Kyle Mcallister writes: "> I am sorry, but I have zero sympathy for people who > drive gas guzzlers. They should have known this was going to happen sooner > or later.
You go too far here. I'm sorry, but I am sure I am not the only one here who is getting a little tired of the holier than thou tirades. You drive a Prius, that's great. Enjoy it. I'm happy for you that you are happy with it. But guess what? Not all of us make as much money as you do. I am a full time Class A mechanic in the nearly jobless Buffalo New York area, bringing home a little over $12,000/yr." Sorry, let me amend that. I have zero sympathy for RICH people who drive new gas guzzler SUVs and Hummers. I have tons of sympathy for people like you who have no choice -- and I know several both here in Atlanta and in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, things are going to get worse for you because in a few years when half the used cars will be SUVs. "Get it straight, now: I CANNOT AFFORD A GOD DAMNED HYBRID!!!!!" On the other hand, since you read this forum, you probably have a good grasp of engineering, and you buy the most fuel-efficient car you can, and to keep the tires properly filled and the engine in good shape. You probably conserve in other ways, such as by using compact flourescent lights. People who do that are part of the solution, whether they are rich or poor. "Not to mention that the buses here are DREADFUL, never on time, and half the time don't stop for you, they just keep going." You should organize a protest, write to the editor, and raise hell to fix that problem. Given the critical shortages of gasoline, that is outrageous. That is the kind of thing that can be fixed. "Wake up, there is nothing else I or a large part of the working class can do about any of this!" Wake up yourself. There are lots of things you can do to conserve -- and you probably do them, as I said. Here is something else you can do: vote for candidates who say they will fix those buses and raise the CAFE standards. If there are no candidates who say that, then you should run yourself, by golly. It pays better than your present job. People everywhere are yearning for leadership, and in a democratic society it is up to the citizens to lead, if no one else will. If you run, and I like your platform, I will contribute to your campaign funding. "You want me to drive a ULEV/Hybrid? Then you get someone to sell me one for a price I can afford. And at $12k/yr, it better be damned cheap. If you have no alternative for those of us who work our rear-ends off for so little, then I suggest you kindly lay the hell off." Since you are a mechanic you know the alternatives better than I do. "And by the way, as far as SUV's go, I hate the damned things, because they are built like &%^$. I work on these things daily, and they are overcomplicated junk." Amen to that. See the book "High and Mighty." "If only I could find a nice, old diesel Dasher......50mpg would be nice. Guy down the street sold his a while back for $1500." I used to have one like that -- an Isuzu diesel. Great car! A friend of mine is selling diesel replacement engines for Cessna aircraft. They sell replacement gas engines at the auto parts store near my house. I wonder if there is such thing as a replacement diesels for older cars? I suppose not, since they are so complicated and model-specific. . . . If there were such a thing, I am sure you would be qualified to install them. I predict that gasoline will never fall below $3 again, and that kind of thing will be a booming business soon. "Anyone ever hear the phrase 'shit happens'? That's what this storm is all about. I'll bet dollars to donuts that this has nothing to do with 'global warming' . . ." On what basis would you make that bet? Yesterday, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment officially said they think it *was* caused by global warming. They have measured far more typhoons and Atlantic hurricanes than ever before, and these storms are 20% stronger than they have been for the last century. They have previously said that the ocean water is 1 or 2 deg C warmer than ever, and the Inland Sea level has risen several centimeters. Why are you so sure you know better than the Environmental Min.? I will grant they may be wrong, but they do not go around saying thing like that on a whim, and they have a huge amount of evidence to back up their claim. Of course the U.S. government will not say anything like this, but is administration policy. I am sure most U.S. experts agree these severe storms are caused by global warming. There is, at this moment, a typhoon of unprecidented strength bearing down on Japan. The storms in Japan last year and this year were by far the worst in modern history. People there take this subject seriously. "People have to blame something, and to feel like it is our fault, and we can do something about it (whether we choose to or not) . . ." In this case, people are right. This is like infectious disease: it originates in nature, but we have made it into a problem and we have the power to fix it. "My hometown is Ocean Springs Mississippi, a 15 minute drive from Biloxi, and my family is there. No communications with them." I would say I am praying for them, but alas I am stone cold atheist, and I do not pray for anything. - Jed
