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Old 12-28-2007, 03:00 PM
 
6,762 posts, read 11,592,578 times
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Ethanol is not a "clean" fuel. If we use it as a transition fuel we are going to create more air pollution issues than gas. LA will become the ozone capital of the world.
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:01 PM
 
Location: Washington DC
626 posts, read 990,401 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greatday View Post
Which ones exactly? And, remember, the PTCruiser is listed as an SUV
Are you sure about this? It uses the same chassis as a Dodge Neon (or at least it used to).
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:08 PM
 
9,725 posts, read 15,113,757 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by YoAdrian View Post
The thing is, you can get ethanol from any cellulosic plant source, like switchgrass, sugar cane, even hemp.
Oooooooo.... Let's burn hemp!

Even better, let's burn marijuana! The population will be so high they won't care about the cost of gas!
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:13 PM
 
Location: America
6,993 posts, read 17,307,420 times
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Originally Posted by saganista View Post
Actually, the OP's usage was correct...gasoline is an inelastic good in that over observable ranges, unit increases in price produce less than a proportional decrease in demand. The demand curve for gasoline is actually a fairly interesting one, in that in functional terms, it may be indeterminate outside of relatively narrow ranges. It is certainly the case for example that relative price-elasticities vary dependent on timing. If one introduces a short-term price increase from say 300/gal to 350/gal in one great leap, demand will decrease noticably, but if one introduces the same increase over a series of narrowly separated 5-cent increments, demand will decrease by less. Some suggest that this effect motivates a pump price that is ever changing over relatively small increments such that consumers cannot become too acclimated to the actual cost of gasoline at any particular price. This type of market-segmentation by confusion would work to the advantage of oil companies by allowing them to maximize total revenue by manipulating what are in effect a calculated series of surcharges and rebates. Such a system would work entirely to the detriment of consumers and of society as a whole of course, but in a free market economy, neither of those entities actually matters for very much...
re read my post, I did not make a judgement on whether or not this person definition of elastictiy or the lack there of is correct. I simply stated the principles the person was trying to reference was indeed called elasticity versus inelasticity.
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:20 PM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,378,135 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tnbound2day View Post
So how would you explain there being over a dozen current SUV models that have a 4 or 5 of 5 rating? Typically they are the most popular, incuding the Tahoe, Suburban, Explorer, Navigator, Pilot, and Pathfinder.
Well, in part that would be the difference between the word 'current' and the words 'to start with'. As SUV's began to gain market share, automakers needed to compete for the profit suddenly available there. Safety (of at least the supposed variety) is an easy pitch to Soccer Mom's. That said, the 4 and 5 ratings quoted are for particular crash-test results. Overall safety ratings aren't as rosy a picture. And look what happened over time to SUV prices as the result. From underselling a stripped down Chevy, they went to running into Mercedes-like ranges.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tnbound2day View Post
As for great big crew cab F-150's, do you personally follow them around to be sure they aren't being used for a good purpose?
No, I don't. Like anything else, it's a mixed bag. Per the earlier, I'm happy to let the vehicle fit the tasks that it needs to accomplish. If big-time towing and hauling are on the agenda, then you can't get by with a golf cart. But for a run to the grocery store, you can.
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:22 PM
 
9,725 posts, read 15,113,757 times
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Where I live, we have a pretty good local transit system. It only has 7 bus lines, but it covers most of the major streets in the city. It connects (via a central hub) with the train system and the LA City bus system. It also has another hub that connects the 7 bus lines. The best part is: It only costs $.25 to ride.
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:34 PM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,378,135 times
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Originally Posted by Greatday View Post
Hey - you stereotyped all SUV's Bubba - not I
You indicated ALL were gas guzzlers. All were unsafe. All were unsafe to be driven on the highways
Another argument from the outliers...
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:47 PM
 
6,762 posts, read 11,592,578 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista View Post
If big-time towing and hauling are on the agenda, then you can't get by with a golf cart. But for a run to the grocery store, you can.
True enough although I don't know how many people care for the idea of using such a small vehicle to do such. While some people may live in an area where a groceary store is a few side streets away, there are tons who wouldn't want to if their journey includes a highways.
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:48 PM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,378,135 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormcrow73 View Post
But my experiences watching parts of DC and Baltimore get gentrified and redeveloped indicate to me that it won't the middle class moving back in.
Probably a valid point with respect to expansion on Capitol Hill or directly south from Eastern Market. But there are tons of very affordable options even in Penn Quarter, and certainly on up through Logan Circle, Shaw, Columbia Heights, and Petworth. Even Fort Totten is starting to get nice if you don't mind a little gunfire now and then... :-) In SE, the projects are all slated to go, but most of the rest stays, and the new developments all include low- and moderate-income units. In SW, just about everything is going to go, but there as well, it's an all-income model that they're going by...
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Old 12-28-2007, 03:53 PM
 
19,198 posts, read 31,378,135 times
Reputation: 4013
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wild Style View Post
re read my post, I did not make a judgement on whether or not this person definition of elastictiy or the lack there of is correct. I simply stated the principles the person was trying to reference was indeed called elasticity versus inelasticity.
I see your point. That wasn't the way I read it the first time through...
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