Your Attitude Towards People Who Drive Gas Guzzlers

[Gumby]

..

 

[razztazz]

This is America, right?  Then let the market decide.  

If we are going to decide what size car people should drive (guess we should let the government decide who is elegible to drive the SUV's?  Gee, I bet that turns out real well), then why don't we let them decide what size house everyone deserves, who get's to own a motor home, who get's to live in the parts of the country that consume the most energy cooling their homes.  

Better yet, we sholod let the police enter people's houses at will when they think they may have their A/C units turned down too low....  Where does it end? I for one don't want to find out.  Believe they tried this in the good ole USSR, to rave reviews...

Was at least glad to see that the largest vote on this poll was in the Let the People Decide category.  

Think I'll go out and start my 2 HUGE SUV's and let them run all night while I turn the A/C down and get a good night's sleep...

Before this phantom market people speak of  "decides" anything, The People are "The Deciders".  All up one side o' town and down the other. THAT IS the market.  The market is what the people say it is. Not the other way around. Why not just let the police ... why not let the Gov decide who can or can't....Where do we draw the line....?

Hey man, life is about choices. It's all, every minute of it, all about drawing lines.  If it is decided that SUVs are banned...? Poof! If it is determined that we should ration gasoline... ? Poof!  And it cannot be other than right.  Sorry it ain't a perfect system. It'll average out.

By the way I am against doing those things  above, at least at this time but unlike so many,  I do not live in the 18th century or "back in the old days", or when so and so was a boy and this country did/had/allowed whathehellever. Gotta change with the times.  

 

[MJ]

I get between 100 to 150 miles per bowl of spicy black beans on my bicycle.
Cheapest gas around but it does bring down the air quality some.

 

[lets-retire]

OH great your responsible for all of the methane increase. I say ban beans!!!

 

[bpp]

I've posted on this before, but I don't understand people who want to make a moral issue out of choice of vehicle. I pay much more for gas than people in the US do, and don't complain. That was part of the deal. SUV, 20 mpg commuting, 24 highway.

I love alternative energy, and am watching the price of photovoltaics to see when they will become viable for us. But on the road, safety comes first, even if it makes me a peckerhead.

On the subject of sympathetic braking, I always assumed it was due to other drivers thinking that the first person to brake might have a radar detector, and were slowing down for a reason. Only rational to follow suit...

Bpp

 

[Danny]

I get between 100 to 150 miles per bowl of spicy black beans on my bicycle.
Cheapest gas around but it does bring down the air quality some.

vagabond - I salute you!..hold-on...wait a sec...there...

You've inspired me to get my brain on this morning...I'm gonna get my feet wet with this one, but what does everyone think about using urine! Some brainiac comes up with a portable urine refiner, we all get one at Target, always have it with you....We'll all be energy independent then and we all can drive the size of vehicle that we can support with our own production - I guess you can start buying the stuff also, and maybe they'll be a futures market in it....

 

[REWahoo]

Dan, when you were younger I'll bet you were a real whiz kid.

 

[Danny]

Dan, when you were younger I'll bet you were a real whiz kid.

Gee....

Lets call the device a whizinator and the product whizanol

 

[REWahoo]

Gee....

Lets call the device a whizinator and the product whizanol

I think whizinator has already been copyrighted. And I prefer urinol to whizanol, but maybe that's just me...

 

[Andre1969]

Well if Kevin Costner could drink his own piss, I guess there's other things you could do with it, too.

 

[bpp]

I'm not drinking Kevin Costner's piss.

Bpp

 

[Danny]

Well if Kevin Costner could drink his own piss, I guess there's other things you could do with it, too.

He does? There's another reason for not liking him..

 

[REWahoo]

Uh Oh. GM to End Production of Hummer H1

DW has been saving for a new one. Guess now she'll have to settle for one of these .

 

[Cool Dood]

Well it runs on diesel, so it's environmentally friendly, right?

 

[Danny]

Uh Oh. GM to End Production of Hummer H1

DW has been saving for a new one. Guess now she'll have to settle for one of these .

GM says it's not because of higher gas prices - that H1 buyers don't fret about that

REW, DW should be able to buy 2 H2s for same money and still have money left over to fill-up both of your tanks...

 

[REWahoo]

REW, DW should be able to buy 2 H2s for same money and still have money left over to fill-up both of your tanks...

I think she's only going to be able to afford one tank...

 

[Nords]

DW has been saving for a new one. Guess now she'll have to settle for one of these .

Heck, I'd pay to carpool one of those puppies through our H1-H2 merge... carpool lane? We could MAKE our own carpool lane!

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

DW has been saving for a new one. Guess now she'll have to settle for one of these . Wink

Ah have LUST in mah heart!

One of my best buds was a tanker in 'Nam. Ask one about a "thunder run".

El Gitano

 

[REWahoo]

Heck, I'd pay to carpool one of those puppies through our H1-H2 merge... carpool lane? We could MAKE our own carpool lane!

One of my best buds was a tanker in 'Nam. Ask one about a "thunder run".

Nords, Ed,

A good friend's son is currrently driving an M1A1 through the streets of Baghdad on a daily basis. Here is his description of his workday. (This is his second tour.)

"My typical day...
I wake up around 11. (breaks your heart eh?)
I get up and take my shower and do all that pimping
stuff and then make myself some lunch. I'll then head
to the nerve center to do my thing there. Either one
of two things happens at that point. The normal
thing, which is we get an urgent mission and everyone
scrambles and I get to cruise in a 700 ton 11.5
million dollar piece of equipment thru the streets of
Baghdad going 55MPH inspiring fear and irritation in
the general Iraqi population, and also several
"YEEEEEHAAAWWWW"s from my West Virginian loader, Kenny Ray.

What happens on these missions is kinda sorta...out of
bounds...but I will say that we make a serious
difference in the course of the war, and we do a
really, really good job.

There are times when we're constantly out, hours and
hours at a time driving all over the place pulling
mission after mission, but despite all the garbage, at
least I know that this time around, I'm putting a dent
in the bad guys. The difference between this time and
last time is simply night and day.

It's almost as if the Iraqis and the Soldiers have
learned to work and live with one another. I read a
story in Stars and Stripes last week about a city up
north in where the citizens turned against a group of
insurgents and drove them out of the town. We got a
good laugh out of that story.

You see, as much as they may hate us, they realize
(the average Iraqi) that we've won, and that their
lives will be better if we get our way. I have to
honestly say, that I'm confident. the damage to
radical Islam has been done. The Iraqis have gotten a
taste of freedom, and free market capitalism is
beginning to take hold as well. I think we've pretty
much won this war, honestly. Sure we've still got some
work to do, but as long as we stay the course, we'll
win easily. The toughest battle yet is getting the
liberals to shut the hell up and start thinking about
something other than themselves. Hey...miracles can
happen.

Well gang...The money is good, the tank is strong,
and I get to blow things up. Tater is in his element.
My leave starts June 5th, so I'll be seeing you all
around then.

Love you all, have a stiff drink for me.
XXXX"

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

REWahoo,

T'anks for de e-mail! I have been hearing the same sort of thing by the grapevine. I think things might actually turn out OK, eventually. Makes me feel real good.

Ed

have a stiff drink for me.

You're on, soldier!

 

[Nords]

A good friend's son is currrently driving an M1A1 through the streets of Baghdad on a daily basis.  Here is his description of his workday.  (This is his second tour.)

Hey, thanks, REW, I'll forward this one along to West Point. It'll get their minds off final exams.

My nephew had a training exercise a few years back where they did a fully-loaded static-line jump with night-vision goggles and even a pallet of dirtbikes. They were expected to mount up and move down the road a piece to blow up a target before escaping to the extraction point.

He said it was just like high school with better pay and fewer arrests.

 

[Eagle43]

REW, Great Post. We've won the war. Hope so. I do like good news from Iraq, once in a while.

 

[laurence]

REW, I hope you're friend's son is right, he's sacrificing a lot for us, tell him thanks.

I'm curious, do soldiers really think those of us who have turned against the war think we are going to shout "baby killer!" and spit on them when they get back? Do they know we seperate in our minds the sacrifice of our brave men and women in the armed forces and the mistakes our civilian leadership has made?

As most of you know, I work for a defense contractor, and while it leans "red" at my office, it's about 50/50 on the war right now. We debate the different issues on our cofee breaks, but when we're working, we all bust our a** to do the very best for our men and women in uniform. At work we say that we protect those who protect America, and we're very proud of that.

 

[Nords]

I'm curious, do soldiers really think those of us who have turned against the war think we are going to shout "baby killer!" and spit on them when they get back?  Do they know we seperate in our minds the sacrifice of our brave men and women in the armed forces and the mistakes our civilian leadership has made?

By any chance have you asked these questions of any Vietnam vets in your office?

 

[REWahoo]

REW, I hope you're friend's son is right, he's sacrificing a lot for us, tell him thanks.

I'm curious, do soldiers really think those of us who have turned against the war think we are going to shout "baby killer!" and spit on them when they get back? Do they know we seperate in our minds the sacrifice of our brave men and women in the armed forces and the mistakes our civilian leadership has made?

DISCLAIMER: I served in the military during the Vietnam era.

Laurence, I’ve never discussed your question with Adam, but I suspect separating the two is a little fuzzy for guys in the thick of it. Even though there are clear distinctions in your mind between our folks in uniform and their leadership, I believe an awful lot gets lost in the translation when you are over there and in harms way.

I don’t believe Adam thinks when he gets back home he will be greeted on the street by citizens spitting and calling him “baby killer!” (been there, done that, wouldn’t wish it on anyone). Rather, I think he’s more concerned that his sacrifice and that of thousands of others might go to waste by abandoning the fight before it’s through.

Interesting isn’t it, hearing his words and comparing them to what we see daily on the news?