A quick fix for the gas addicts

[hmrlvr]

Here is a column I found this mormning regarding the $1.99 gas promotion

May 31, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
A Quick Fix for the Gas Addicts

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, The New York Times
Is there a company more dangerous to America's future than General Motors? Surely, the sooner this company gets taken over by Toyota, the better off our country will be.
Why? Like a crack dealer looking to keep his addicts on a tight leash, G.M. announced its "fuel price protection program" on May 23. If you live in Florida or California and buy certain G.M. vehicles by July 5, the company will guarantee you gasoline at a cap price of $1.99 a gallon for one year - with no limit on mileage. Guzzle away.
As The Associated Press explained the program, each month for one year, G.M. will give customers who buy these cars "a credit on a prepaid card based on their estimated fuel usage. Fuel usage will be calculated by the miles they drive, as recorded by OnStar, and the vehicle's fuel economy rating. G.M. will credit drivers the difference between the average price per gallon in their state and the $1.99 cap." Consumers won't get any credits if gas prices fall below $1.99.
"This program gives consumers an opportunity to experience the highly fuel-efficient vehicles G.M. has to offer in the mid-size segment," Dave Borchelt, G.M.'s Southeast general manager, said in the company's official statement. Oh, really?
Eligible vehicles in California include the 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban (half-ton models only), Impala and Monte Carlo sedans, G.M.C. Yukon and Yukon XL S.U.V.'s (half-ton models only), Hummer H2 and H3 S.U.V.'s, the Cadillac SRX S.U.V., and the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Lucerne sedans. Eligible vehicles in Florida include the 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick LaCrosse.
Let's see, the 6,400-pound Hummer H2 averages around nine miles per gallon. It really is great that G.M. is giving more Americans the opportunity to experience nine-miles-per-gallon driving. And the hulking Chevy Suburban gets around 15 miles per gallon. It will be wonderful if more Americans can experience that too - with G.M.-subsidized gas.
Our military is in a war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan with an enemy who is fueled by our gasoline purchases. So we are financing both sides in the war on terror. And what are we doing about that? Not only is GM subsidizing its gas-guzzlers, but not a single member of Congress, liberal or conservative, will stand up and demand what most of them know: that we must have some kind of gasoline tax to compel Americans to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles and to compel Detroit to make them.
Where are the presidential aspirants on this issue? I have yet to hear John McCain, Mitt Romney, George Allen, Al Gore or Hillary Clinton support at least a $3.50 floor price for gasoline, so that it will never fall below that level and the alternatives can really flower and spread.
But if you go to G.M.'s Web site, here's what you will see: an ad with a young African-American boy saluting an American flag, above the following offer for U.S. military personnel: "In appreciation of your commitment to our country, G.M. extends a $500 exclusive offer to active duty military and reserves when you purchase or lease select 2005, 2006 or 2007 G.M. cars, trucks and S.U.V.'s - just show your military ID!"
That's really touching. First G.M. offers a gasoline subsidy so more Americans can get hooked on nine-mile-per-gallon Hummers, and then it offers a discount to the soldiers who have to protect the oil lines to keep G.M.'s gas guzzlers guzzling. Here's a rule of thumb: The more Hummers we have on the road in America, the more military Humvees we will need in the Middle East.
You want to do something patriotic, G.M., Ford and Daimler-Chrysler? Why don't you stop using your diminishing pools of cash to buy votes so Congress will never impose improved mileage standards? That kind of strategy is why Toyota today is worth $198.9 billion and G.M. $15.8 billion. G.M. is worth just slightly more than Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle company ($13.6 billion).
President Bush remarked the other day how agonizingly tough it is for a president to send young Americans to war. Yet, he's ready to do that, but he's not ready to look Detroit or Congress in the eye and demand that we put in place the fuel-efficiency legislation that will weaken the forces of theocracy and autocracy that are killing our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan - because it might cost Republicans votes or campaign contributions.
This whole thing is a travesty. We can't keep asking young Americans to make the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan if we as a society are not ready to make even the most minimal sacrifice to help them.

[dеiтайожни]

So .. in summary?

[HummerNewbie]

What a complete moron

[hmrlvr]

Originally Posted by HummerNewbie

What a complete moron

I think thats the summary

[dеiтайожни]

Ah, yeah that is a good summary.

[HummerNewbie]

I do what I can to help out around here

[Scouts Out]

maybe he could volunteer to give up his gas and pay extra taxes to help with his guilt complex. maybe go with out food for a week to help the poor..

[Sewie]

What a f*ckin' windbag.

Umm, the promo essentially equates to a rebate, its just marketed to take advantage of the gas issue. But I guess that little factoid would've distracted from his hissy fit.

[Chip]

Yeah I like the part of raising the price to 3.50 so we can all be so green little goodies and the rest of the world can follow us on being good little green campers. Ever been to China or other countries that are complaining on our consumerism with oil? The air isn't fit to breath like it is here. Raising gas prices astronomically won't clean up pollution. This is just propaganda

That wouldn't necessary get ride of Hummers, since most Hummer owners can afford it. What it would do to the guy that has to commute to work every day and can't afford one of those shiny new 30mpg expensive hybrid gadgets.

What's going to determine the the fuel efficiency of the future cars that we drive is that the price of gas which will effect sales. We have already seen the answer, sort of. The H-3. GM who took a lot of crap for building gas eating Hummers turned around and built a fuel efficient one. A larger SUV that is leading the pack at fuel efficiency too. Imagine That!

[usetosellhummer]

I do my part! my wife and I carpool! Why do I have to save the world? my parents didn't give a hoot and burned coal, tires, and fought WWII. It is all about control, and have' s and have not's. I have been both and have only a high school ed. Hard work, f the NY times and the reporter. Come out west were we use the trucks and F the crybabies.
(venting, gasp, gasp)

[HummerNewbie]

Just came across these bumper stickers for sale on Ebay

[deserth3]

Just another loud mouth who wants to control my life. And people think Muslum extreamists are bad.
The Future....
No salt...It is bad for you, therefore it is illegal.
Smoking... Allready getting there.
Sports.... You may get injured... Therefore.....
Softdrinks.....
Beer....
Coffee.....
Driving..... Will become computer controled..
Shaving... You may slit your throat....

We will all end up sitting around eating tofue (shiver), drinking filtered water, dieing from nothing.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

I'm not against fuel economy, but this guy is whacked.

Toyota is hardly the answer to America's fuel issues. The "hulking Chevy Suburban" gets only 15 mpg ... But my wife's '99 Land Cruiser only gets 13 mpg. In fact, my 2000 4runner averages about 16 mpg ... and the Surburban beats both in passenger, cargo and towing capacity.

GM complies with the same CAFE standards as everybody else, while making powerful, economical engines for trucks and SUVs. They lead the pack in small-displacement, powerful engines like the I4-6 and Vortec engine families.

Sure, they didn't jump on the hybrid bandwagon, but they have been building E85-capable vehicles on a greater scale and for longer than anyone else. E85 fuel production didn't boom like it was supposed to, but that's not GM's fault. Plus, GM put "displacement on demand" in Cadillacs years ago, but the computer technology of the time couldn't make it work well. Now, "dod" is back in most of GM's V8s.

Stupid reporter

[HummBebe]

Originally Posted by Sewie

What a f*ckin' windbag.

Umm, the promo essentially equates to a rebate, its just marketed to take advantage of the gas issue. But I guess that little factoid would've distracted from his hissy fit.

Hissy Fit LMAO

[Anti-BlInG]

Who else is under the impression he really wants a hummer, yet he doesnt want nor have funds capable?

He seems to know and talk alot about how bad "HUMMERS" are, stating that the h2 gets 9 miles per gallon...but what about the h3?? It is mentioned once, no stats nor facts, then put into the "HUMMER" title. Maybe thats why all these uneducated hippies give hummers ****? They read these liberal articles that state "HUMMERS" are bad and "gas-guzzle", then tell me my car is ruining the environment. I laugh, no need to tell them their VW bus is burning oil.

His idea of raising gas prices would reduce the ammount of hummers on the street...resulting in less moments of rage-like jealousy when driving his prius past an h2.

[FutureBeachBum]

Hmmm...let me reach back for a phrase from the sixties....
Commie, Pinko, Fag
Yep, that ought to do it!

[NEOCON1]

Originally Posted by FutureBeachBum

Hmmm...let me reach back for a phrase from the sixties....
Commie, Pinko, Fag
Yep, that ought to do it!

perfect you covered all the bases

[westhillsat]

Originally Posted by dеiтайожни

So .. in summary?

Pay attention Dei !!!!