[Audi-VW-Diesels] Re: [Vwdiesel] Those anti-SUV ads

[Gary, Orlando]

I have nothing against SUV's.

It's about personal choice. Family. Utility.

</rant mode>

I don't care to drive one now, but who knows what the future will bring.
Granted, driving a big behemoth as a lone driver to and from work is
extremely wasteful. But if you have a family of 5+, it changes your
perspective.

No, what irritates me are the side-talking hucksters who we foolishly
elected to govern us. I find it terribly hypocritical they they spew
forth this anti-SUV tirade, while being chauffeured in either a) a
bullet proof limousine, b) a big black government Chevy Suburban, or c)
a taxpayer-expended private or chartered jet.

Equally offensive is that these same legislators strangle the SUV
industry by not letting the manufacturers use proven, existing
technology to alternatively power these behemoths. Though I believe Ford
offers a PowerStroke in their Excursion, I don't believe I've seen a
DuraMax in Chevy's Suburban or (4x4 equivalent), or a Cummins in Dodge
Durango or what ever their equivalent vehicle.

Similarly, ultimately, US diesel fuel will be on par with EU standards.
But our Government will want it done 'overnight', costing billions of
$$$ in conversion costs. Why not let the refiners gradually phase in
these new standards, as refineries are repaired, refurbished, etc.
Government money would be better spent helping the refiners convert with
incentives. The cost of conversion is easier to swallow over the course
of years than overnight.

The Entertainment industry Elite are no better... with their 45,000sqft
mansions and 21 car garages.

<rant mode/>

-Gary, Orlando


On Sun, 2003-01-12 at 12:04, Forrest L King wrote:
> I don't undestand scott,   are you against SUVs, like me, or are you
> upset by these ads?
>
> On a diferent and related note, I think it is amusing how everybody
> latched on to the "drugs support the killing of innocent families" ads.
> This link is a LONG reach, especially if you are
> grwing/cooking/distilling/mixing your own.  I think the SUV ads have just
> as much merit - not much, however I do hate SUVs and therefore I am
> willing to support the ad campaign.
>
>
>
> On Sun, 12 Jan 2003 07:10:12 -0600 "Scott Kair" <scott3491 at insightbb.com>
> writes:
> >     For those who have seen the ads linking SUVs to funding for
> > terrorism,
> > the source of the mischief has revealed herself.  Gotta love it.
> >     They're scheduled to be on a couple of the Sunday morning Liars'
> > Operas.
> >     Cheers,
> >     Scott Kair
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > Subject: Arianna's Latest Column
> >
> >
> > > Dear Friends,
> > >
> > > The anti-SUV ad campaign you helped create, which we have named
> > > The Detroit Project, is unveiling our two 30-second ads (entirely
> > > funded by your contributions) at a press conference in Los
> > > Angeles at 10am this morning. The ads are available at
> > > www.detroitproject.com. Also on our website will be a letter you
> > > can send to Detroit's automakers, a form to fill out for those
> > > dumping their SUVs, and a paypal link so that we can raise more
> > > money and buy additional air time. The ads will start running on
> > > the political talk shows this Sunday in major markets around the
> > > country.
> > >
> > > All the best,
> > > Arianna
> > >
> > > Road Outrage: How Corporate Greed And Political Corruption Paved
> > > The Way For The SUV Explosion
> > >
> > > By Arianna Huffington
> > >
> > > America's automakers have finally sputtered into first gear.
> > >
> > > Responding to the growing public outcry over its reckless
> > > gas-guzzling ways, the auto industry used the Detroit Auto Show
> > > this week to unveil a line-up of "coming soon to a showroom near
> > > you" hybrid vehicles -- including a number of hybrid SUVs.
> > >
> > > The question -- though I'm willing to bet no one at the car show
> > > asked it -- is: What took them so long? After all, cars powered
> > > by a combination of gas and electricity have been around since
> > > 1905, when the Woods Motor Vehicle Co. offered a dual-powered
> > > model.
> > >
> > > And while Detroit's sudden interest in hybrids after a
> > > near-century of neglect is certainly a step in the right
> > > direction, given the fact that many of the prototypes on display
> > > in the Motor City won't be on showroom floors for years -- if
> > > ever -- it's fair to wonder just how decisive a step it is.
> > >
> > > It's one thing to make a big show of rolling out glittering
> > > "concept models" intended for future production -- or to promise,
> > > as GM did, to have a million hybrid vehicles for sale by 2007 "if
> > > demand is high" -- and quite another to commit the marketing
> > > resources necessary to create the high demand. Time will tell if
> > > the industry has really fallen in love with this new/old kid on
> > > the block or if the industry's embrace of hybrid technology is
> > > just a one night stand, a here-today-gone-tomorrow defensive
> > > gambit for the PR cameras.
> > >
> > > We have ample reason to question the sincerity of the industry's
> > > stated intentions. Anyone remember the Supercar, that 80 mpg
> > > marvel that was supposed to hit the road by 2004 but instead
> > > managed to eat up $1.5 billion in taxpayer money before being
> > > abandoned on the side of the highway? Or the FreedomCAR, the Bush
> > > administration's equally lame "responsible vehicle" partnership
> > > with Detroit? Both highly touted programs allowed automakers to
> > > look like they were sweating blood to improve fuel efficiency
> > > while doing everything in their power to convince consumers to
> > > buy more and more fuel-inefficient -- and hugely profitable --
> > > SUVs.
> > >
> > > For a good indication of Detroit's real plans, we need look no
> > > further than this week's L.A. Auto Show. (Yes, I'm a regular on
> > > the auto show circuit.) There were as many hybrid cars on display
> > > as there were rickshaws. And in full page newspaper ads headlined
> > > "What's Up At GM?" the auto giant bragged about having "once
> > > again shattered the record for SUV sales, topping the million
> > > mark for the second consecutive year -- propelled by breakout
> > > vehicles like the one-of-a-kind Hummer H2."
> > >
> > > The sales deck is clearly stacked in favor of Detroit's beloved
> > > behemoths, with billions being spent on SUV advertising and
> > > ever-more tempting marketing come-ons, like GM's "Zero, Zero,
> > > Zero" program which was introduced in December and offered
> > > no-interest financing on 13 of its SUVs for up to 60 months --
> > > very tempting in these tough times.
> > >
> > > Of course, Washington continues to do its part by holding SUVs to
> > > lower fuel efficiency and air pollution standards than passenger
> > > cars. Our politicians have even refused to close a deeply
> > > misguided tax loophole that rewards buyers of extra large -- and
> > > extra wasteful -- SUVs with extra large tax breaks.
> > >
> > > Think of that: at a time when our leaders should be touting the
> > > importance of reducing our dependence on foreign oil, the people
> > > being given a financial incentive to purchase a new vehicle are
> > > those buying fuel-chugging SUVs.
> > >
> > > "I was surprised," said Karl Wizinsky, a health care consultant
> > > from Michigan who just bought a giant Ford Excursion even though
> > > he admits he doesn't really need it, "that a $32,000 credit on a
> > > $47,000 purchase was available in the first year. I mean, it is a
> > > substantial credit." Yes, it is. And it's created a substantial
> > > -- and artificial -- demand.
> > >
> > > It's the kind of lunatic public policy that makes you want to
> > > slam on your brakes and scream out your car window: How can this
> > > kind of thing happen?
> > >
> > > The answer is as simple as it is distressing: special interest
> > > money has once again trumped the public interest. That's why the
> > > auto industry was able to turn its back on hybrid technology for
> > > so long, and why our politicians refuse to this day to demand
> > > that the auto industry change its hydrocarbon-loving ways.
> > >
> > > The numbers tell the story: the auto industry spent close to $37
> > > million on lobbying in 2000. And you can bet that money wasn't
> > > spent trying to convince Congress to designate a "Windshield
> > > Wiper Appreciation Week." Although I'm sure Congress would have
> > > been glad to oblige if its deep-pocket pals in Detroit had only
> > > asked. After all, the industry has donated over $77 million to
> > > federal candidates and the political parties since the 1990
> > > election -- with $12.5 million doled out during the 2002 election
> > > cycle.
> > >
> > > It also doesn't hurt to have very good friends in very high
> > > places. Before becoming White House chief of staff, Andy Card was
> > > an executive at GM, and before that, the chief lobbyist for the
> > > Big Three auto makers. And you wondered why the administration
> > > has thrown its considerable weight behind GM's efforts to
> > > overturn a California law requiring carmakers to put more
> > > energy-efficient models on the road?
> > >
> > > Because of the corporate takeover of our democracy, Washington
> > > has remained firmly stuck in the Dark Ages of energy policy. Bill
> > > Clinton came charging into office promising to raise fuel
> > > efficiency standards to 45 miles per gallon but left without
> > > having increased it one inch per gallon. And why George W. Bush
> > > can try and score points by proposing to raise the ludicrously
> > > low SUV mileage standard by an equally ludicrous 1.5 mpg over the
> > > next four years.
> > >
> > > It's also why the Big Three, once again, have to play catch up
> > > with Toyota and Honda, which have been putting out hybrid cars
> > > since 1997. How ironic that if American car buyers want to do
> > > something truly patriotic, they have to buy Japanese to do it.
> > >
> > > So Detroit has sensed -- belatedly but still ahead of the
> > > slowcoaches in Washington -- that public opinion is shifting --
> > > and has taken some baby steps toward meeting the rising demand
> > > for more socially responsible cars.
> > >
> > > Now it's up to all of us to make sure that the pressure and the
> > > demand continue to grow. Otherwise, the auto industry will gladly
> > > underfund and under-advertise its hybrid models, allowing them to
> > > crash and burn -- yet more "proof" that American consumers don't
> > > really care about anything other than their precious SUVs.
> > >
> > > And that would suit those gas-guzzlers in Detroit -- and those
> > > cash-nuzzlers in Washington - just fine.
> > >
> > > ----
> > >
> > > If you have questions or comments, please contact me at
> > > arianna at ariannaonline.com.
> > >
> > > To subscribe/unsubscribe, please visit
> > > www.ariannaonline.com/columns/maillist.html.
> > >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > vwdiesel at vwfans.com
> > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/vwdiesel
> >
> >
>
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