Quote:
Originally Posted by fergyflyer
I think you missed my point Wing.
What I was aiming at was this. We have a CAFE that limits the entire fleets fuel economy for an automobile manufacturer. We don't have anything that limits the energy usage for a home builder. So in effect the government is limiting the freedom a manufacturer has to build a car that a customer wants because it uses too much energy.
Why is it ok for a home builder to build a house that a person wants, that isn't energy efficient, while I like high powered cars and they are soon going to be regulated out of existance.
I have a friend that has a 6500 sf house. His electric bill every month is between 450 on the low side and 650 on the high side. That's the equivilant of him driving a SRT10 pickup and my 1300 sf energy efficient house uses 45-85 a month in electricity makes me a Prius driver.
Why is GM considered to be destroying the world by cranking out Tahoe's and Vette's, while it's just fine for Toll Brothers and KB Homes to crank out 3000-4000 sf houses all day long. Shouldn't there be a standard that says if Toll Brothers makes a 4000 sf house it then needs to build 6 1300 sf houses to equal the enviromental impact of the large house?
What I really think is this. The government needs to limit itself and it's scope to it's constitutional authority. It needs to mind it's own business and stay out of the peoples right to persue happiness.
As far as the gene pool, I'm completely opposed to mandatory airbags and seatbelts too. Let the idiots eliminate themselves and the average guy goes on his own in relative safety.
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A completely valid point. Which is why my sympathies generally lie with the Republican party. De govamint should stay the fluck out of the free market economy with the exception of providing the infrastructure to allow it to operate. A cental banking system, trade laws, courts to settle disputes, interstate transportation systems (roads & rails), education to provide a ready supply of talent, a military to provide physical security for our interests. All good endeavors for a central govamint to get involved in. Mandating product design requirements.....pretty futile. The market will find a way to get what the market wants whether that be a 6,000 SF house or a 600 HP car.
However, I think a 600 HP car is more socially irresponsible than the big house because the car is constantly interacting with other cars. That sort of performance difference in the hands of a jackass will (and does) kill people. Do people need a 500 or 600 HP car on public roads? Is there ever a safe place to use that potential on public roads? At least the decision to purchse a poorly built McMansion from Toll Brothers won't kill anyone.
As for social responsibility, does anyone need these massive homes? No! And I think the recent real estate market "adjustment" is causing a lot of people to re-examine their "needs". We have a 4,200 SF house with another 1,200 SF of finished space in the basement with a playroom and a bar with walkout to a 20 X 40 heated pool. The house has 360 degree landscape/security lighting. The grass and landscape plants are watered by an automated 9 zone irrigation system. The 7 channel home theater sucks 1.5 -2.0 KW when it's running. The house uses fuel oil (heat & HW), electricity, and propane (pool). Is this necessary for 4 people? Smart? Probably not. It's certainly a far cry from the home I grew up in and I never felt deprived or unhappy because of our house. Our irrigation system was kid powered. Our pool was a public beach at a lake about a mile from the house. It was also our skating rink in winter and a spot to fish. Home theater consisted of a 25" TV and rabbit ears. In fact, happiness as a kid had very little to do with the status derived from our house.
We have friends, he's a orthopedic surgeon, she's a dentist. They have a 6,000 SF home and a single child. The house has 12 ft cielings on the first floor so the doors end up being these huge tall slabs that look a little odd. What makes them look even funnier is that the homeowners are pretty short. He's about 5'6" while she is about 5'1". I can't help thinking of Hobbits when I see them in that house. They like ballroom dancing and so, have installed a dance studio complete with sound system, mirrors on the walls, and those ballet bars on the walls. Never asked but it could be a great room for sex too! Wretched excess? Yeah. Stupid? Probably. Wasteful? Certainly. Should the govamint step in? Hell no. The free market is putting the brakes on the excess pretty well at the moment. I think a lot of McMansion buyers of the past decade are questioning their decision right now. Only the market can find the answers.
