Message to Trump

[Ameliorate]

Dear President-Elect Trump,

I am heartened by your desire to build up our national defense as well as reinvesting in American infrastructure. I would submit that the newly merged company of SolarCity/Tesla will provide you with both.

I am sure you probably remember an unfortunate blackout in 2003, which you may have experienced first hand:

The 2003 Northeast Blackout--Five Years Later

In that instance the offending culprits knocking out the grid for 50 million Americans were some tree branches. This bespeaks of the immense vulnerability of our nation's power supply and infrastructure. Imagine a not so innocent player or players who would wish to do the same thing for a much more nefarious intent. The article sites 11 deaths from the power outage caused by tree branches, imagine how many more if a group of people did this on purpose.

Part of the solution would be this newly merged company. It will provide the ability to have solar power to homes and companies, with the ability to store the power in clean/sleek batteries which you can mount on any wall in a home or garage. This makes each home or building a veritable miniature power station, creating power from the sun. All the homes are connected via our existing grid, and the subsequent redundant power supply would make large scale blackouts a thing of the past.

No terrorist would be able to target a single power line or power plant to cripple our nation. Each family, citizen and household would essentially be a part of a huge power generating network, keeping our nation safe and secure.

You now have a tremendous opportunity to encourage this sea-change in the direction of this country. You have the bully pulpit now to inspire and encourage all Americans to be part of a strong grid of individual power generators, working together to ensure the security and infrastructure of our country, and way of life.

Thank you,

GTG

Thanks for taking the time to write this!
There was no limit to just one letter, i'll post this again and hope you send it and get through
Elected Officials | USAGov


Back to my ZEV vs tax breaks... who cares which is more beneficial if it's not a choice of one or the other. If its even worth anywhere near the tax break or more, heck yes its worth fighting for. (Though It'd be nice to know)

Attempting a first draft today.

 

[Ameliorate]

Dear President-Elect Trump

I have gained a great deal of respect for you over the days following the election. Today I want to encourage a greater and prosperous America, one which extends not for four or eight years, but for decades to come. The best path forward will be to support emerging and growing industries while easing out of our archaic ways.

Fortunate are we to have a country with huge potential in technology of all forms. Looking back, where would the world be without cars, planes, radio, electricity and the internet? We are pioneering in similarly impactful technology even still. I would include solar energy, space exploration, robotics, healthcare, transportation and much more.

To bring the focus to clean initiatives, one needs to emphasize the longevity of these emerging industries. Creating jobs which are here to stay for fifty, even one hundred years from now is undeniably more desirable than propping up age old methods well beyond their expiry. These are jobs that will be of similar pay scale if not better. Jobs that are safer so workers can return home unscathed. Jobs that are closer to home so more time can be spent with families.

Climate change, real or not, is a change the vast majority of Americans fear. We aren’t alone as countries across the globe put in place initiatives to transition into a greener economy. In addition to providing secure, well-paying and safe jobs; why not be revered as the President who lead the world in clean technology. This is the president we all need.

Thank you

Sincerely
________________



Okay, that's my first go at it. By all means, tear it apart, add to it, comment!

Kinda want to include an argument against the Auto Alliance.....

 

[cpa]

> Once the logging dried up [cpa]

Huh? This is a sustaining industry AFAIK. Solar driven at that.

[a smiley a day keeps the moderator at bay]
--

Yes, it is solar-driven.

But logging in the western United States has declined precipitously. Compare logging in the South. I researched this subject briefly last winter, and the logging industry is declining here due to a number of reasons. I do not recall all the reasons, but some of them had to do with consolidation of the mills, much cheaper Canadian timber and a drop in construction demand. I believe that softwood forests grow much more slowly in the West as opposed to the South because of the shorter growing season too. (But I am not a forester.)

Logging will never die out in the West, but I seriously doubt that it will ever return to its heyday from 60 years ago. For example, Shasta County, California had 3-4 pulp mills until the early '70s. They had one in the mid-80s. I think that shut down by the early '90s.

And, another for both you and our esteemed moderator!

 

[Curt Renz]

Trump is obviously bad for climate related Tesla business.
But he picks and chooses what to focus on.
He might actually help in terms of AP legislation. " America has the best self driving car (for now), let's not waste this advantage!"

Indeed, Trump administration policies generally should be beneficial and not harmful to Tesla.

1) Tesla cars and battery packs are made in American factories with American workers.
2) Reduced fuel economy standards for ICE cars make electric cars more attractive to consumers.
3) Reduced fuel economy standards for ICE cars may eliminate need for competitors to produce electric cars.
4) Elimination of electric car tax credits mainly hurts competitors, since Tesla will soon be over the limit.
5) Improvement of infrastructure implies more driving.
6) Strict constructionist Supreme Court justices may be more likely to interpret the Constitution's interstate commerce clause in Tesla's favor.

BTW, Mr. Trump owns a Tesla Roadster so he is apparently not ignorant or disapproving of the company.

 

[McRat]

Don't say it, write it. Handwritten addressing and letters have a better chance of actually making onto a desk.

With Don? If you write like girl and the letter is perfumed, all the better.

 

[AudubonB]

Perfumed with musk?

 

[McRat]

Perfumed with musk?

Not sure the Don is a switch hitter, but for the right money any port in a storm...

"Eight to Eighty, if they can't walk I'll drag them. The only sex I turn down is old men, and I turn them FACE down!" - quote from MSNBC

 

[DiamondHands]

Not sure the Don is a switch hitter, but for the right money any port in a storm...

"Eight to Eighty, if they can't walk I'll drag them. The only sex I turn down is old men, and I turn them FACE down!" - quote from MSNBC

LOL

He did NOT say that!

 

[AudubonB]

***MOD NOTE***

Okay, fun time is over. I hope all were able to let off all the steam needed, because from now on we will have only decorum, and that of the highest order.

Besides, these Mod Notes are suffering from a bit of overuse.

 

[wycolo]

> California had 3-4 pulp mills until the early '70s. They had one in the mid-80s. I think that shut down by the early '90s. [cpa]

In the Rockies (WY, CO) which is mostly in the National Forests, my informal observation is of an industry working nicely within environmental and political constraints. One local mill (a chipboard plant) had shut down over 15 years ago but reopened 2 years ago. The other mill shut down for a few years but now is back in operation. Faced with massive beetle-kill the industry continues rationally without any boom or bust.

Nothing like the leftover disasters from the auto industry such as the abandoned plants in Detroit. Who is going to pay for cleaning up the Packard plant for example? Packard, who went bankrupt decades ago, foists this cleanup expense on the City of Detroit leaving the auto industry unpenalized. Why does this not get resolved like the Exxon Valdez disaster was resolved? This sort of liability needs to be dealt with on a national basis, ie Executive level, before any auto industry plums are forthcoming from the Trump administration. DJT can add this to his Michigan shortlist (+ Flint water re-piping job) of paybacks for getting him elected to office.
--

 

[SunCatcher]

Okay, that's my first go at it. By all means, tear it apart, add to it, comment!

Kinda want to include an argument against the Auto Alliance.....

Like you, I've been thinking about this a lot. First off, I believe that employing any form of negativity would be unhelpful (i.e. "argument against auto alliance"). Going against entrenched entities is probably not wise in this case. Maybe just avoid mentioning them altogether. The same with mentioning climate change, or the environment. We don't need to for one thing. As Elon has said, environmental considerations aside, solar energy, battery storage of electricity produced by solar energy, and use of this power to drive electric cars (and eventually trucks, buses, etc.) is simply superior. And since oil supplies will one day be exhausted, why not just work on what we know as a superior replacement now?

Perhaps you might consider including these thoughts;

Making America Great Again, includes American ingenuity, right? After all, American Ingenuity is what Henry Ford used to put affordable automobiles on the roads in mass numbers. American Ingenuity produced the telephone, the light bulb, and the electric grid (OK, Nikola Tesla was not American, but he accomplished his greatest breakthroughs here, so we won't mention that, OK?). Our American Ingenuity meant that we were the first to crack the secrets of the atom, and make nuclear energy work for US. Our American Ingenuity is what allowed us to take the internal combustion engine from its modest, humble beginnings, to the highly powerful and sophisticated machines that they are today. (There's a lot that could be added to this list, but you get the idea)

In more recent times, American Ingenuity has brought us technological advances that have changed EVERYTHING. Computers, and cell phones were invented in very recent times, and have improved to the point of sheer magic. Smart phones that do it all!

And in a mere 10-15 years, the development and advancement of the electric automobile has reached a level of excellence that has propelled it past the internal combustion engine autos of the past century (in terms of pure superiority). American Ingenuity has accomplished this! We must not waste time in taking this technology to its potential, and surpassing yet again, our competitors throughout the rest of the world. We can grab this bull by the horns now, or risk being left behind as other countries grab it first. America does not rest on its laurels, languishing in the greatness of the past, while an even more amazing future lies right in front of us.

 

[Weezer Fan]

> California had 3-4 pulp mills until the early '70s. They had one in the mid-80s. I think that shut down by the early '90s. [cpa]

In the Rockies (WY, CO) which is mostly in the National Forests, my informal observation is of an industry working nicely within environmental and political constraints. One local mill (a chipboard plant) had shut down over 15 years ago but reopened 2 years ago. The other mill shut down for a few years but now is back in operation. Faced with massive beetle-kill the industry continues rationally without any boom or bust.

Nothing like the leftover disasters from the auto industry such as the abandoned plants in Detroit. Who is going to pay for cleaning up the Packard plant for example? Packard, who went bankrupt decades ago, foists this cleanup expense on the City of Detroit leaving the auto industry unpenalized. Why does this not get resolved like the Exxon Valdez disaster was resolved? This sort of liability needs to be dealt with on a national basis, ie Executive level, before any auto industry plums are forthcoming from the Trump administration. DJT can add this to his Michigan shortlist (+ Flint water re-piping job) of paybacks for getting him elected to office.
--

I live in Colorado, where there are many "Superfund" sites to clean up where mining companies left toxic taillings long ago. Granted, they may not have known the hazards these tailing left behind, but I don't think it would have mattered if they did. My point is, people say renewable energy shouldn't have subsidies. Well, what do you call having taxpayers foot the bill for clean up from mining long after the companies took their profits and ran? Or the clean up that needs to be done in Appalachia?? Taxpayers funding the clean up at Rocky Flats Nuclear plant, (by the way, they are now building houses just down the road from there).

 

[Akikiki]

I believe if there were an avenue to get a message to Donald Trump, the combined talent of this forum which does possess many informed and highly intelligent people could persuade him to go green, whilst still being in denial of climate change. I do not think it worth the effort to sway him on climate change and it could lose his interest in the remaining context of the letter.

I'm in shock that Mr Trump didn't respond to this post within 5 minutes of its posting.

 

[wycolo]

many "Superfund" sites to clean up

It could be that many mining sites are best just left alone, but it seems to me that Leadville, CO tailings for example could be re-processed to reclaim additional Pb, Sb etc using newer technology.

But cleaning up the Packard Factory is 'makework' that yields a positive result to a 'depressed' area, so git'er done.
--

 

[maxr]

I don't have the letter but I have the title for you:

Mr Trump, please make our future great (again)

 

[MichFin]

I'm not a Trump supporter but Tesla is in line with his vision. Both Tesla and Solarcity have moved to bring back manufacturing to the US. They're both bringing America to the forefront of their industries and doing it right here in the U.S.

All the German auto makers are scrambling to catch up and the Chinese are making a huge push in both auto and solar. We can lead or be left behind the choice is ours.

 

[Ameliorate]

I'm not a Trump supporter but Tesla is in line with his vision. Both Tesla and Solarcity have moved to bring back manufacturing to the US. They're both bringing America to the forefront of their industries and doing it right here in the U.S.

All the German auto makers are scrambling to catch up and the Chinese are making a huge push in both auto and solar. We can lead or be left behind the choice is ours.

Indeed, as the information trickles in it seems more positive for Tesla. Sentiment has certainly changed since election day. Which has made this whole process a little confusing. None the less, he can be encouraged to do good for the environment and Tesla.

My take was maybe too much feeding into his ego not enough substance. I wasn't necessarily intending to write a letter but to encourage better writers to do so! TBH, I don't even live there Not far away and very much tied to the US though. Found out today I might be seeking new/temporary employment by Friday until work picks up again and that's really not ideal right now. I can't allocate many resources to this cause in the very short term, as I sort out my more urgent matters. Best of luck and hope you all submit your opinions to the POTUS-elect.