitants) into a "model city." More than $400 million was spent trying to turn inner cities into shining new monuments to government planning. In short, the feds and Democratic city mayors were soon telling people where to live, what to build, and what businesses to open or close. In return, the people received cash, training, education, and health care.
The Model Cities program was a disaster for Detroit. But it did accomplish its real goal: The creation of a state-supported, Democratic political power base. The program also resulted in much higher taxes – which were easy to pitch to poor voters who didn't have to pay them. Cavanagh pushed a new income tax through the state legislature and a "commuter tax" on city workers.
Unfortunately, as with all socialist programs, lots of folks simply don't like being told what to do. Lots of folks don't like being plundered by the government. They don't like losing their jobs because of their race.
In Detroit, they didn't like paying new, large taxes to fund a largely black and Democratic political hegemony. And so, in 1966, more than 22,000 middle- and upper-class residents moved out of the city.
But what about the poor? As my friend Doug Casey likes to say, in the War on Poverty, the poor lost the most. In July 1967, police attempted to break up a late-night party in the middle of the new "Model City." The scene turned into the worst race riot of the 1960s. The violence killed more than 40 people and left more than 5,000 people homeless. One of the first stores to be looted was the black-owned pharmacy.
The largest black-owned clothing store in the city was also burned to the ground. Cavanagh did nothing to stop the riots, fearing a large police presence would make matters worse. Five days later, Johnson sent in two divisions of paratroopers to put down the insurrection. Over the next 18 months, an additional 140,000 upper- and middle-class residents – almost all of them white – left the city.
And so, you might rightfully ask... after five years of centralized planning, higher taxes, and a fleeing population, what did the government decide to do with its grand experiment, its "Model City"? You'll never guess...
Seeing it had accomplished nothing but failure, the government endeavored to do still more. The Model City program was expanded and enlarged by 1974's Community Development Block Grant Program. Here again, politicians would decide which groups (and even individuals) would receive state funds for various "renewal" schemes. Later, Big Business was brought into the fold. In exchange for various concessions, the Big Three automakers "gave" $488 million to the city for use in still more redevelopment schemes in the mid-1990s.
What happened? Even with all of their power and all of the money, centralized planners couldn't succeed with any of their plans. Nearly all of the upper and middle class left Detroit. The poor fled, too. The Model City area lost 63% of its population and 45% of its housing units from the inception of the program through 1990.
Even today, the crisis continues. At a recent auction of nearly 9,000 seized homes and lots, less than one-fifth of the available properties sold, even with bidding starting at $500. You literally can't give away most of the "Model City" areas today. The properties put up for sale last week represented an area the size of New York's Central Park. Total vacant land in Detroit now occupies an area the size of Boston – Detroit properties in foreclosure have more than tripled since 2007.
Every single mayor of Detroit since 1961 has been a Democrat. Every single mayor of Detroit since 1974 has been black. Detroit has been a major recipient of every major social program since the early 1960s and has received hundreds of billions of dollars in government grants, loans, and programs. We now have a black, Democrat president, who is promising to do to America as a whole what his political mentors have done to Detroit.
Those of you with a Democratic political affiliation may think what I've written above is biased or false. You may think what you like. But there is no way to argue that what the government has done to Detroit is anything but a horrendous crime. You may think what I've written above is merely a political analysis. Perhaps so, but politicians drive macroeconomic policy. And macroeconomic policy determines key financial metrics, like the trade-weighted value of a currency and key interest rates.
The likelihood America will become a giant Detroit is growing – rapidly. Politicians now control the banking sector, most of the manufacturing sector (including autos), a large amount of media, and are threatening to take over health care and the production of electricity (via cap and trade rules). These are the biggest threats to wealth in the history of our country. And these threats are causing the world's most accomplished and wealthy investors to actively short sell the United States – something that is unprecedented in my experience.
