From: nau@ssesco.com (William Nau)
Subject: Re: Paying a Reasonable Price for Gas
Organization: SSESCO
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 14:59:46 GMT

In article <92311.081953SROWELL@ESOC.BITNET>, <SROWELL@ESOC.BITNET> writes:
|> In article <1992Nov4.214147.3848@dg-rtp.dg.com>, goudreau@batman.rtp.dg.com (Bob
|> Goudreau) says:
|> >>
|> >> In Germany a pride is taken in protecting the environment and the
|> >> US should do the same.
|> >
|> >Given all this German pride, why was the US the world leader in
|> >phasing out the use of leaded fuels?  And why does Germany still
|> >*subsidize* the production and use of coal?
|> >
|> 
|> a) Phasing Out Leaded Fuels
|> 
|>    Just because the US did it first (because your cities became all
|>    smogged up one day and somebody noticed!) does not make you a
|>    world leader I'm afraid. You just had to do it first because you
|>    had a problem. I'm sure if I said that the Germans were the world
|>    leader in car design because the car was invented here (which they
|>    were) I'd get some argument.
!>
|>    In Germany a potential problem was AVERTED by the use of catalytic
|>    converters.

Gee, you did something about emissions and you're great because you averted
a bigger problem.  We do something and it's because we had no choice.  What
an attitude.

|> b) Subsidisies on Coal
|> 
|>    I'm surprised you picked coal (I thought it was rape oil seed these
|>    days). Subsidising an industry is an attempt to preserve the indutry
|>    and to preserve the thousands of jobs that are associated with it. It
|>    is not an attempt to screw up the US. In the UK, you may remember, the
|>    government attempted to shut 60% of all coal pits, killing off 30,000
|>    jobs. It brings it all into perspective doesn't it?

No it doesn't.  You made a sacrafice.  I'm glad to hear that you are willing
to do that.  However, you still have a problem.  The last two times I've
been to the UK, the air was so filled with crap that you could cut through it
with a chain saw.

|>    The US seems paranoid (this'll get me some flack!). If it's not the
|>    Japanese out to get you, it's the Europeans! The US is quite happy when
|>    everybody is being nice to them and playing the game their way, but
|>    as soon as anybody else decides not to, there's all this furore about
|>    unfair trading and placing huge levies on French imports (I'm sure the
|>    wine connoisseurs in the US are going to be annoyed!).

[flame on]
We aren't paranoid.  We are just damn sick and tired of everyone else telling
us how terrible we are and how wonderful they are!  We have problems.  You
have problems.  The constant superior attitude of Europe (undeserved) just
gets us pissed off.  We react.  You are just as shitty as we are so stop
looking down your f*ck*ing nose at us.
[flame off]

That French wine thing was due to unfair European subsides on wine, but
has little to do with polution.

|> 
|> Your turn.
|> 
|> Simon
|> >----------------------------------------------------------------------
|> >Bob Goudreau                    Data General Corporation
|> >goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com          62 Alexander Drive
|> >+1 919 248 6231                 Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA

-- 
William R. Nau
Supercomputer Systems Engineering and Services Company (SSESCO)
511 11th Avenue South, Suite 216
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415-1536
(612) 342-0003

nau@SSESCO.com
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving