Pete Buttigieg, the Transportation Secretary and poster child for liberal pipe dreams, is head-over-heels for electric vehicles (EVs), equating the move from reliable gasoline engines to problematic EVs to swapping landlines for cell phones. His dismissal of legitimate concerns over the astronomical costs of EVs and the glaring lack of essential infrastructure is as out of touch as it gets.
This comes as Ford announces a massive workforce reduction at its F-150 Lightning plant in Michigan, a stark reminder of the real-world impacts of pushing an unripe EV market onto the American workforce. Buttigieg’s comparison of Americans hesitant about EVs to folks resisting cell phones is utterly misguided. Americans embraced cell phones eagerly, seeing the clear benefits to their daily lives. In stark contrast, the pushback against EVs isn’t about fear of progress; it’s about legitimate concerns. Most Americans aren’t clamoring for EVs because, frankly, they’re more trouble than they’re worth right now. Remember all the Teslas stranded in Chicago because of the cold weather?
Buttigieg’s grand vision extends beyond appeasing the American consumer; he’s intent on outmaneuvering China in the EV race. His patriotic call to arms for EV manufacturing on American soil, particularly in states like Indiana and Michigan, rings hollow when considering the job losses and industry upheaval it’s already causing.
Further, Buttigieg conveniently overlooks the inconvenient truth that EV charging stations are primarily powered by the very fossil fuels he and his colleagues claim to supplant. His so-called efficiency argument—that it’s more energy-efficient to burn fossil fuels at power plants than in car engines—misses the forest for the trees. It’s a thinly veiled attempt to justify the administration’s costly EV push, which forces Americans into less reliable, more expensive transportation options under the guise of environmental stewardship.
The push for EVs isn’t about organic market evolution; it’s a heavy-handed attempt by the Biden administration to shoehorn the American public into a future that’s not just unprepared but unwelcome. Making EVs “affordable” through tax credits is a band-aid solution to a deeper problem. It’s not just about price parity; it’s about practicality, reliability, and the freedom to choose. As Buttigieg and the Biden administration double down on EVs, they’re not just betting against internal combustion engines; they’re gambling with American livelihoods, all to chase an illusory victory in a global tech race.
