News-Record.com

"The birth of the SUV and the gas-guzzler is the reason gasoline is $3 per gallon"

And I was led to believe it was all W's fault. SUVs have been around for a lot longer than Bush. Go figure.

"As I am passed by a string of four or five SUVs (with one occupant) averaging in the low- to mid-teens in city mpg, I am disgusted with the American oil gluttony".... Get a life, dude.

Actually, Scott, the amount of dead dinosaur juice that is consumed by either a Tahoe or a Prius is vastly overshadowed by the amount used to heat and cool commercial and residential buildings. Let's turn those thermostats higher in the summer and lower in the winter and make a real difference.

Boasting "my car gets better gas milage than your car" is the new elitism.

Do you know those NASTY government agencys had the GALL to write a code outlawing the simultanious heating and cooling of in a given building syyem? That's blatant interference in the Market economy ... shame on them.

By the way, what's all the flip-flop from the Whitehouse on energy policy - did we vote in Kerry or something?

Regardles, I'm with Yvonne happy wearing my cartigan sweater!

"The birth of the SUV and the gas-guzzler is the reason gasoline is $3 per gallon, not the sheiks in the Middle East."

Give me a break, will ya? More of the ignorant rants by the uninformed who can do nothing more than repeat the mantra of the same eco-terrorist bunch who contributed highly to the problem in the first place. Ask this bunch why they have halted the building of new refineries in the US for the last 20 years? It's not oil we are short on, it is refined oil that creates shortage and higher prices. Ask this bunch why they whine and groan everytime drilling of new wells is mentioned, which in any case would increase our reserve and if nothing else and make us less open to the "blackmail threats" of idiots such as are in power in Iran today.

To continue. Put some of the blame on the so called representatives that have been elected since the 70's when we knew that alternative energy resources needed to be developed. Nothing has been done in all that time.
More blame for $3 dollar a gallon gas. Check to see who really is making the most obscene profits on gas. It won't be the "big, bad, evil, oil companies that we all like to blame. It is the Federal and State governments with the tax revenue they collect . Lordy these pirates love it when uninformed people like the LTE writer writes such tripe. You see it takes the spot light farther away from where it belongs. They dance with joy with every price increase because it means more money into the governmental coffers to be wasted on pork and give away programs so they can get reelected.

So Randy find another horse to beat because the SUV horse just don't ride anymore.

Produce, the "know it alls" who think SUV's were the birth of the gas-guzzlers aren't old enough to remember the Lincoln, Buick and Caddy "boats" of yesteryear.

True, hugh, true. They also think driving around in a cramped, overpriced, halfa--ed hybrid, that can't get out of it's own way, is the elit thing to do. They forget that when they get slammed by even a normal sized car that they will look like a beer can after a Saturday night can crushing contest. AT that point 40mpg won't mean diddle.
They also don't know that a Chevy Blue Flame 6 didn't get much better than 17mpg. Alas, ignorance is bliss for those or so it would seem.

I applaud the comments from "yawl" What would the writer suggest that all the SUV owners do now? They can only give away their gas guzzlers, car lots are covered with them.

I agree that we need to conserve energy, try to control emissions, turn off the lights, use the fans, etc. Blaming one group is just plain narrow minded.

Carol,

I agree about conservation. I conserve for two reasons. The first is economic. I simply cannot afford to waste resources. The other is my conscious. Sure, I could dump my motor oil in the woods like my daddy did years ago. But I don't want to leave a mess for future generations.

So, what's the answer? Rations? Sure, you can drive your gas-guzzler, but you only get 20 gallons a week?

Randy,

Until you start riding your bike to work, heating your home with wood, and cutting your grass with an old time non gasoline powered mower, you have no room to criticize.

A partial answer, YD, is Energy Laws that provide an incentive to swap Gas Guzzler SUV's in for a Standard More Fuel Efficient Auto.

A typical situation is the already fuel consience citizen swaps his already More Fuel Efficient Auto in for an even more Efficient Hybrid, while the Gas Guzzler SUV driver just wags his finger at everything .. so the gain is 30 mpg traded for 40 mpg vs. what could have been a twice as meaningful 20 mpg for 40 mpg.

But hey - we're in good hands. Red State'rs talk Limited Government Intervention, but they really mean Government Intervention Limited To Red Power, so let's just all smile and be happy.

I checked out your CAGW site, MRP. Staying on topic - heaven forbid I wonder:

"By a vote of 13-85, the Senate rejected an amendment offered by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that would strike $18 billion in special interest energy tax breaks. THE TAXPAYERS LOST.

Votes For: 13
Votes Against: 85

With those stat's, maybe everything's not partisan - maybe they're all slimeballs, which kinda contradicts the Democrats 17%, Republicans 72% summary on the web site.

... and what does that Democrats 17%, Republicans 72% really mean? It seems an overly simplified analysis. To get a "Yea", one has to vote the "right way (supported organization-endorsed position)", but what does "organization-endorsed position" mean?

... If one votes for Military Armor, is that Government waste?

... Do all issues weigh evenly? If one votes for the New Energy Bill, which is "chock-full of corporate subsidies, targeted tax breaks, and costly regulations", to the tune of 18 plus Billions, can that be offset by a single vote against the " ..$120,000 for the Conservation Land Internship Program." ?

... what does it mean that BURR is consistantly "Ineligible to vote" - is he just not voting in Congress?

http://www.cagw.org/site/VoteCenter?page=legScore&congress=108&session_num=2&repId=25426&lcmd=next&lcmd_cf=

BTW, Libby get's 60 to 66%, which is failing too, at least at my kids' school ...

JDR,
Don't let those activist judges come get you in the night either! They might burn your flag or marry two gay people. Conservative and Republican no longer go together. The Republicans are for federal control over marriage, and federal control over a women's private parts. They spend like a drunken sailor, but they still have Produce, neoCawn, Hugh, and Dan goose stepping with them!

"They spend like a drunken sailor, but they still have Produce, neoCawn, Hugh, and Dan goose stepping with them!"

Agreed, Republicans have become like Democrats in spending like drunken sailers. I don't consider most of them conservatives anymore, as conservatives are for limited govt., including spending. So I ain't quite a goose stepping for them but unfortunately the alternative is even worse.

I did my part to save gas today. Flew my plane to Greenville, SC for business and watched the cars parked on I-77 going into Charlotte. So I only had the airplane engine running 3 hours roundtrip versus 7 hours in my land vehicle. Pat on back.

"America, stop wasting oil like it is your birthright. To continue wasting oil will ensure that the Middle East controls the world by controlling the oil. And the war on terror will continue to be funded by the SUV drivers in the United States." I really had to read that last paragraph several times. I've come to the conclusion that the LTE writer did not mean what he wrote, (he meant we are funding the terrorists)but he is correct nonetheless - Americans ARE funding the war on terror! And as an American, I'm glad to do so, and I'm glad that even though the enemy struck on American soil on September 11, 2001, the battle has been fought in the terrorist's backyard since then. It makes me happy when one of these nose-in-the-air, my-way-is-best-and-you-would-agree-if-you-were-as-smart-as-me gets his panties in a wad.

Nic, the "war on Terror" is being fought on the home soil of Iraqi citizens who have never done anything to you or me.

One more time....Iraq did not attack on 911.

Eleven terrorists from various middle east countries supposedly flew the planes. Majority from Saudi Arabia...home of Bin Laden. So, you are happy to spend billions of dollars and sacrifice thousands of lives. I am not.

As usual DD you didnt read a dang thing and as usual your comments concerning my stance on anything is the usual ignorant comment. And again as usual when you have no information on the subject you attempt to interject something that no one else is talking about but you. Try again boy after you have read who are the spenders and who are not. They all spend like , as Dan said, drunken sailors, but see who loves the pork the best, especially in this state . It sure as heck ain't the Republicans.
Now that Ted Stevens (R) Alaska has been unseated as chairman of Appropriations Committe he can't even be awarded the biggest HOG award. That falls to the democrat in Hawaii(now chairman) and KKK Byrd in WVA.

While hopefully you are doing some reading and study on the subject I will be enjoying one of my huge, mater slamwiches, made with home grown , red, ripe, juicy, just picked mater from my yard.

I ain't no expert - but it seems to me the Federal Governement was originally set up like this:

The Representatives look after their districts - the count of representatives is determined by the number of constituents in an area, and their main job is bringing home pork.

The Senators are set up two to a state. That arrangement assures states with large counts Representatives don't over power smaller states. Their main job is represent the interests of the state, which may include pork and it's distribution, but also includes helping balance the interests of all the other states.

The Administation is basically 1, with a staff to help - the growth of that staff and power over the last 100 years is the stuff books are written of, but regardless - His (her somday) main job is watch out for the Country at large, especially on international interests, but also across state lines.

The Judicial is suppose to be an equal power to the Congress and the Administration, the three legged stool

What we have devolved to - imho - is a two party power system, where the interest of a given group (red's or blue's) are the sole motivation. The recent whoopla over a Constitutional ammendment for Gay Marraiges is proof of the pudding - motivate the self-righteous R's to the poles. The Congress works for or against the Admin' to advance or decay (red or blue) power - the lack of vetos against an R'r ruled Congress is proof of the pudding - they get the pork if they goose step with the Admin. The Judiciary is appointed to advance or decay (red or blue) power - the battle over nominations is about who's side the Nominee will lean on - not his or her qualifications.

We went to Wilmington this weekend. My wife has taken to audio books on long drives, so we listened to some of the new biography of John Adams. We have strayed so far from the thinking and writing and intentions of these great men.

Carol, you can read my post any way you want, but please don't accuse me of being happy there is a war being fought. I certainly would be happier if Americans did not have to go in harm's way to help make sure we can sleep safely. But as long as there are people in the world who will attack us (and they are there, even if you prefer to keep your head in the sand), the battle is going to be fought one place or another. What I said was I am glad that the battle is not being fought here. We saw enough of that - live - on September 11, 2001. No matter what the nationality of the hijackers, Iraq was a training ground.

you have your tense wrong, Nic. " ... was a training ground", should read " ... is a training ground". Those couple-a alphabet letters make a big difference.

hey - did you read the news about the high ratio of Palistinians they are discovering among the suicide-insurgents, personally delivering bombs in Iraq?

Stirred a hornet's nest we did.