Jerry Miskulin – 2/21/08

This page was last updated on February 21, 2008.

A better hybrid car solution; Jerry Miskulin; Beaver County Times; February 21, 2008.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“To get the best benefit from hybrid cars, they should be run on ethanol and electricity, not gasoline and electricity.”

[RWC] Regarding electricity, most of it generated in the U.S. comes from evil coal and nuclear power plants. Mr. Miskulin apparently forgot this.

I have two points regarding ethanol. First, for every gallon of ethanol produced, we consume almost as much petroleum to produce the ethanol. Studies also indicate ethanol isn’t exactly God’s gift to the world regarding pollution.

Second, Mr. Miskulin missed another “benefit” of his proposal. Because of demand for corn to produce ethanol, we’ll see a combination of reduced food production and increased food prices. This should help with the “obesity crisis” because there will be less food to buy, and the available food will be more expensive. I wonder when Mr. Miskulin and like-minded people will figure that out. <g>

“In our race for the future, we are sometimes blind to the potential of the present.”

[RWC] “Blind” is a good word to use in this letter.

“The Israelis will be switching to all-electric cars in the near future. Maybe we should follow.”