It is amazing how things come full circle, it all started a few years ago…
Rock legion: Neil Young wrote an editorial for the Huffington Post which discussed his new “electric car”, a 1959 Lincoln Continental, which Neil spent thousands having professional people turn into a hybrid “of sorts.” It is electric, (with HUGE- expensive batteries), and a bio-fuel power plant for generating electricity.
Mr. Young was lecturing us (Huff Post readers) about how we need to get involved in “green” technology, and that hybrid cars do not have to be tiny little death traps. Actually, truth be told, Neil Young is a pioneer in this field of “larger hybrids.”
I, (AR Babonie), had to put my two cents in, and I commented on Neil’s editorial. The main point of my comment was that most people cannot afford the $5,000 bucks every 5 years for new batteries on these electric cars. (The current lifespan of electric car batteries.) Hybrids are VERY expensive and have technical problems, so isn’t it irresponsible to push people towards these vehicles; when these people are living from paycheck to paycheck?
I was attacked by the Huff Post liberals: “How dare you evil conservative condemn Neil Young. He is a good man, and he is trying to save the planet. What are you doing to save the planet?”
I informed the liberals at Huff Post that I ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle, which gets 65mpg (if I keep it under 70mph). I have a water / well system at the house; so I use water, and then return the water to the earth. We only air condition one room in the house, and only heat the rooms that we need. I keep my property “somewhat” natural with over 60 trees, which is filled with birds, deer, bunnies, woodchucks, and sometimes a bald eagle. I told the folks at Huff Post that I do not do this to “save the earth”, I do it because I am cheap. I like saving money.
Then, I reminded the Huff Post progressives what my original comment was: “isn’t it irresponsible to push people, who live from paycheck to paycheck, to buy cars, (electric or hybrid) when both types of cars have serious problems?
The Huffington Post liberals didn’t want to consider my points. I was an evil conservative who disrespected Neil Young. I was told that I hate the earth, I hate Black people, I hate bunnies, and I should just go away and die. Neil Young never commented back to me, however most celebrity “bloggers” do not comment.
Irony is a funny thing, my friends…
Fireman where called to a blaze at Neil Young’s house last week.
It seems that Mr. Young’s experimental electric Lincoln car caught fire.
The fire “may” have started in the charging system of the vehicle’s electronics. Not only was the car destroyed, but many of Neil’s private possessions were also destroyed: guitars, pictures, films, music equipment, etc. Stuff that Neil cannot easily replace because it was part of his history.
If you know anything about me, you know that I am not one to gloat when I am right. I feel bad for Neil Young; this is a terrible thing that happened. I promote pioneers on this web site because invention creates jobs. Guys like Neil Young, tinkering with a large size hybrid car, might just revolutionize the industry. So, I respect that. I think that Neil’s song: “Old man, look at my life” is one of the best modern songs written.
However, I do not agree with Young’s politics. It is wrong to push people into technology that isn’t perfected yet.
It is so easy for the progressive to say that I, the conservative, I must hate the environment, or I do not care what shape the earth is in; however, in doing so, you are not listening to what I am saying.
I wonder how many people listened to what Neil Young was saying, and disregarded my words (because I am just one of those dumb conservatives) and went out and bought an electric car; only to find that the range is about 40 miles on a charge. And that is a NEW battery. We all know that as rechargeable batteries get older, they lose their staying power.
I hope that I will have better luck today and people will listen to what I am about to say.
Today, the government allows up to 10% ethanol to be added into gas for your car. The government is considering raising that level to 15%.
No one is 100% sure of what 15% ethanol will do to your car’s engine, over time.
OK, I am going to print this line again, because some of you might be tempted to say that I hate Black people, or I hate animals, or that I flat out lie; and what I say cannot be true. So, I will print that line again with a nice little link.
No one is 100% sure of what 15% ethanol will do to your car’s engine, over time.
Here is what the government “believes”: if your car was made during 2007, or newer; you will “probably” be OK burning the ethanol mixture. However, if your car was made in 2006 or older, you “might” have problems with this ethanol blend.
People with boat motors, riding lawn mowers, push mowers, and some motorcycles are already seeing problems with the current ethanol blend. No one is really sure what a 15% ethanol blend will do to small engines? The EPA is warning people NOT to use this ethanol blend in small motors.
The problem…
Ethanol has a tendency to draw moisture. (Water) This water can build up in your gas tank and cause fuel line freezing in the winter. Also, it can cause “gaps” in the fuel line, which can cause an engine to run rough and stall. Ethanol burns hotter than gas, which can burn up engine components.
Especially in small “air-cooled” engines. (Motorcycles, push mowers, etc.)
It is important for me to tell you that I am all for alternative fuels. Bio-fuels, ethanol blends; I believe that we MUST work on these power methods, because we need to get away from foreign oil. BUT IT MUST BE BY CHOICE, not by force.
In the past, when I talked about the use of ethanol, I always assumed that in a free country, you would have a choice. At your friendly gas station, there would be several pumps. One would have kerosene, another would have diesel, others would have your different grades of regular gas; and another pump would have the ethanol mixture.
You would have a choice with this method. You could try ethanol and if your car started to run poorly, you could switch back to regular gas and save your engine from a costly repair job.
Folks, I am dead against this “forced GREEN lifestyle”, I always have been. It is not because I hate deer and bald eagles, it is because we haven’t perfected these technologies, and we need to do better planning.
Which takes us back to Neil Young and his hybrid Lincoln…
In trying to save the earth, by building an experimental hybrid, Neil Young lost many of things that he loved from his past, in a fire. He did NOT save the earth, in fact, he probably did more harm with the warehouse fire; then the pollution that he would have created if he was driving a regular car all along.
Sometimes we do not think. We are too quick to act, and react to situations.
Neil Young has the money to rebuild and replace the things that he lost.
We do not. We cannot afford to repair our motors from ethanol damage.
So I ask, what is wrong with giving people a choice?
Why can’t people be free to choose?
Written by AR Babonie for The Angry Republic News Site
Tips and hints.
I had problems with two engines this season. Though I cannot prove that it is a fact that the ethanol blend caused these problems, I believe that it was caused by ethanol because I have never had these problems before.
My boat motor was stalling this summer and starting very hard. I used a product called: “Start your engine” and it solved the stalling problem. However, one of the spark plug wires burn up. This might have been a loose connection, or the fact that ethanol burns hotter, I don’t know? “Start your engine” costs about $7 bucks and you can get it at most retailers.
My snow blower would not start this season. (First time for that happening) I put in fresh gas, and added “gas stabilizer” to it. It took about 50 pulls (tries) to start it, but then it took off and seems to be running good now.
My best advice is not to give up too quick. If your engine is “gummed up” from the ethanol, and not starting; I wouldn’t worry about doing MORE damage to it. If you get to the point where you have to bring it in for repair, someone will have to tear it apart to clean it up anyway, so it doesn’t really matter whether you tried to start it one time, or 100 times. Plus, you never know, you might just clear the ethanol out, and it will start up for you.
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