Queen Arianna: Support Our Troops, Dump That SUV (mega-barf)

ariannaonline.com ^ | 11/14/2001 | Arianna Huffington

[mewzilla]

I agree with you. I've never owned anything but a compact. For national security and economic reasons as much as environmental. Folks can flame Arianna all they want, but unless they love love filling the coffers of the House of Saud, among others, you're better off spending your money on something else rather than gas.

[B Knotts]

On average, SUVs consume over 6 miles per gallon more than a family station wagon.

THERE ARE NO FAMILY STATION WAGONS ANYMORE.

Thanks to CAFE rules, and idiotic thinking like that of Queen Arianna, station wagons were regulated out of the market, and replaced with SUVs, in perhaps the most perfect example of unintended consequences.

[B Knotts]

I've never owned anything but a compact.

Ever tried hauling hay in a VW Beetle?

[MissAmericanPie]

You can tell she isn't American, this is European thinking, this is U.N. thinking. Americans don't regress, we progress. We fix problems by creating a better mouse trap, not sitting on the curb crying over our automobiles, or smoke and mirrors oil shortages. The days of the combustion engine will be replaced by a better way, when it becomes crutial for us to do so.

[mountaineer]

Re the Congresscritters and the elite saying "do as I say," in the summer of 2000, I did a solo freep of candidate Al Gore in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa. He was appearing at a $1000 per plate luncheon at a posh hotel. I waited and waited. Finally, I knew he was coming. How? About 15 full-size, gas-guzzling SUVs (I believe they were Chevy Suburbans) and an equal number of motorcycles roared into view and pulled up to the hotel's side entrance. Albert the Environmentalist mincingly stepped from one of them and I wondered how he would get around once he made good on his vow to eliminate the internal combustion engine.

[Pokey78]

As well as giving up our SUVs -- or, even better, switching to hybrid gas-and-electric cars that currently get up to 64 mpg --

If that isn't one example of a mega-barf, then I must have stumbled into DU.

[Azzurri]

Arianna Huffington is an idiot. She probably consumes more fuel (thru flying) than 90% of the American people she is trying to lecture. You ain't the national mommy, Arianna. What a doltz. The worst thing is, most sheeple think she's a spokesman for the right.

[mewzilla]

Now, now. You needn't resort to sarcasm. That was scarcely the point I was making, was it? But why buy more than you need (say for example, if you aren'thauling hay, five kids, or a football team around)? That's all I'm saying. A compact is something of a squeeze for me given my inseam, but I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. If folks don't choose to do the same, that's their privilege. I'll just wave to you all as I see you sitting in line at the gas station.

[B Knotts]

But I am hauling hay.

And that's sort of my point. People arguing against SUVs, large pickups, etc., make assumptions that everyone lives the same lifestyle they do. But people have all sorts of different things that they do, and for many of us, a small car isn't practical. I have an older midsize car that I drive occasionally, but most of the time, it's not practical to do so.

Hey, at least I have the small V-8 in my truck. Actually, I'm thinking of taking advantage of some of the good deals out there right now, and trading in my F-150 for an F-250 with a diesel, which is more efficient.

[sneakypete]

For years I drove a VW Rabbit diesel. Unfortunately they don't make them any more,

I understand they now make a diesel Jetta. Ford and GM both used to sell diesel-powered small cars too,but most people aren't aware of them because the dealers never stocked them. GM had a diesel Chevette,and Ford had a diesel-powered Escort. Ford also sold a diesel-powered Ranger pickup.

I average 18.5 MPG with my diesel-powered F-350 Ford SuperDuty 4-wd pickup,and have gotten as high as 20.5 MPG. I think this makes the diesel a worthwhile option,even given the outrageous price tag. Then again,I plan on keeping mine at LEAST 10 years. If you trade every year or two,it might not be worth your while.

[sneakypete]

For years I drove a VW Rabbit diesel. Unfortunately they don't make them any more,

I understand they now make a diesel Jetta. Ford and GM both used to sell diesel-powered small cars too,but most people aren't aware of them because the dealers never stocked them. GM had a diesel Chevette,and Ford had a diesel-powered Escort. Ford also sold a diesel-powered Ranger pickup.

I average 18.5 MPG with my diesel-powered F-350 Ford SuperDuty 4-wd pickup,and have gotten as high as 20.5 MPG. I think this makes the diesel a worthwhile option,even given the outrageous price tag. Then again,I plan on keeping mine at LEAST 10 years. If you trade every year or two,it might not be worth your while.

[consultant]

??We save something like $200 a month by using energy-saving bulbs throughout the house.

Must be some house!

[KelleyO]

Great point. Anyone who pats herself on the back for trading a Lincoln Navigator for a Volvo is living on Planet Yup and Arianna Huffington, no matter how highminded and libertarian she pretends to be, is certainly there, right Inside the Beltway. Where does she live -- McLean, Bethesda? Must be well outside the reach of the Metro, or else she would be embracing public transportation to save on fuel!

[Come get it]

When the trees are gone, you can wipe your @$$ on a spotted owl.

[xm177e2]

We don't need more fuel-efficient vehicles, we need to keep our friendship with Vladimir Putin.

[Come get it]

I've never owned anything but a compact.

More power to ya. It fits your lifestyle and you don't need to haul anything, am I right?

I'm not telling you to give up your preferred transportation, so don't join those who are telling me to give up mine.

I can't do the things I like to do or need to do without a large gas-guzzler. If they could make a vehicle that could haul 2000 lbs. uphill and still get 20+ mpg, I'd buy it in a second.

Just because you don't need one doesn't mean that everyone can get by without one.

I agree that most people who own SUV's don't NEED them, but who are you to tell them otherwise? With the amount of idiots on the roads these days, I wouldn't transport my kids any other way (when I have kids).

[hopespringseternal]

But I must admit that I don't see the point of all those suburban SUVs, which never leave the hardtop and never encounter the kind of driving conditions that would justify them.

Thank you for your input on my suburban SUV.

Let me take this opportunity to say I don't see the point of all that money you are making. You could move into a trailer park and send the rest to me.

Or just go suck eggs.

[cogitator]

...but I think she's right this time. If we're going to achieve energy independence, it's going to take more than just drilling ANWR and the Gulf Coast. That's a stopgap solution.

Plus, increased automobile mileage can get started in 2-4 years. ANWR drilling will take a decade to get started, because the area hasn't even been geologically explored yet (to the extent required to figure out where to drill).

A remarkably insightful piece from a woman who's probably rich enough to drive any vehicle she wants.

[lepton]

Given that our ability to play hardball with nations that harbor terrorists is going to be seriously compromised by our foreign oil habit, shouldn't we be doing everything we can to reduce that dependence -- starting, say, yesterday?

Will a general reduction reduce our dependence...without making domestic production relatively more profitable. The prices are as they are, not out of demand outstripping natural levels of supply, but out of supply being intentionally reduced to support current prices. If prices were to fall, which would be expected if demand were to drop, domestic production would drop faster. We'd do more by reducing domestic costs, such as from taxes, than we would by reducing demand.

Where reducing demand pays off is on the environmental front: Meeting EPA regulations for pollution, and existing with current refinery capability.

Where abandoning SUVs has a cost, is in human life. CAFE standards, which SUVs evade by using truck suspensions, are estimated to cost around 2,000 lives a year. SUVs are common primarily because of government meddling - so they need to meddle some more to fix it?