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Old 09-04-2018, 02:50 PM   #2733 (permalink)
aerohead
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standard of living

Quote:
Originally Posted by oil pan 4 View Post
Well if we are going to play the "true cost of fossil fuels power" game then here is something to consider.
About 40% of Americans live pay check to pay check or on fixed income.
So called "green energy" depending on the scope of use is going to at least double people's energy costs and has the potential to increase the price of everything substantially.
This will in turn lower these peoples standard of living. Now they have to fork out an extra $100 per month for their energy bills, which to these people is a lot of money.
So now they are forced to not eat as healthy, maybe they can't afford all their prescribed meds, now they can't afford to go to the dentist or Dr, can't afford to drive a safe modern car so they drive an old piece of junk, can't afford to heat their home during the winter, have to go with the cheaper health insurance plan or no plan at all.
These people aren't going to be helped by air that is ever so slightly cleaner.

So don't assume puting up solar panels is is going to be like waving a magic wond that is automatically going to make everyones lives better.
We could use me as a test case.
* I live on a fixed income.
*I switched to wind-powered electric power,adding 1-cent/per kWh.
*I also switched from CFLs to LED lighting.
*With 'green' power,my overall monthly electric bill didn't change.
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After reading 'How Not to Die',by Dr.Michael Gregor,and changing to a flexitarian diet,I lowered my cholesterol and blood pressure to normal in 6-months.And I'll never need Viagra.
The money I save by not eating the standard American diet is financing my trips to the wind tunnel.
It's very unlikely that I'll ever develop type-2 diabetes,high blood pressure,or stroke,as all these can be reversed with diet.
This keeps me away from expensive medications.Another pay raise!
If I weren't going to the wind tunnel I could be channeling that money towards an EV which I could charge from wind power,which would improve the standard of living for everyone on the planet.
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Since my house is superinsulated,and I'm willing to live like an English king,heating is optional.
Air conditioning IS an issue.Over time I believe this situation can be improved.
I'm a veteran with Part-B Medicare,and so far in relatively good health,so I probably have an advantage as far as healthcare goes.That option was open to many.
As I mentioned in another thread,losing the 54.5 mpg CAFE standard will cost American motorists an additional $1,359,468,000,000.00 over the life of their 2025 automobile.So I would argue that clean air is a benefit to the economically-challenged in the USA.
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