I feel that important revelation was lost when the thread immediately pivoted to a discussion around Medicare. Very informative, but maybe not as important as how the economic dogma of the past fifty years influenced policy, resulting in our currently volatile and flawed economy.
Health is transitory but economics is eternal!
With the advent of Complex Systems the Santa Fe Institute started studying economics from this new perspective. One important takeaway is that classical economics is based on the supply and demand of commodities which follows the Law of Decreasing Returns while modern technology such as software follows the Law of Increasing Returns as well as Path Dependence – the reason a lesser technology can beat out a better one.
One important area for Fools where they mostly still use classical economics is in the stock market and it works for commodities but not for high growth technologies. I discovered that The Gorilla Game and Complex Systems have a lot in common. The Gorilla Game evolved from Silicon Valley marketing, it was dealing with real world Complex Systems and the Law of Increasing Returns.
When Fool telegraph predicts the imminent demise of EVs for a multitude of reasons, he is thinking in classical economics mode. For now EVs are not commodities like ICE cars. They might become commodities in a few decades.
The Captain
That higher pay did not lead to higher production was explained to me by a client that made shoes on a piece rate incentive basis. The year was 1962. Economists seem slow to change their biases. 
BTW, how often has the Fed been wrong? The best economists that Ivory Towers produce!
2 Likes
“When Fool telegraph predicts the imminent demise of EVs for a multitude of reasons, he is thinking in classical economics mode. For now EVs are not commodities like ICE cars. They might become commodities in a few decades.”
An EV is a car. If people find them useful and affordable, they’ll buy them. If not, they won’t.
Most of Detroit won’t have much available until model year 2025 other than Ford Lightning , GM Hummer, and a few other entrants. Meanwhile, IC cars are selling by the millions.
You did see the latest report on Teslas up north? Seems their ‘new’ heat pump heating systems are crapping out in record numbers of up north - where it’s 40 below and your car heat system just quits on you. Corrosion of the heat pump itself due to poor design leading to quick failure in less than 2 years. Teslas may be great for ‘software’ updates but they still have to prove themselves (and other car makers) in longevity, all climates, etc.
I’ll consider buying an EV when you can get a 15 minute charge at most ‘stations’ that provide 250-350 miles of range for that fast charge. I’m not going to be the one hunting down an ‘open’ Level 3 charger when I head out on trips of 1500 miles to grandma’s house, nor interested in stopping every 2 hours at a restaurant to get another 50 miles of charge in a hour while ‘dining’ there. Geez, that would take forever to go 1500 miles. Or even 500 miles. Now I can do that 500 miles with one 10 minute gas/pit stop. 15 min if I buy a Subway sandwich there and I get another 300 miles of range by filling the tank in five minutes.
t.
2 Likes
I contacted my local SHIP and after about a week they called back. The woman on the phone knew less than I.
Sorry that you had a bad experience with SHIP. I used their services one three occasions prior to getting on Medicare (next month) and found my contact to be extremely knowledgeable, patient with my dumb questions, and even very accommodating when I explained that we may not need the extra benefits of Medicare Advantage.
I would continue to recommend them.
'38Packard