Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[James Clark]

Don't the Tesla chargers charge faster than normal ones? DO you know the difference in time between the two types?  What's going to happen when the government installs 400,000 chargers and the car design changes in years hence?  Will chargers come with memory cards or wi-fi so I can dump or upload my photos while I'm charging my car?

In order:

1) Some do, some don't
2) Not offhand.  There's a pretty easy calculation of Kilowatt hours to battery size to time to charge, but I don't know it offhand.  For my purposes, I plug in at night and the car is generally "full" in the morning.  That's a small battery and just a regular wall plug charger.
3) Probably everything will eventually be standardized, more or less like regular domestic power outlets.
4) That would be pretty cool.  With Musk's satellite ideas, I could definitely see wi-fi being standard at Tesla Superchargers.

[Alan Klein]

In order:

1) Some do, some don't
2) Not offhand.  There's a pretty easy calculation of Kilowatt hours to battery size to time to charge, but I don't know it offhand.  For my purposes, I plug in at night and the car is generally "full" in the morning.  That's a small battery and just a regular wall plug charger.
3) Probably everything will eventually be standardized, more or less like regular domestic power outlets.
4) That would be pretty cool.  With Musk's satellite ideas, I could definitely see wi-fi being standard at Tesla Superchargers.

Actually, I was making a joke.  But I forgot about his satellites.  Good point.  While you're waiting for a charge, you can take care of all sorts of business online.  That would be a good sales tool to sell Teslas.  I could see their motto and song ditty:  "See the USA while surfin' the web... dada" 

[PeterAit]

Actually, I was making a joke.  But I forgot about his satellites.  Good point.  While you're waiting for a charge, you can take care of all sorts of business online.  That would be a good sales tool to sell Teslas.  I could see their motto and song ditty:  "See the USA while surfin' the web... dada"

We just bought an all-electric, the ID.4 from Volkswagon. It's a very cool car, whisper quiet on the road and great acceleration. All sorts of convenience and safety features. For example, lock the car and the mirrors fold in. Connect it to your phone and with an app you can stream movies on the car's large screen while you're charging. And I calculate that the cost of driving is 20-25% on a per-mile basis compared to the gasoline car it replaced. I can connect to it from essentially anywhere using my phone. So, on a chilly morning I can tell it to start the seat and steering wheel heaters 15 min before I leave. Or when it's hot, start the A/C. This is all done thru the cell phone network--the car has its own cell connection.

Unfortunately our power company still gets 60%+ of its power from fossil fuels so the car is not as green as it might be. But it's a start.

[LesPalenik]

I don't understand.  What do election campaign contributions have to do with his wealth decreasing, or his wealth at all for that matter?  He can't keep them for personal use.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/042716/what-happens-campaign-funds-after-elections.asp

In the 2016 election, Trump allegedly spent $66 millions of his own money. In 2024, he can use the campaign fund without dipping into his personal wealth.

[Alan Klein]

In the 2016 election, Trump allegedly spent $66 millions of his own money. In 2024, he can use the campaign fund without dipping into his personal wealth.

He needed to use a lot of his own money in 2016 because he was a political neophyte.  Fortunately, he had that money.  Most have to beg others for campaign financing.  Naturally, for his re-election, loads of admirers and seedy sycophants who were looking for jobs and good treatment from him should he be reelected, and gave him lots of campaign money in 2020.  A lot was leftover.  It's perfectly legal to use it for campaigning in other campaigns including the future.  All politicians do that if they have any extra leftover from one campaign to the next.  Some give it to other politicians to help them out and then get political IOU's from them.  An example is Nancy Pelosi who then expects them to vote for her to be Speaker.  All part of the Washington swamp. 

[digitaldog]

He needed to use a lot of his own money in 2016 because he was a political neophyte.  Fortunately, he had that money.  Most have to beg others for campaign financing.  Naturally, for his re-election, loads of admirers and seedy sycophants who were looking for jobs and good treatment from him should he be reelected, and gave him lots of campaign money in 2020.  A lot was leftover.  It's perfectly legal to use it for campaigning in other campaigns including the future.  All politicians do that if they have any extra leftover from one campaign to the next.  Some give it to other politicians to help them out and then get political IOU's from them.  An example is Nancy Pelosi who then expects them to vote for her to be Speaker.  All part of the Washington swamp.

"I doubt you can understand the magnitude of the stupidity in your statement". - Robert Jordan, The Gathering Storm

[Alan Klein]

We just bought an all-electric, the ID.4 from Volkswagon. It's a very cool car, whisper quiet on the road and great acceleration. All sorts of convenience and safety features. For example, lock the car and the mirrors fold in. Connect it to your phone and with an app you can stream movies on the car's large screen while you're charging. And I calculate that the cost of driving is 20-25% on a per-mile basis compared to the gasoline car it replaced. I can connect to it from essentially anywhere using my phone. So, on a chilly morning I can tell it to start the seat and steering wheel heaters 15 min before I leave. Or when it's hot, start the A/C. This is all done thru the cell phone network--the car has its own cell connection.

Unfortunately our power company still gets 60%+ of its power from fossil fuels so the car is not as green as it might be. But it's a start.

My Lincoln has the remote start/stop through the phone app also but the heating/AC and steering wheel and seat heat work automatically based on the inside car temperature.  These new cars are smarter than me.  Good luck with your new car.  Drive safely.   

[digitaldog]

These new cars are smarter than me.

👍

[Peter McLennan]

👍

[Alan Klein]

Canadian payback. So now we not only will have more pollution and CO2 to transport oil by diesel-run tanker trucks and locomotives pulling rail cars, along with the higher danger of accidents and spills, we may have to pay Canadians for the pipeline cancellation.  Good job Biden.

Keystone Pipeline Developers Seek $15 Billion From U.S. for Cancellation
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/keystone-pipeline-developers-seek-15-213045577.html

[Robert Roaldi]

Canadian payback. So now we not only will have more pollution and CO2 to transport oil by diesel-run tanker trucks and locomotives pulling rail cars, along with the higher danger of accidents and spills, we may have to pay Canadians for the pipeline cancellation.  Good job Biden.

Keystone Pipeline Developers Seek $15 Billion From U.S. for Cancellation
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/keystone-pipeline-developers-seek-15-213045577.html

Sometimes, opting for penalty clauses makes sense. Anyway, taking into account one isolated factoid without looking at the big picture means very little in complex policy decisions.

I think Canada (and Alberta) would have been better off building local refineries. By shipping to the Gulf refineries we were sending value added work out of the country. That may have been good for Big Oil, but it wasn't necessarily good for the country. For some reason, countries have been ceding power to private corporations in recent history, I don't understand why we do that. It's as if we forgot who is in charge.

[Alan Klein]

Sometimes, opting for penalty clauses makes sense. Anyway, taking into account one isolated factoid without looking at the big picture means very little in complex policy decisions.

I think Canada (and Alberta) would have been better off building local refineries. By shipping to the Gulf refineries we were sending value added work out of the country. That may have been good for Big Oil, but it wasn't necessarily good for the country. For some reason, countries have been ceding power to private corporations in recent history, I don't understand why we do that. It's as if we forgot who is in charge.

Because central planning and playing favorites by selecting winners and losers in industry is counter-productive.  Free markets work and produce more wealth for more people than other systems.  Overregulation lessens capital investment as it flees to other countries where it's cheaper to make goods.  That means less jobs and wealth for everyone.  It also means fewer taxes for the very government that created those regulations. 

Didn't we learn anything from the Soviets, Cuba, and Venezuela?  Even in America, we've hollowed out our industry as corporations fled elsewhere.  Sure it's OK to have limited rules and regulations.   But let's not overdo it and shoot ourselves in the foot. 

[Peter McLennan]

For some reason, countries have been ceding power to private corporations in recent history, I don't understand why we do that. It's as if we forgot who is in charge.

Because it's no longer "one man, one vote", it's "one dollar, one vote"

The whole process really got underway with Reagan. 

The actor. 

ie someone hired to perform a certain set of characteristics.

[Alan Klein]

Sometimes, opting for penalty clauses makes sense. Anyway, taking into account one isolated factoid without looking at the big picture means very little in complex policy decisions.

I think Canada (and Alberta) would have been better off building local refineries. By shipping to the Gulf refineries we were sending value added work out of the country. That may have been good for Big Oil, but it wasn't necessarily good for the country. For some reason, countries have been ceding power to private corporations in recent history, I don't understand why we do that. It's as if we forgot who is in charge.

Governments are not supposed to be in charge.  We don't have Kings and queens and dictators.  The people are in charge.  Government works for the people. 

[Alan Klein]

Because it's no longer "one man, one vote", it's "one dollar, one vote"

The whole process really got underway with Reagan. 

The actor. 

ie someone hired to perform a certain set of characteristics.

Corporations are owned by people.  Stockholders are ordinary people in most cases who own shares through retirement plans and personal ownership of a few shares  Most are not Jeff Bezos.  What's good for the corporation, is good for regular people as well.  Employees work for corporations too.  They are people.  If the corporations they work for are hurt, they lose their jobs and make less money.  If their corporation does well, they get raises and promotions. 

The US Supreme Court understood these dynamics.  It's why they allow corporations to pay to petition their representatives.  It's guaranteed in our constitution just as unions can pay to petition their representatives.  In both cases, corporations and unions, represent people.

[PeterAit]

My Lincoln has the remote start/stop through the phone app also but the heating/AC and steering wheel and seat heat work automatically based on the inside car temperature.  These new cars are smarter than me.  Good luck with your new car.  Drive safely.

Cars get smarter and smarter!

[Robert Roaldi]

Because central planning and playing favorites by selecting winners and losers in industry is counter-productive.  Free markets work and produce more wealth for more people than other systems.  Overregulation lessens capital investment as it flees to other countries where it's cheaper to make goods.  That means less jobs and wealth for everyone.  It also means fewer taxes for the very government that created those regulations. 

Didn't we learn anything from the Soviets, Cuba, and Venezuela?  Even in America, we've hollowed out our industry as corporations fled elsewhere.  Sure it's OK to have limited rules and regulations.   But let's not overdo it and shoot ourselves in the foot.

The oil belongs to the country. The oil companies are just the guys we hire to do the digging.

[Alan Klein]

The oil belongs to the country. The oil companies are just the guys we hire to do the digging.

Biden just opened 80 million acres to bidding for oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil companies pay for it in America.   How does that work in Canada?

[Robert Roaldi]

Biden just opened 80 million acres to bidding for oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil companies pay for it in America.   How does that work in Canada?

Similar way. Regardless what you seem to think, Canada is not the Soviet Union. So, do you think that the US Fed and the state of Louisiana had nothing to do with the location of the Gulf refineries?

When the US government decides to "buy American" are they not picking winners? Are you suggesting that other countries don't have the same right?

Although I've heard that the socialist health system death panels have reconvened and have decided to NOT use ICU beds for unvaccinated foreigners. (Satire alert, in case you couldn't tell.)

[Peter McLennan]

Corporations are owned by people.  Stockholders are ordinary people in most cases who own shares through retirement plans and personal ownership of a few shares  Most are not Jeff Bezos.  What's good for the corporation, is good for regular people as well.  Employees work for corporations too.  They are people.  If the corporations they work for are hurt, they lose their jobs and make less money.  If their corporation does well, they get raises and promotions. 

The US Supreme Court understood these dynamics.  It's why they allow corporations to pay to petition their representatives.  It's guaranteed in our constitution just as unions can pay to petition their representatives.  In both cases, corporations and unions, represent people.

That is the most convoluted explanation of (and lame excuse for) corruption I've ever read.