John Edwards and Energy
So let me start out by saying that overall I like John Edwards. I mean for a democrat he actually seems like he has a backbone and may actually want to win the next election. He's a far better choice than Tyson Fresh Foods Pawn Hillary Clinton and seems to have grown up like a regular person. Now on to my rant. One of the issues I'm very passionate about these days is energy. I have always owned cars and when people make an argument for getting an SUV, especially those who are contractors, I remind them that a light truck will serve them better if they're doing real work, and if not I remind them that I had a small station wagon that served all of my needs for a very long time.
Anyway, I was a little disappointed today when I received an e-mail outlining his ideas for changing the future so that we have a new energy structure. Actually I was pleased until I found one line in the e-mail that really pissed me off. Here's the first part of the e-mail, I'll put the line in bold that I'm talking about.
-----------------------
Since announcing my candidacy, I've been speaking of our need to break our country's addiction to oil and create a new energy economy. I've also been speaking about the huge moral issue that global warming presents for America and the entire world.
These are tremendous challenges which won't be solved in a day -- but each of us can take responsibility in small ways that make a big difference.
For example, after years of driving a regular SUV, Elizabeth and I just purchased a hybrid SUV. ---------------------
My question is why was he driving an SUV in the first place? It's hypocritical for many stars to suggest to us that we need to conserve energy when many of us live in apartments, which by default are more energy efficient, since we can't afford big McMansions like they can and can't afford the biggest of SUV's like the rich can. Also, many of them own and use private jets, which in a one way trip from NYC to LA use more gas than a Hummer does in 10k miles.
Maybe Mr. Edwards should come and live with us for a week and see what real energy conservation is like. Not only is our energy supplied by windmills and other renewable resources, but we drive a small car, and only when necessary. We walk, or run, when possible and we use energy saving bulbs in all of our fixtures. We also keep our heat at about 60 degrees and bundle up in the winter time. These are some reasonable commitments all Americans should be making. Many electric companies offer a clean energy option now for only a few dollars more a month.
Sorry John, but I don't give a shit if you bought a hybrid SUV. It's still an SUV and therefore a bad example for energy conservation. An 85 Buick regal gets the same or better gas mileage than most SUV's and it's an 85. Imagine that an 85 Buick matching modern SUV's in gas mileage. It's a travesty. In fact the 2005 Ford Explorer gets worse gas mileage. The Explorer gets 16 MPG and the Buick 18MPG. There is no vehicle being produced today, that anyone should be willing to drive, that gets the same or worse gas mileage than an 85 Buick. Buying any new SUV is a disgrace. No one buying a new car should be buying one that gets worse than 30MPG in the city. I've always had 4 and small 6 cylinder vehicles, used mind you, and I found that I could get all of the work done that I needed to. Contractors, etc. may have an argument for a big six that gets around 20MPG in the form of a light truck, but a senator that's using the thing to cart his ass around all day does not need an SUV.
Sigh, the sad fact of the matter is that if everyone just kept their cars tuned up every 30k miles, and used injector cleaner at every oil change we'd save loads of gas even on the monstrosities that we have today. By the way I had a guy in a Yellow Hummer H2 with a New Hampshire License plate of 4BOWES cut us off, and when I honked, slam on his breaks, then speed off at about 90 MPH, and of course the cops on the road didn't seem to pull him over. This happened only a couple of weeks ago.
It really gave me a perspective on how much bigger the vehicle was and how having a vehicle of that size is a violation of the rights of all Americans to make the traffic system a safe communal system. I could expand on this by including an argument about breaking capacity and distance, etc. but you get the point. It is the very rich, like our senator buddies and the guys on Nantucket that are fighting the wind farm there, that can afford the biggest SUV's and abuse the traffic system the most. It's time to tell these guys to go to hell and buy something reasonable, and it's time for the cops to start pulling over rich people in SUV's like they do 20 year old guys in Hondas. Anyway, no matter how big his vehicle was I wasn't about to cause an accident and he shouldn't want to cause one either. Insurance costs skyrocket when you do something like that, not to mention the potential loss of human life, but oh yeah guys that buy those things don't have respect for other people and must not think because if they did they wouldn't have bought one. So I also wonder why guys buy those things. It must be a penis size, or aging issue, or something.
As much of a libertarian as I am I accept two facts. The road system is a communal system that needs to be shared and vehicles of the same weight and size will stop in about the same distance, in the same conditions, if in good repair, and that the road system is a bad idea in the first place. Be that as it may we all need to cooperate on the roads. Most "accidents", I prefer the term collisions, occur when people are driving irresponsibly. Anyway, I'll stop now since this post was mostly about John Edwards and his claim to a better planet through purchasing a hybrid SUV. The last thing I'll say is that SUV's are a violation of other people's rights because those of us that buy regular cars, and are responsible, can't see around the damn things at stop signs, etc. That is an unacceptable standard for vehicles that operate on a communal system like the road system.
Anyway, I was a little disappointed today when I received an e-mail outlining his ideas for changing the future so that we have a new energy structure. Actually I was pleased until I found one line in the e-mail that really pissed me off. Here's the first part of the e-mail, I'll put the line in bold that I'm talking about.
-----------------------
Since announcing my candidacy, I've been speaking of our need to break our country's addiction to oil and create a new energy economy. I've also been speaking about the huge moral issue that global warming presents for America and the entire world.
These are tremendous challenges which won't be solved in a day -- but each of us can take responsibility in small ways that make a big difference.
For example, after years of driving a regular SUV, Elizabeth and I just purchased a hybrid SUV. ---------------------
My question is why was he driving an SUV in the first place? It's hypocritical for many stars to suggest to us that we need to conserve energy when many of us live in apartments, which by default are more energy efficient, since we can't afford big McMansions like they can and can't afford the biggest of SUV's like the rich can. Also, many of them own and use private jets, which in a one way trip from NYC to LA use more gas than a Hummer does in 10k miles.
Maybe Mr. Edwards should come and live with us for a week and see what real energy conservation is like. Not only is our energy supplied by windmills and other renewable resources, but we drive a small car, and only when necessary. We walk, or run, when possible and we use energy saving bulbs in all of our fixtures. We also keep our heat at about 60 degrees and bundle up in the winter time. These are some reasonable commitments all Americans should be making. Many electric companies offer a clean energy option now for only a few dollars more a month.
Sorry John, but I don't give a shit if you bought a hybrid SUV. It's still an SUV and therefore a bad example for energy conservation. An 85 Buick regal gets the same or better gas mileage than most SUV's and it's an 85. Imagine that an 85 Buick matching modern SUV's in gas mileage. It's a travesty. In fact the 2005 Ford Explorer gets worse gas mileage. The Explorer gets 16 MPG and the Buick 18MPG. There is no vehicle being produced today, that anyone should be willing to drive, that gets the same or worse gas mileage than an 85 Buick. Buying any new SUV is a disgrace. No one buying a new car should be buying one that gets worse than 30MPG in the city. I've always had 4 and small 6 cylinder vehicles, used mind you, and I found that I could get all of the work done that I needed to. Contractors, etc. may have an argument for a big six that gets around 20MPG in the form of a light truck, but a senator that's using the thing to cart his ass around all day does not need an SUV.
Sigh, the sad fact of the matter is that if everyone just kept their cars tuned up every 30k miles, and used injector cleaner at every oil change we'd save loads of gas even on the monstrosities that we have today. By the way I had a guy in a Yellow Hummer H2 with a New Hampshire License plate of 4BOWES cut us off, and when I honked, slam on his breaks, then speed off at about 90 MPH, and of course the cops on the road didn't seem to pull him over. This happened only a couple of weeks ago.
It really gave me a perspective on how much bigger the vehicle was and how having a vehicle of that size is a violation of the rights of all Americans to make the traffic system a safe communal system. I could expand on this by including an argument about breaking capacity and distance, etc. but you get the point. It is the very rich, like our senator buddies and the guys on Nantucket that are fighting the wind farm there, that can afford the biggest SUV's and abuse the traffic system the most. It's time to tell these guys to go to hell and buy something reasonable, and it's time for the cops to start pulling over rich people in SUV's like they do 20 year old guys in Hondas. Anyway, no matter how big his vehicle was I wasn't about to cause an accident and he shouldn't want to cause one either. Insurance costs skyrocket when you do something like that, not to mention the potential loss of human life, but oh yeah guys that buy those things don't have respect for other people and must not think because if they did they wouldn't have bought one. So I also wonder why guys buy those things. It must be a penis size, or aging issue, or something.
As much of a libertarian as I am I accept two facts. The road system is a communal system that needs to be shared and vehicles of the same weight and size will stop in about the same distance, in the same conditions, if in good repair, and that the road system is a bad idea in the first place. Be that as it may we all need to cooperate on the roads. Most "accidents", I prefer the term collisions, occur when people are driving irresponsibly. Anyway, I'll stop now since this post was mostly about John Edwards and his claim to a better planet through purchasing a hybrid SUV. The last thing I'll say is that SUV's are a violation of other people's rights because those of us that buy regular cars, and are responsible, can't see around the damn things at stop signs, etc. That is an unacceptable standard for vehicles that operate on a communal system like the road system.
posted by baceman007 at 8:46 AM
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