" So, I deal with the folks that invented the Zero and Mother Earth will shower blessings on Illinois? Well,Domo Arigato!" Illinois Governor Rube Quinn in February,2011Illinois is a rube state - that is part of its charm. Trends come late, but warts seem to go away quicker. I remember seeing Leisure Suits at weddings well into the New Millennium and just the other day a guy asked if I had ever seen that TV show called the Soprano's what's on cable, but the swears are bleeped out, but you know what the guy is saying. You know? Only vaguely.
Illinois is all Gay Marriage, Green Friendly, and Twitter Savvy now. In recent years, thanks to our media and elected legislators who do exactly what editorial boards tell them is vital and that immediate attention required, Illinois has aped the twin Coasts East and West and banned cigarette and cigar smoking ( water pipes would have been anti-Muslim), movie popcorn butter that tastes good, bullying, and encouraged every snake-oil idea from Bullet Trains to Peotone to Green Everything.
Abortion Fans, Environmental Advocacy Groups and Gay Advocates joined forces and helped elect more than a few from the "yammering classes" to positions of policy power in Illinois - Terry Cosgrove, Debra Shore, Ralph Martire and others.
Illinois is taking itself as seriously as California, New York, and Massachusetts - costs be damned! Illinois will take decades undoing itself, like guys wearing mullets to LaLapalooza.
Joel Kotkin has had his thumb on the pulse of American folly for years -Kotkin long ago identified the American Progressive as affluent, urban/faux urban, often unmarried, childless, degreed, professional, physical fitness junkies, concerned with issues that immediately impact on their lifestyles. Kotkin long-ago warned of the SEIU Bubble bursting local and state economies. Today, in Forbes, Joel Kotkin likens Environmental Secularists to Iranian Theocratic Mullahs and their impact on the economies of both localities.
Then there’s California, rich in everything from oil and food to international trade and technology, but still skimming along the bottom of the national economy. The state’s unemployment rate is now worse than Michigan’s and ahead only of neighboring Nevada. Among the nation’s 20 largest metropolitan regions, four of the six with the highest unemployment numbers are located in the Golden State: Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. In a recent Forbes survey, California was home to six of the ten regions where the economy is poised to get worse.
One would think, given these gory details, California officials would be focused on reversing the state’s performance. But here, as in Iran, officialdom focuses more on theology than on actuality. Of course, California’s religion rests not on conventional divinity but on a secular environmental faith that nevertheless exhibits the intrusive and unbending character of radical religion.
As with its Iranian counterpart, California’s green theology often leads to illogical economic and political decisions. California has decided, for example, to impose a rigid regime of state-directed planning related to global warming, making a difficult approval process for new development even more onerous. It has doubled-down on climate change as other surrounding western states — such as Nevada, Utah and Arizona — have opted out of regional greenhouse gas agreements.
The notion that a state economy — particularly one that has lost over 1.15 million jobs in the past decade — can impose draconian regulations beyond those of their more affluent neighbors, or the country, would seem almost absurd.
Governor Pat Quinn gets many of his ideas from the same crowd of folks who have policied Illinois into near bankruptcy. Energy Initiatives are tailor made for Rubes. There is always the hidden cost. However, once the Green Mullahs have convinced Governor Rube to buy Mitsubishi I-Cars because it will not only lower Man's dirt Carbon Feets-Prints, it will create JOBS, JOBS,JOBS with State Tax Dollars!
NORMAL, IL – February 4, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn and Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support the advancement of electric vehicle and renewable energy technologies in Illinois. As part of the agreement, Illinois will receive a limited number of Mitsubishi Motors “i” battery electric vehicles (i MiEV) on a temporary basis to evaluate the new electric vehicle (EV) technology on the state’s fleet.
“We are continuing to make strong investments in our green economy, which are putting people to work across Illinois. This partnership reflects our mutual commitment to the EV industry here in Illinois, and our common interest in bringing the jobs and environmental benefits these innovative technologies will deliver to our state. In Illinois, we are doing everything necessary to stabilize our economy, and this partnership is an important step toward securing our long-term economic growth.” Governor Pat Quinn said.
http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=18&RecNum=9201
Okay fellow Rubes, read Joel Kotkin's parallel study of trendy California and then read Pat Quinn's Energy Initiatives. Mitsubishi I-Car will be touted as costing under $ 28,000 dollars - but . . .
ShareMitsubishi Sets $27,990 Price for Electric i Car, But Read Fine Print
By Brad Berman · April 22, 2011
Welcome news about EV affordability, but premium trim levels bring price close to Nissan LEAF
Mitsubishi announced Thursday that its “i” electric car—formerly named i-MiEV—will have an MSRP of $27,990 (excluding destination charges), making it the most affordable mass-market electric vehicle available to U.S. consumers. This price is for the base ES trim level.
Read the Fine PrintWhile the base level i sets a new lower benchmark for EV affordability, a closer look at features and trim levels shows a price relatively close to the LEAF (and probably the Ford Focus Electric)—vehicles with more space, power and range. Focus Electric pricing has not yet been announced. . . .
The base model Mitsubishi i ES includes speed-sensitive electric power steering (EPS), LED rear tail lamps, driver seat heater, electric air conditioning with micron filter, remote keyless entry, 3-spoke sport steering wheel, an on-board recharging system with 120V portable 8 amp charging cable, and a 4 speaker, 100-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3/WMA playback.
The price for the i climbs from $27,990 to $29,990, when adding a 360-watt, eight-speaker sound system, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, upscale upholstery, two-tone interior, 15-inch alloy wheels, and fog lamps. Add another $2,790 for the SE premium package—putting the price to $32,790—to get a navigation system, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, and a quick-charge port. An available "Cold Zone" package will be offered on both the ES and SE trim levels of the Mitsubishi i for $150. It includes a battery warming system and heated outside mirrors.
The i SE package is 10 bucks more than the base-level Nissan LEAF SV, with an MSRP of $32,780, which offers a navigation system, Bluetooth, satellite radio, and stability/traction control. The LEAF SL goes to $33,720 when including a photovoltaic solar panel spoiler, rearview camera, automatic on/off headlights, cargo cover, and Homelink universal transceiver.
The key difference in cost between the two EVs could be the onboard quick charger, which is included in the Mitsubishi i’s $32,790 SE premium package—but the quick charge port is only available on the Nissan LEAF’s premium SL package at an additional $700, lifting the price to $34,720.
The other major distinction could be availability. Mitsubishi’s Yokozawa said the initial goal is to deliver about 2,000 units of the i, and later expand to between 20,000 and 30,000 units per year. Nissan is already delivering that quantity in the U.S., plans to steadily ramp up production, and aims to sell 500,000 units globally in the next few years.
Like I said, Read Joel Kotkin and remember what he wrote when you read upcoming mandates a-coming in our Rube Legislature to be signed by Governor Rueban Quinn.
Thank Mother Earth but take care of the old brain pan, Rubes.
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