I tell you what, it sure does feel nice not having any of that horrible money weighing me down! ::sob::
I wonder why I though having four kids would be fun? Well, they ARE fun, but good GRIEF it's expensive making sure they don't have hillbilly teeth. $274. PLUS the hundred bucks for the filling I got two weeks ago.
On the plus side, I found a strudy plastic battery tray and a proper-year grab handle, all for the sum of 3 dollars. I'm enjoying my time at the junkyard much too much. It's hot, and I get all sweaty and dirty, but it's just so doggone interesting. And nobody bothers you. Aside from the guy who wanders around yelling to people as they come in, "I PULL PARTS! I PULL PARTS!" Well, I like to pull my own parts, thankyewvermuch. Anyway, it's strangely relaxing. One day I'm going to play hooky and stay there ALLLLL day long.
Speaking of cars, I hear tell of various moonbats and dingleberries who've once again jumped on the EVIL SUV bandwagon. I've been following the story via Insta-Man, and haven't really felt compelled to comment, mainly because the story is so FLIPPING stupid that I just don't feel like it, but I will say this--I have a gut feeling that the people who are most loudly proclaiming that EVIL SUVs help fund terrorism are the EXACT SAME PEOPLE who not long ago were loudly scoffing about those anti-drug public service ads that drew a link between terrorism and drug trafficking. Even though the link to illicit activity and terrorism is MUCH more direct than through legal commodities. Why are the SUVhaters acting like this? Gee, I think it might just be unhinged, reactionary Bush hatred, but what do I know?
Here's the deal--ANY PRODUCT MADE can in some small way be said to drive money to fund illegal activities, because it increases the available world store of money. If you create capital, and you have a way of exchanging it, illegal actors will find a way to use it for the wrong purposes. So, ANYthing is capable of eventually leading back to bad people.
AND ANOTHER THING--some people need SUVs. Some don't. But it's not like the ones who don't are stealing anything from you. They pay for their choice. And although you might feel smug driving to work--alone--in your 25 mpg car, the moment someone in a 15 mpg SUV takes on a passenger, suddenly it's equivalent to them halving their fuel consumption--almost like they're getting 30 mpg. Gee, who's wasteful THEN!? And why exactly are you satisfied with 25 mpg?! There are cars that get 50--why don't you get one? EARTH RAPER! And why do you even have a CAR? You don't need a car. Ride a bus, you fascist! Better yet, walk.
Obviously, I don't believe that junk--you make your own choices. I do think, however, that it's a bad idea to start deciding for other people what we think they "need." People don't "need" publicly funded art projects, you know. People don't "need" PBS, or the NEA, or a host of other letters. People might not "need" SUVs, either, but then again, Hollywood celebrities or Massachusetts senators probably don't "need" a host of expensive mansions or a private jet. So, I would appreciate it if the Self-Righteous Need Nannies would think through their arguments before spouting off.
We now return you to mindless chitterchatter.
Posted by Terry Oglesby at August 26, 2005 08:53 AMIf we are now returning to mindless chitter-chatter, does that mean I can hold off on drinking massive amounts of coffee to stave off Alzheimer's?
Posted by: Larry Anderson at August 26, 2005 09:05 AMYes--or, no. I can't remember--is it 'starve a cold and drown dementia,' or 'I before E, except when it's a hat'?
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 26, 2005 09:22 AMI don't whine and moan about the EVIL SUVS, but the EVIL SUV DRIVERS need to take a course in CONSIDERATION TO OTHER DRIVERS... after all, there is far more than ONE EVIL SUV on the road at any given moment, with the addition of millions of other (potentially evil) cars and trucks. We can conclude that EVIL SUV DRIVERS are not the center of the universe.
Posted by: sugarmama at August 26, 2005 09:34 AMSome people are just jerks, and a jerk in a big vehicle has a disproportionate effect. It's what I call the Jerk Multipier. Give a jerk ANYthing that's bigger or nicer or more expensive than something someone else has, and they will be able to find a way to use it to make themselves even jerkier.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 26, 2005 09:44 AMI will note a few things, some in agreement, some not. In no particular order
1) How about the haters attack all the entertainment type jerkos flying everywhere in private jets? Which burn as much fuel on a single trip as most cars will do in a year?
2) I disagree slightly on the SUV thing. They make life more dangerous for those of us in teeny putt-putt cars, and most people have no idea how to drive them properly.
3) I also think the fuel economy of the SUVs is a crime - I believe if they really wanted to they could improve fuel economy and don't feel like retooling their processes to get it done.
4) Finally, what's this beef with the Earth Rappers? If they want to rap about the earth, don't be a playa hata.
Posted by: skinnydan at August 26, 2005 10:25 AMI'll try to answer--
1) Because it's no fun to beat up on other people who hate conservatives.
2) In a collision betwixt SUV and car, yep. But what of the motorcyclists and bicyclists? They think the exact same thing about everyone on four wheels, even the teeny putt-putters suddenly become big dangerous instruments of bone-crushing death, and are driven by jerky folks who don't look where they're going. And there's a lot less protection on a bike even than in a teeny car. You fascist.
3) When gas cost a buck, and they sold as many as they could make, yep, there was no economic reason to make them any different. Why eek out another 5 mpg--people who buy H1s or Maybachs don't really care one way or the other. Unlike way back when I was young in '74, though, there really are a host of alternatives--really good cars and even truckish things like minivans that get very good gas mileage. Unlike back then, there really is no need for the domestics to take a hit when all of them have decent, high quality, efficient cars available. People buy big trucks for a variety of reasons--some recreational, some for utility, some as some kind of persoanl statement. Same thing with boats or snowmobiles or personal watercraft or private planes.
4) I have nothing against Earth Rappers, except when they intrude on my happy space.
Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 26, 2005 11:16 AM