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By Ted Mitchell (registered) | Posted January 04, 2009 at 11:02:13
Appreciate all the comments.
I didn't bring up the debate of whether to bail out or not, that has been discussed in the press ad nauseum, it is complicated and I don't have anything useful to add.
Brandon raises an excellent point about conflicting messages, and without a significant hike in gas tax - comparable to Europe's roughly $1 /L, mandated fuel efficiency standards won't make much of a dent.
Grassroots, point 2, I couldn't disagree more. There is nothing in present day circumstances to justify the increase in truck sales beyond the 20% baseline in 1980. With people moving from farms to cities, it should be less. Almost all construction workers drive trucks to their jobsites, carrying just a toolbox and a lunch. Shoppers drug mart has a fleet of small trucks - to deliver small bags of pills 99% of the time. The number of jacked up, chromed out trucks and SUVs seems to be ever increasing. These are primarily fashion symbols, and plenty of people do just fine in their small business with hatchbacks and wagons.
Every time I've been at Home D, putting a bunch of 8' 2x4's in the hatchback and closing the trunk, and some 4x8' plywood on the roof rack is not a problem. But a similar load gives major headaches to the guy with the image truck, i.e. back seat forcing a short box with obligate fiberglass top, he's still trying to tie it all in when I'm driving off. Idiot. But if he never asks himself the question 'why?', then all the present advertising and cultural circumstances reinforce his choice.
Do guys in country music videos drive hatchbacks? I don't think so.
Grassroots, point 5, good point, I'm well aware of that. If people had equal input to business lobbies, then the concept of vehicle compatibility in crashes would be widely known and regulated. Because it's still ignored, lots of people die, about 4% of the total. search 'LTV incompatibility'.
There would also be clever counterpoint to the big 3's ads with SUVs on top of places unscalable by mountain goats. There would be no loopholes for trucks in terms of fuel economy and emissions (occupant safety has only been brought in line in the last 5 years) and regulations would recognize end use, not vehicle type. So the truck would count as a car in CAFE unless it is a business vehicle for a farmer, contractor etc.
If the US lobbying industry is unfamiliar to readers, check out Thomas Frank's 'The Wrecking Crew' - it's an eye-opener.
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