Yeah, I’m not gonna call them “the big 3”. To me, that seems like a self-appointed title, like Michael Jackson’s “King of Pop”. Only Michael worked tirelessly in the 80’s to build that up.
For the last 10 years, the 3 automakers in Detroit have been told to try to make more fuel-efficient cars, & they just flat out refused to.
Instead, they came out w/ the Durango, & the Durango XXL, which is actually larger than my kitchen! Yes, I know that some ppl need big trucks. You know, the construction workers, contractors, ppl who flip houses, Mormons w/ 76 kids. But not the mass public.
I have a friend who’s 5’3″. She wanted a Hummer for the longest time. Then, the Avalanche came out, & she wanted that. Not b/c she needs a big truck for any reason. She just wanted “to be wrapped in something big”, to feel the power of that. This was 5 years ago that she made that statement, & she still feels the same today!
I think it’s insane. The 3 CEOs of GM, Ford, & Daimler-Chrysler want $ from the bailout. But you know what? Why have you never even tried to be more creative about your cars & their fuel consumption?
I know Chevrolet tried, w/ the Flex-Fuel. But dude, my car gets 41 miles to the gallon. You won’t convince me to get a car that only gets 26, esp if I don’t even like the look of it.
Why this tirade? B/c here in Cleveland, one of the local dealerships has been airing commercials that tell me that if I’m pro-American, I’m gonna spend over $20,000 on an inferior product, when I can get a better one for thousands less:
Ok, so my Corolla was made in Tennessee. That’s beside the point. I don’t care if it was made in the Honduras.
The point is that I do believe in Capitalism. Say it w/ me, folks…. CAP – I – TA – LISM. If I remember right, capitalism is driven by competition. Karl Marx was my dude when I was in college, so I know he would NOT be likin the commercials these ppl are airing.
I don’t want the American Automakers to crumble. But 10 years ago, when fuel efficiency or alternative fuel was brought up to them, they had no interest in developing any “hippie cars”.
Here’s the other thing about Hummers that pisses me off. Our troops overseas don’t get the adequate protection or equipment or technology that they need, yet we’re over here buying a vehicle that was made for military duty? What?!?!
I think that if someone wants to buy a vehicle that uses up an extraordinary amount of our energy resources, they should be required to pay an energy tax. Now, if you buy such a vehicle, but have a very good reason, there would be an exemption for you. You would just claim why you need the exemption (your occupation, or that you’re a Mormon w/ dozens of children), or maybe that you use it sparingly (submit your yearly mileage).
Ok, seriously gonna stop now, cause I can feel the crow’s feet & frown lines setting in.
– 12/2004 cartoon by Dwane Powell
Sweet Sunshower 
AMEN! Where were the “big 3″ 10 years ago … or even 5 years ago … when Congress agreed to give them money if they agreed to develop more energy-efficient products? Oh, that’s right – they were there and they REFUSED the government’s money due to the conditions to create more environmentally/economically friendly vehicles. Other car companies have begun to figure it out and have become very successful with alternative vehicles and high-milage vehicles. I’m happy to be “anti-American” and give those companies my hard-earned money for a better product. That said, if the American Automakers do go down – all of society will be paying through increased unemployment compensation, increased Medicaid & Medicare claims, increased strain on food assistance programs, and a very real increased strain on the already failed real estate market in the form of a spike in defaults and foreclosures. America needs to think long and hard about how to best move forward regarding the “bailout” of the “Big 3″ and needs to consider the bigger picture.
I KNOW!! I’m seriously SO MAD at them right now. They’re those ppl in our lives who we warned something would happen if they didn’t listen, but they thought they knew better anyway, & then BOOM!
You can’t even say “told ya so”, cause if you just do that, they the beginning of the decline of America has started. You almost have to give into their demands. I don’t see how it’s anything diff than a hostage situation. I think they should be locked up. Let’s give one of the auto companies to T. Boone Pickens, or someone who knows how to run a successfully run a company for profit, yet is forward-thinking, creative, & environmentally conscious.
I swear, “To the MOON” w/ them!!
& we’re no better. Everytime I’ve ever been to Detroit (I used to go every weekend), the smallest car on the street was a Jeep liberty. No one had a regular car. Just huge monstrosities. So, the demand was there. Numbskulls.
The UK charges a tax for large vehicles, so the Europeans just build more efficient, smaller cars. We’re just so idiotic here. We do this because we like “big things”. Ugh.
Yeah, we could go rounds bitching about this one. 😉
G