kduble’s Recent Comments

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  Northerners already equiped for plug-ins

  I've always suspected a good place to introduce plug-in hybrids would be in Minnesota and the Dakotas -- places where people are already in the habit of plugging in their cars during the winter months to keep their engines from freezing.

  Ken Duble

  On Let's go all the way posted 2 years, 3 months ago 22 Responses

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  Big refrigerators work better

  Having lived with everything from small box refrigerators in a dorm to an average-sized new refrigerator in the condo we recently bought, I must confess that large refrigerators seem to keep food colder.  This is because they recover faster after one opens the door.On Umbra on refrigerator downsizing posted 2 years, 4 months ago 34 Responses

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  Motor fuels tax trumps CAFE

  While in complete agreement with the concerns of Chris and Greenpeace, a motor fuels tax will beat regulation every time.  If forced to choose between a phased-in, gradually escalating motor fuels tax and every single provision stripped from the bill, I would go with the tax.  As the light truck phenomenon shows, Madison Avenue will always find a way around CAFE.  If CAFE does not apply to earth-moving equipment, advertisers will make soccer moms feel safe in earth-moving equipment.
  A reasonable motor fuels tax would rise 5 cents a year for the first five years and 10 cents a year for the next 10.  As the typical motorist would change vehicles two or three times in that 15-year time span, drivers would have plenty of time to replace their vehicles with more fuel-efficient ones, and Detroit would have plenty of time to supply them.
  Although petroleum scarcity will increase prices as much as the tax during this period, by accelerating the demand curve for clean transportation we buy ourselves more time before the oil runs out, and reduce emissions at the same time.

  Ken Duble

  On He's pro-carbon tax, anti-CAFE -- which matters more? posted 2 years, 4 months ago 20 Responses

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  Cents-per-mile vs. motor fuels tax

  The argument cited against a motor fuels tax is declining revenue over time due to declining consumption. Yet, wouldn't cents-per-mile similarly discourage driving?  Indeed, higher taxes on tobacco products likewise result in declining revenues over time.  Isn't that the desired end result?

  After tweaking cents-per-mile for the factors cited -- emissions, road space, safety -- what one ends up with is a fee which works exactly like a motor fuels tax, so why not keep the motor fuels tax?
  

  Ken Duble

  On Oregon tests out an alternative to the gas tax -- pay-by-the-mile taxes posted 3 years, 7 months ago 5 Responses

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  Canadian conservatives

  Conservative coalitions in Canada have been short-lived. The last conservative PM was Joe Clark back in the 1980s. Seems like his tenure in office was measured in months. If you'd taken a nap you'd have missed him.

  Ken Duble

  On What will a conservative Canada look like? posted 3 years, 10 months ago 3 Responses