Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Aside from that, all of their findings were done experimentally only. X amount of toxic fumes in the air with Y amount of people in the hospital at the time.
You want to see some pollution to really worry about? Where Coke is Made from Coal - the Pollution of Linfen | GLOBAL 3000 | Deutsche Welle (http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3392849,00.html - broken link)
We should absolutely do something about that too, luckily we're in the fortunate position where we can do both.
I agree with the person on the first page who said the real solution is to raise the gasoline tax. Don't force manufacturers to meet fuel economy standards. This will happen naturally, when people demand more fuel-efficient cars. If you can afford the gasoline, you should be able to use whatever form of transportation you want.
My reasons for suggesting this are that I see so many high cc engines that really have no justification (i.e. the high school kid with the "cool" 5,7 liter V8 that he drives 2 miles to school in and his main use is for weekend "fun" time) that could be amply performed by a very much cooler looking 1,8 liter engine......would be a lot faster in many cases if he is looking for that little extra....
This is about idiotic. Sorry, legislating YOUR tastes as to what constitutes "cool" is ridiculous. And the kid who only drives 2 miles and maybe weekends in his big engine car is going to be using LESS fuel and polluting LESS than the commuter in their hybrid doing 50+ miles a day. But they hybrid or economy car is "ok" for you, but the fun car isn't?
Sorry, but everytime some narowminded person says "there ought to be a law..." I will immediately say "no. Not until you thoroughly think through the reasoning, logic, and ramifications."
Hey, my '98 BMW 740iL has a 4.4 liter engine with nearly 300 hp, and gets 30 mpg on the highway. Since I only paid $7500 for it, my total costs of operating are vastly less than any new economy car (when purchase price, overall fuel costs and insurance costs are factored in), so I am "economizing." AND still driving a car I like.
I agree with the person on the first page who said the real solution is to raise the gasoline tax. Don't force manufacturers to meet fuel economy standards. This will happen naturally, when people demand more fuel-efficient cars. If you can afford the gasoline, you should be able to use whatever form of transportation you want.
Be sure to make sure you add in enough viable, useable, convenient mass transit while you're at it. Mass transit that works EVERYWHERE, and not just select cities. It needs to go where I want it to go, when I want to get there. Oh, and fix the rest of the economy so that small stores that sell the goods we need to live on can survive in small markets and not go out of business, even in areas where the big stores aren't around, so we don't have to drive to the next town to get necessary supplies.
Remember, unlike a lot of Old World countries, ours was very much created on the backs of railroads and personal transportation covering vast distances. Since it'll be damn hard to own horses again, you might want to look into the costs of revamping the entire nation so its cities and towns are like 1000 year old European ones. And make personal mobility the realm of the wealthy (which of course, is very un-American).
As long as there are people that feel that their cars make up for shortcomings, the people in the Middle East will be getting richer and richer. There are some people that need vehicles with big engines for work, and they should not be discontinued, but a TRUE NEED for this type of vehicle should be proven before it could be sold.
The rest of the world is not nearly as wasteful, or have strange ideas that transportation makes them better than they are. Our population needs to pinch themselves in the butt and come to the party. If the WASTE alone could be done away with, we wouldn't have to pay as much for gas, fund terrorists, have more room on the highways and parking lots, pollute less, and more time could be bought before the oil runs out.
The biggest engine I ever owned in my 42 years of driving was a 225 slant six in a Dodge Dart. It was WAY too thirsty for my likes. It never got more than 20 MPG. I have owned more 4 cylinder cars than sixes, and have never NEEDED, nor wished for more power. I had a wife and two kids, and we traveled all over the US in our economical cars, and enjoyed the sites as much as any family of four would in a guzzler.
Down here in south Texas thee are so many people with big gas guzzling trucks that drive them to work, and the only thing that ever gets put into the bed are groceries. Suburbans, and other similar monstrosities are popular, too. Most are occupied by just the driver, and once in a while you may see one passenger. The same ground could be covered MUCH more economically in a Smart Car!
As long as there are people that feel that their cars make up for shortcomings, the people in the Middle East will be getting richer and richer. There are some people that need vehicles with big engines for work, and they should not be discontinued, but a TRUE NEED for this type of vehicle should be proven before it could be sold.
The rest of the world is not nearly as wasteful, or have strange ideas that transportation makes them better than they are. Our population needs to pinch themselves in the butt and come to the party. If the WASTE alone could be done away with, we wouldn't have to pay as much for gas, fund terrorists, have more room on the highways and parking lots, pollute less, and more time could be bought before the oil runs out.
The biggest engine I ever owned in my 42 years of driving was a 225 slant six in a Dodge Dart. It was WAY too thirsty for my likes. It never got more than 20 MPG. I have owned more 4 cylinder cars than sixes, and have never NEEDED, nor wished for more power. I had a wife and two kids, and we traveled all over the US in our economical cars, and enjoyed the sites as much as any family of four would in a guzzler.
Down here in south Texas thee are so many people with big gas guzzling trucks that drive them to work, and the only thing that ever gets put into the bed are groceries. Suburbans, and other similar monstrosities are popular, too. Most are occupied by just the driver, and once in a while you may see one passenger. The same ground could be covered MUCH more economically in a Smart Car!
Just because you like something or it works for you doesn't mean it's the answer for everyone.
Location: Still in Portland, Oregon, for some reason
890 posts, read 3,699,404 times
Reputation: 743
I got news for you buddy, the USA isn't the only country that likes big cars and uses them for daily driver chores. When I went to London three years ago, I was astonished at the number of Range Rovers being used in town. There were often four or five parked in a block and sometimes more than that! And this is a country where gas often goes for $8US a gallon and the taxes on vehicles like this are outrageous. People want you to think that Americans are the only out of touch, wasteful people on the planet but I'm here to tell you, it simply isn't true.
As long as there are people that feel that their cars make up for shortcomings, the people in the Middle East will be getting richer and richer. There are some people that need vehicles with big engines for work, and they should not be discontinued, but a TRUE NEED for this type of vehicle should be proven before it could be sold.
The rest of the world is not nearly as wasteful, or have strange ideas that transportation makes them better than they are. Our population needs to pinch themselves in the butt and come to the party. If the WASTE alone could be done away with, we wouldn't have to pay as much for gas, fund terrorists, have more room on the highways and parking lots, pollute less, and more time could be bought before the oil runs out.
The biggest engine I ever owned in my 42 years of driving was a 225 slant six in a Dodge Dart. It was WAY too thirsty for my likes. It never got more than 20 MPG. I have owned more 4 cylinder cars than sixes, and have never NEEDED, nor wished for more power. I had a wife and two kids, and we traveled all over the US in our economical cars, and enjoyed the sites as much as any family of four would in a guzzler.
Down here in south Texas thee are so many people with big gas guzzling trucks that drive them to work, and the only thing that ever gets put into the bed are groceries. Suburbans, and other similar monstrosities are popular, too. Most are occupied by just the driver, and once in a while you may see one passenger. The same ground could be covered MUCH more economically in a Smart Car!
You can buy all the Smart Cars you want, just don't whine to me when you get into a minor accident and your vehicles ends up being totaled and you get injured because you're basically driving a golf car with doors! I'll gladly drive my 12 mpg F-150 anyday of the week and I commute 30+ miles a day each way.
It all comes down to personal choices, what works for one family may not work for another. You have the right to drive an economical car as much as I have the right to drive a gas-guzzling truck. You can throw it in my face that you only spend $20 on gasoline each week while I consume that amount in a day...I'm paying for it, not you.
If you want the government to tell you how to live your life and what car to buy and what size engine is enough for your needs, go find yourself a country that already has such a government and go live there.
P.S. did you know that a Corvette with 6.0 liter V8 engine can turn 30mpg on highway?
If you want the government to tell you how to live your life and what car to buy and what size engine is enough for your needs, go find yourself a country that already has such a government and go live there.
P.S. did you know that a Corvette with 6.0 liter V8 engine can turn 30mpg on highway?
I absolutely love this argument.
So someone who has a different set of political ideals than you should simply get up and move instead of trying to change something they feel needs change?
I'm sorry to tell you bud, but that's not how the world works.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. 
