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Yeah, it sort of reminds me of the move toward keyless ignition.

I mean, was there a great hue and cry saying that turning a key is just too hard? It's like designers think that they're useless if they're not constantly designing new and weird ways to do what people were doing just fine with already.

Not to mention the fact that you need to hold down the button for 3 seconds to turn it off.

Next they'll come out with joystick steering. (I say that sarcastically, but some auto designer out there who wants to make his mark has probably jotted it down as a brainstorm.)

Yeah, it sort of reminds me of the move toward keyless ignition.

I mean, was there a great hue and cry saying that turning a key is just too hard? It's like designers think that they're useless if they're not constantly designing new and weird ways to do what people were doing just fine with already.

Not to mention the fact that you need to hold down the button for 3 seconds to turn it off.

Next they'll come out with joystick steering. (I say that sarcastically, but some auto designer out there who wants to make his mark has probably jotted it down as a brainstorm.)

Which would you rather drive down the information superhighway? The Titanic? or a Tesla?

It depends on what I'm doing. If I'm gaming or surfing I want to drive the tesla. If I'm doing uploads/downloads, I want the titanic. If people are surfing my website, tesla, if they're downloading some of my code modules, the titanic. If I've just started watching a movie on netflix, then tesla, if i want to be able to free up my pipe for torrents again while I watch my movie, the titanic (ie: buffer the film on the local device).

Can't I have a Tesla with trunk space?

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/ (AKA TTAC) is my current favourite auto rag, filled with TheRegister-esque satire dripping with sarcasm and some descriptive analogies worthy of PA's Jerry Holkins.

Here's a decent writing sample that sticks in my memory: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009/01/comparison-2008-dodge-charger-v6-vs-1993-toyota-camry/

Maybe I didn't notice it as a kid since I had the propensity to simply ignore all things politick, but C&D and some of the other auto mags seem to have very right-wing editorials these days, that kind of give the thing a different flavour. Anyway, don't really find them as intellectually stimulating anymore, but I guess they're mostly for the pictures. :-P

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/ (AKA TTAC) is my current favourite auto rag, filled with TheRegister-esque satire dripping with sarcasm and some descriptive analogies worthy of PA's Jerry Holkins.

Here's a decent writing sample that sticks in my memory: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009/01/comparison-2008-dodge-charger-v6-vs-1993-toyota-camry/

Maybe I didn't notice it as a kid since I had the propensity to simply ignore all things politick, but C&D and some of the other auto mags seem to have very right-wing editorials these days, that kind of give the thing a different flavour. Anyway, don't really find them as intellectually stimulating anymore, but I guess they're mostly for the pictures. :-P

Notably that DBM went from "revolution" to "ready for production" instantly, and that's not likely, and that there is no DBM manufacturing plant. (I'm not sure how they make forklift batteries then, but hey, I shouldn't be so inquisitive.

E

The one bought last year doesn't look deadly enough:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/cash-for-clunkers-shock-horror-hummer-bought-with-c4c-cash/

Because everything is bad if there is the theoretical possibility that it could potentially be abused?

In this case, yes. And it doesn't always need Photoshop to cause havok. This kind of thing has been done before 1 2. The difference here is that the person is the one to make the photo from any angle instead of the single angle that the speed camera takes. You can make a faked violation and then send the photo to the website and they get the fines. And I can easily see people doing to people they don't like (others have done worse). In the end, if something can be potentially abused you have to take that into consideration and try to implement safeguards against it. Otherwise if you don't, someone will be more then happen to abuse it and others will join when they see just how easy and non-traceable it can be.

For those curious, here is the article about that. 2

The 2009 Lexus ES 350 that California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor was driving was a "loaner" vehicle given to him temporarily while his car was being repaired.

It has a "starter button" instead of an ignition key, and requires that the bnutton be depressed for 3 or more seconds if the car is in gear, or it may not function to turn the car off at all over certain velocities.

The shifter has a strange configuration which allows it to "emulate" a manual transmission while it is really an automatic transmission. The "N" position is also used to shift up a gear.
You can almost make it out in this photo at http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/112_1004_2010_buick_lacrosse_2010_lexus_es_350_comparison/photo_22.html .

Article about why the starter button and transmission human interface may have been factors in the officer not being able to get the car out of gear:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/starter-button-a-factor-in-runaway-lexus-es350/

Article about the crash :
http://www.sandiego6.com/mostpopular/story/Santee-CHP-officer-Saylor-killed-Lexus-accelerator/AzYjOhtvFE2mIuxTtxrK4Q.cspx

Here's a list (SUA) sudden unintended acceleration complaints to the NHTSA

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/nhtsa-data-dive-3-117-models-ranked-by-rate-of-ua-incidents/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/05/sudden.acceleration.fact.check/index.html

Atop that, most of SUA complaints to the NHTSA are a sham.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/89-dead-in-the-nhtsa-complaint-database-it%E2%80%99s-a-sham/

Its not about a design flaw, some people are on their cell phone, distracted, and in some cases plain DRUNK. One Toyota SUA had a driver with a blood alcohol level of .103 (link above). Its easier to blame the car rather then admit you were drinking or were texting on the cellphone.

In other cases it turned out to be a complete hoax (in the case of the California Prius incident):

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/12/toyota-autos-hoax-media-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/fox-is-sikes-a-balloon-boy/

Here's a list (SUA) sudden unintended acceleration complaints to the NHTSA

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/nhtsa-data-dive-3-117-models-ranked-by-rate-of-ua-incidents/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/05/sudden.acceleration.fact.check/index.html

Atop that, most of SUA complaints to the NHTSA are a sham.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/89-dead-in-the-nhtsa-complaint-database-it%E2%80%99s-a-sham/

Its not about a design flaw, some people are on their cell phone, distracted, and in some cases plain DRUNK. One Toyota SUA had a driver with a blood alcohol level of .103 (link above). Its easier to blame the car rather then admit you were drinking or were texting on the cellphone.

In other cases it turned out to be a complete hoax (in the case of the California Prius incident):

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/12/toyota-autos-hoax-media-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/fox-is-sikes-a-balloon-boy/

Here's a list (SUA) sudden unintended acceleration complaints to the NHTSA

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/nhtsa-data-dive-3-117-models-ranked-by-rate-of-ua-incidents/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/05/sudden.acceleration.fact.check/index.html

Atop that, most of SUA complaints to the NHTSA are a sham.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/89-dead-in-the-nhtsa-complaint-database-it%E2%80%99s-a-sham/

Its not about a design flaw, some people are on their cell phone, distracted, and in some cases plain DRUNK. One Toyota SUA had a driver with a blood alcohol level of .103 (link above). Its easier to blame the car rather then admit you were drinking or were texting on the cellphone.

In other cases it turned out to be a complete hoax (in the case of the California Prius incident):

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/12/toyota-autos-hoax-media-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/fox-is-sikes-a-balloon-boy/

Just google for 'audi 5000 unintended acceleration' to find stories like this: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/in-defense-of-the-audi-5000/

Sometime the authorities can be stupid beyond belief. Do the think that there isn't any imagery of their precious system?

Likely not a single slashdotter believes that "the authorities" were protecting their precious railway or whatever. What they did protect, though, is their own little domain. Just like tiny barons of Middle Ages, they insist that *they* have the final say in anything that happens on this patch of land, even if that patch of land is only a few huts, or a railway station. "F[orget] the Constitution or whatever Bill of Rights that you might think you have; by entering here you are in OUR domain, and WE control you from now on. If WE want you arrested you WILL be arrested. OUR word is THE LAW." And the worst crime you can commit is not to attempt to blow something up. See the case of the Times Square bomber - he wasn't beaten up like Rodney King, or shot like Amadou Diallo. The truly worst crime is to "disrespect" them:

The court went on to argue that the use of force on a non-threatening and non-violent motorist was appropriate and reasonable. The appellate court ruled that the pregnant woman could pose a threat to three armed male police officers.

That's what happens when unqualified people are given power. Power corrupts. I know, it's hardly a revelation, but the society is apparently unwilling to consider that, since it keeps giving more and more power to bureaucrats who already proved that they aren't capable of wisely using the power that they already have.

More than once I come across a SciFi story where some future society is fully controlled by a computer, for the good of the society. This seems a more and more wise approach with every year, especially considering that the society gives power only to best liars. An honest person can't be ever elected to any office above the town drunk.

Seems NHTSA has stopped access to it now, according to Edward Niedermeyer's latest at TTAC.

I should know, I worked yard crew in college, about the time the immigration laws stopped being enforced the illegals who would work hard and cheaper put us all out of business.

Well... yes, that's kind of the point, isn't it? Look, it's absolutely true that many Americans would love to do factory work, especially in today's economic climate. Trouble is, at least until rather recently, most Americans that were "willing" to do factory work wanted to work half as hard as someone in China for five times the pay. I don't care how you slice it - that just isn't sustainable.

The good news is history has shown us that, over time, "developing" countries with underpaid labor usually turn into developed countries with modern pay structures, for better or worse. The Koreans are having nearly as bad of a time with their automotive unions as the US. The vaunted Japanese work ethic and company loyalty has been steadily eroding in the face of two decades of economic stagnation. Even Mexicans aren't half as poor as they used to be - in fact, Mexico's economy is the 11th largest in the world, and their GDP per person is in the top 1/3 of all countries worldwide. Granted, they're not rich - they're about the same economically as Eastern Europe - but they're certainly a far sight better than they used to be. Also keep in mind that the standard of living in the US is much higher materially than it ever was in the '50s, in no small part to various technological advances. Cars last longer than two or three years, so used cars are far more common, far safer, and far more reliable than they were back then. Food freshness and variety is vastly improved over anything the '50s dreamed up (they still thought frozen food was neat an novel). Housing is more expensive, but most new construction is also twice the size. Plus, we also have color TV, computers, and all that good stuff, and it's all affordable to just about everyone, especially if you put your toes in the used market.

Just hope and pray that Africa remains a disorganized, kleptocratic hellhole, otherwise we'll all just have to go through this again in another 20 years.

...if you're driving a Chevy Spark.

http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009/10/chevrolet_spark_1.jpg

Bullshit. Normalized data going back many years show Toyota has a far higher incidence rate. Either old people buy way more Toyotas or Toyotas really do have a problem.

VW seems to be having even more issues than Toyota.

Cars need more power because they have been getting heavier and heavier every year. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/worth-the-weight/

>Is doomed to fail.

May I present to the court, exhibit A, The Homer.

To me it suggests that older drivers are having more difficulty coping with the situation once it arises.

Forbes says that the guy who got himself plastered all over cable last week was 'afraid' to put the vehicle into neutral, or to turn off the engine:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/12/toyota-autos-hoax-media-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html?boxes=financechannelforbes

(They link the 911 recording:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-jim-sikes-911-call-23-minutes-of-unintended-acceleration/

)

So apparently being an idiot is also a likely factor in the failing to cope with the incident before it becomes lethal.

But they key observation is that the higher number of fatalities among older drivers doesn't really point to the source of the problem being driver error (rather, the driver error is in failing to deal with the situation once it arises).

You certainly don't have to be an idiot to fail to handle a stuck throttle, most people will never have the experience, and if it becomes a problem starting at highway speeds, many drivers may feel the need for both hands on the wheel. I would want to know in advance that I could turn the engine off without engaging the steering wheel lock. And that it kills both the electric and gas power in a Prius. Shifting to neutral is likely to to be the last resort, but most effective.

There could well be an issue with the anti-lock brakes as well, if the braking power is being limited, they may well not have the stopping power needed to overcome the engine, the recent police assisted stop was made made after slowing with the emergency brake which probably is mechanical and will actually lock the wheels. That would explain the claims that the brakes were full on but the car didn't slow down, and the odd signs of only partial brake application noted in some cases. Apply full engine power and limit brake effectiveness, if that bug could be proved it would explain many things.

It would also probably exonerate the man who is in prison after unintended acceleration.

To me it suggests that older drivers are having more difficulty coping with the situation once it arises.

Forbes says that the guy who got himself plastered all over cable last week was 'afraid' to put the vehicle into neutral, or to turn off the engine:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/12/toyota-autos-hoax-media-opinions-contributors-michael-fumento.html?boxes=financechannelforbes

(They link the 911 recording:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-jim-sikes-911-call-23-minutes-of-unintended-acceleration/

)

So apparently being an idiot is also a likely factor in the failing to cope with the incident before it becomes lethal.

But they key observation is that the higher number of fatalities among older drivers doesn't really point to the source of the problem being driver error (rather, the driver error is in failing to deal with the situation once it arises).

Rhonda Smith's story of six miles of interstate terror, as her Lexus suddenly zoomed to 100 miles per hour, will set the mood Tuesday for the first congressional hearing on Toyota's acceleration problems.

Yes and if you read more about it you'll find several interesting bits of info. One is that upon inspection there was no evidence that the brakes had been applied, including the MECHANICAL emergency brake. She also claimed under oath that she had complained about the problem to Toyota but the only record Toyota has is for an oil change. She also sold the car to a family member (not something you'd think she'd do if it really were unsafe) and according the the Wall Street Journal the car is still on the road.

Frankly I think there are a lot of people making up stories hoping to get money in a lawsuit, much the same way people made up stories about Audi a few decades ago. Yes, there appear to be some actual problems but there are a lot of liars out there too.

I think you mean they didn't get any, but they sure did try.

In 1986, CBS TV show 60 Minutes aired a program about unintended acceleration ini the Audi 500S. As far as I can tell, the '5000 (AKA the Audi 100/200) is not drive by wire. Wikipedia has an article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes#Unintended_acceleration that claims NHTSA and Transport Canada both found the problem was operator error and that CBS partially retracted their claim. Didn't help Audi's sales though.

Here's a guy claiming it can't be double pedal actuation because brakes are stronger than V8 engines: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/in-defense-of-the-audi-5000/.

North American Car of the Year, for starters.
Truth about cars: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/chevrolet-malibu-review/
US News and World Report #1 affordability in mid sized sedans
Consumer Reports even gave it a pretty good review:
http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/ConsumerReportsSnapshot.aspx?year=2009&make=Chevrolet&model=Malibu

I've never seen it advertised, but then I watch traditionally guy stuff where it's all trucks, beer, and sports cars.

And your link doesn't provide much justification, after rolling out a new Saturn campaign with lots of airtime, Saturn sales are down 50% from last year. I don't see how that means anything about Chevy sales (since your own link pointed out that a decent number of folks don't associate Saturn with GM.

I heard about the Malibu on an NPR story, during one of the times GM went beggin in DC, and then saw an article about them in the WSJ, I've driven one as a rental and it was a fine car, not really my style, granted that was only a week of driving, but much better than the new Pontiac I rented when my car was hit a few years ago. When so many varied reviews say, this car is as good as the Japanese offerings, it's worth taking notice especially when popular perception is that GM still generally isn't as good as foreign cars.

Personally, I've never bought a new car in my life and doubt I'll start now, but the financial crisis has got me browsing for a newer car to perhaps replace my 12 year old integra and my wife's 15 year old volvo.

Contrary to all of the "GM is in bed with big oil!" nonsense, the reality is that the automakers have been battling the conflicting voiced desire of consumers to have more efficient vehicles, with the reality that cheap gas has them buying inefficient beasts when it comes to putting words into actions.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/automakers-join-call-for-higher-federal-gas-tax/

It's hard for products like the Volt to come to market in any real way when gas continues to drop to undercutting levels that eliminate the advantages, so the CEOs are asking for the price of gas to be normalized to a level that more realistically incorporates its full cost.

Read and weep.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/siry-departed-tesla-on-deposit-fraud-fears/

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/tesla-roadster/2251-refunds-roadster-deposit.html

I found it trying to find the story about a state in the South West that keeps lowering the speed limits on the interstates to boost revenue.

Tesla's claims are terribly fraudulent. 220 mile claimed range has already been shown to be as low as 93 miles. Transmissions seem to be vaporware. For that matter, so are production cars, as not a single one has been delivered (I don't count the single unit "delivered" to Elon Musk.

Tesla sounds cool, as do electric vehicles in general (including plug-in hybrids), but this is just another operation preying on people with too much money and not enough brains. I am firmly in the camp of those planning to buy an EV/PHEV soon, but I'm not drinking the Tesla Kool-Aid.

I'm not too hopeful at the moment, myself. Here is a review of a Zap vehicle produced in China (actually, a Chinese vehicle with a Zap badge):

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/reviews/2008-zap-xebra-review/

Last September, [Ford CEO] Mulally's underlings told him the Focus loses Ford roughly $3k per sale. "Why haven't you figured out a way to make a profit?" he asked (demanded?). The suits explained that Ford needs to sell lots of Foci to maintain its corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) ratings, AND that the car is made in a high-cost UAW factory. "That's not what I asked," he replied.

They're discovering (surprise!) that Ford wastes an obscene amount of money on unnecessary duplication. For example, The Blue Oval builds its products on no less than 30 engineering platforms. In contrast, Honda has six platforms and Audi has four. Sure, these companies don't manufacture a vast variety of cars. But they make money and Ford doesn't. But wait! There's [lots] more! No two of the vehicles Ford builds upon these 30 platforms share seat rails, springs, hood hinges and God knows what else.

-Ford Death Watch 30: Good, Fast, Cheap or None of the Above?

A site i like very much, The Truth About Cars, thought about charging a subscription for use but realized it would cut down traffic enormously and make themselves a less useful resource in the end. I had a long discussion with the very nice fellow who runs the site and he considered ads to be a solution of last resort because they would give advertisers power over him and eventually they would wind up influencing what was written.

I pointed out to him that adding Google text ads would in no way do this, because the transaction is isolated from the site's owner. Effectively, Google text ads duplicate the well known concept of an iron wall between the news and commercial considerations, since there is no link between the advertisers and the people creating the publication.

He didn't seem to like that argument at the time but a few weeks later I noticed that he has in fact put Google text ads up, and I have to assume they are working since he has not brought up the subscriptions idea since.

I see no reason why Wikipedia shouldn't do the same thing. I know that I would occasionally click on relevant text ads, and really the site is a monetizer's dream because it's easy to match article content to advertising.

If this was done, I think it might be possible to pay prominent Wikipedia contributors and editors salaries out of the money pool generated by the ads, and that would enable more people to work on it full time, thus adding to the site's professionalism and greatly improving the response to vandalism others have mentioned.

To me it seems like a win-win because the ads are not distracting, and are effective for both Wikipedia and its advertisers.

D

This is visible even in the S-Class. In my old 1991 S-Class, I got about 14mpg. On my 2000 S-Class, I get 18.9mpg in all driving and 20-21mpg when I'm lazing around.

Incidentally, performance fans (and foes) should know that the brutal gas mileage killer is idling. Accelerating from 0-70 in a quick burst of throttle does virtually nothing for my fuel economy (and a lot for my mood), simply because the higher engine power is used for only a few thrilling seconds. It's sitting in traffic that's the killer.

I'm really not sure what the appeal of the SUV is - to me they're underperforming trucks. I'm not interested in driving off-road or other macho stuff, so the sport/luxury car is the right place for me, and I cheerfully admit it. And of course when it comes to safety, the Benz has every safety device in the known universe at the time of its creation.

For comparison's sake, premium unleaded gas right now is about US$ 2.59, so each mile costs me about $ 0.13. I'll bet that with higher European fuel prices, your Jag is about the same cost per mile.

As for station wagons, well, here's an interesting station wagon review which makes your point pretty well.

D

Well, I cant argue the relative merits of those cars having not owned one, but these guys give a pretty good example of why you shoud not care about what JD Power says.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=1592

Summary - most cars are so close to each other in the rankings that its like saying McDonald's fries are better then wendy's because they have .23% more crunch.

Newsflash: U.S. economy is in BIG trouble.

Short history lesson: Federal reserve started to inflate the money supply in early 1995 (blue line in the graph). The 'tech bubble' followed a couple years later. That trend wasn't sustainable, and the dot-coms bombed sometime in 2000/2001. The economy was well on its way to a recession by late-summer/fall 2001. The Federal Reserve responded to "9/11" by cutting interest rates to 1% (over several months), supposedly for the purpose of 'stimulating' the economy.

Newsflash: Mismanagement of the U.S. currency has caused half of the economic equation, production, to move to Asia and Mexico, either in search of lower wages or to flee rising U.S. costs. This is not a new phenomena, and has been ongoing since the 1970's, though it is only recently (circa-2001) that that trend has accelerated to a completely unsustainable level. Cisco assembled their wireless access points in the U.S., and Intel made motherboards in Silicon Valley up until 1999/2000 or so. What happened to the Americans who used to be employed assembling motherboards and other electronics? Perhaps some of them moved to finance, and some to auto sales. But I digress...

Thus, when the Fed slashed interest rates starting in 2001, instead of entrepreneurs borrowing money to set up new production lines, individuals borrowed money to buy a bigger house. And an investment house. And a condo in the mountains. The widely-proclaimed 'housing bubble' started to take off ... circa 2002/2003, and reached its peak summer 2005. Crashes always follow bubbles, and the current real estate market is no exception.

Low interest rates also facilitated GM's 0% financing "keep america rolling" sales campaign. (don't remember what Ford & Chrysler called their corresponding 0% programs). But now Ford and General Motors are in trouble, because they can't sell new cars to customers whose credit line is maxed out.

Gonna get ugly, folks. The good news is that this coming transition marks the end of corporate wage-slavery. The economic system that will arise from the ashes will be founded with something along the lines of worker cooperatives. This is the worker benefiting from their own labor. No more slaving away to pay the "shareholders" dividends (mostly rich dudes who sit on their lazy asses and parasitically live off the working class).

John Gatto's book about the 'massification' of America fits in here too. Gatto maintains that the original american ideal was an independent livelihood. Blacksmith, farmer, woodworker, wheelmaker, etc. Mass production / standardization required government schools to produce a populace who would accept working a repetive job where someone else ("shareholder") was the primary beneficiary. Fun while it lasted, right? :)

Also see my recent comment, how the government spins the stats.

Newsflash: U.S. economy is in BIG trouble.

Short history lesson: Federal reserve started to inflate the money supply in early 1995 (blue line in the graph). The 'tech bubble' followed a couple years later. That trend wasn't sustainable, and the dot-coms bombed sometime in 2000/2001. The economy was well on its way to a recession by late-summer/fall 2001. The Federal Reserve responded to "9/11" by cutting interest rates to 1% (over several months), supposedly for the purpose of 'stimulating' the economy.

Newsflash: Mismanagement of the U.S. currency has caused half of the economic equation, production, to move to Asia and Mexico, either in search of lower wages or to flee rising U.S. costs. This is not a new phenomena, and has been ongoing since the 1970's, though it is only recently (circa-2001) that that trend has accelerated to a completely unsustainable level. Cisco assembled their wireless access points in the U.S., and Intel made motherboards in Silicon Valley up until 1999/2000 or so. What happened to the Americans who used to be employed assembling motherboards and other electronics? Perhaps some of them moved to finance, and some to auto sales. But I digress...

Thus, when the Fed slashed interest rates starting in 2001, instead of entrepreneurs borrowing money to set up new production lines, individuals borrowed money to buy a bigger house. And an investment house. And a condo in the mountains. The widely-proclaimed 'housing bubble' started to take off ... circa 2002/2003, and reached its peak summer 2005. Crashes always follow bubbles, and the current real estate market is no exception.

Low interest rates also facilitated GM's 0% financing "keep america rolling" sales campaign. (don't remember what Ford & Chrysler called their corresponding 0% programs). But now Ford and General Motors are in trouble, because they can't sell new cars to customers whose credit line is maxed out.

Gonna get ugly, folks. The good news is that this coming transition marks the end of corporate wage-slavery. The economic system that will arise from the ashes will be founded with something along the lines of worker cooperatives. This is the worker benefiting from their own labor. No more slaving away to pay the "shareholders" dividends (mostly rich dudes who sit on their lazy asses and parasitically live off the working class).

John Gatto's book about the 'massification' of America fits in here too. Gatto maintains that the original american ideal was an independent livelihood. Blacksmith, farmer, woodworker, wheelmaker, etc. Mass production / standardization required government schools to produce a populace who would accept working a repetive job where someone else ("shareholder") was the primary beneficiary. Fun while it lasted, right? :)

Also see my recent comment, how the government spins the stats.

See Shadow Statistics for more on how the government cooks the economic reports.

US Trade Deficit: When the Sausage comes home to Roost has some good discussion on the coming consequences of the trade deficit, and how we got here. Particularly pertinent is the section at the end about the 1987 book The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, and how the U.S. has definitively entered the "fall" stage of the power cycle.

But as you seem to indicate, few people seem to know that the federal reserve system is at the root of our poor nation's economic struggle. See the 1983 book The Misdirection Conspiracy: Or Who Really Killed the American Dream for a good history behind how the banking class (not your friendly neighborhood banker, but the Rockerfellers/Morgans/other globalist shysters) are sucking the lifeblood from the working class.

Also worth mentioning that Michael Mandeville, author of The Coming Economic Collapse Of 2006 (2003) says that the predicted collapse is well underway. The current trouble at Ford and General Motors marks an acceleration of the decline.

The present economic calamity was, of course, set in stone as soon as Nixon closed the gold window back in 1971, removing all incumbrances to out-of-control monetary growth (monetary inflation), or perhaps even as early as the establishment of the Federal Reserve system in 1913... See 1970's, redux for more on how globalization & the federal reserve bleeds america dry.

See Shadow Statistics for more on how the government cooks the economic reports.

US Trade Deficit: When the Sausage comes home to Roost has some good discussion on the coming consequences of the trade deficit, and how we got here. Particularly pertinent is the section at the end about the 1987 book The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, and how the U.S. has definitively entered the "fall" stage of the power cycle.

But as you seem to indicate, few people seem to know that the federal reserve system is at the root of our poor nation's economic struggle. See the 1983 book The Misdirection Conspiracy: Or Who Really Killed the American Dream for a good history behind how the banking class (not your friendly neighborhood banker, but the Rockerfellers/Morgans/other globalist shysters) are sucking the lifeblood from the working class.

Also worth mentioning that Michael Mandeville, author of The Coming Economic Collapse Of 2006 (2003) says that the predicted collapse is well underway. The current trouble at Ford and General Motors marks an acceleration of the decline.

The present economic calamity was, of course, set in stone as soon as Nixon closed the gold window back in 1971, removing all incumbrances to out-of-control monetary growth (monetary inflation), or perhaps even as early as the establishment of the Federal Reserve system in 1913... See 1970's, redux for more on how globalization & the federal reserve bleeds america dry.

Hinkley explains, "Each of our fifty states has its own corporate law allowing corporations to be formed and establishing the rules for how such corporations are to operate. Each of these laws has something in common with each of the others. Each says that the only goal of corporations formed in that jurisdiction is to maximize profits for shareholders. In effect, each state does something for corporations that it does not do for its individual citizens--it dictates their purpose. This purpose, the pursuit of corporate self-interest, drives all corporate action. Every act carried out by a corporate employee can be traced back to this purpose established in the corporate law."

Thus the courts created entities that could acquire vast resources over an indefinite life span. They could use these resources as they see fit, for the singular purpose of maximizing profits, without an accompanying set of values or principles that an individual would likely have to guide his actions. "This lack of values," Hinkley writes, "is in evidence every time a corporation makes money at the expense of the dignity of human beings, the welfare of our communities or the protection of our environment."

-http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh040102-story08.htm l (emphasis added)

Let me clue you in, pal... if everyone abstained from credit cards whose income was highly vulnerable, the economy would tank and your comfortable, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps universe would collapse anyway. Our economy lives and dies by consumer credit card spending: it is that huge a factor.

Ah yes, the fabled "consumer economy". Mainstream Media tells us that it's alright that the other half of the economic equation, production, has mostly moved to China in recent decades (... due to mismanagement of the economy by the Federal Reserve, but that's another post). They say this transfer of production is alright because we now have a "service economy".

The main problem, as I see it, is that China doesn't much need our "services", and the U.S. economy is now in the process of collapsing (beginning with the housing bubble). There are consequences for record budget and trade deficits, you know.

The collapse of Ford and General Motors will mark the acceleration of the trend, as hundreds of thousands of Americans depend on those two giants for their paychecks. General Watch also chronicles the decline and fall of General Motors.

Other sites whose economic analysis I've come to appreciate include The Daily Reckoning and Mish's Global Economic Analysis.

I myself am slowly running up the balance on my credit cards. Used to pay 'em off every month, but I'll need supplies for when the banking system goes, and there will be so many "bad debts" that I expect no one will come collecting. I'm not buying frivolous crap, mind you, just some bulk food items and other "stuff" I think will be useful.

Let me clue you in, pal... if everyone abstained from credit cards whose income was highly vulnerable, the economy would tank and your comfortable, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps universe would collapse anyway. Our economy lives and dies by consumer credit card spending: it is that huge a factor.

Ah yes, the fabled "consumer economy". Mainstream Media tells us that it's alright that the other half of the economic equation, production, has mostly moved to China in recent decades (... due to mismanagement of the economy by the Federal Reserve, but that's another post). They say this transfer of production is alright because we now have a "service economy".

The main problem, as I see it, is that China doesn't much need our "services", and the U.S. economy is now in the process of collapsing (beginning with the housing bubble). There are consequences for record budget and trade deficits, you know.

The collapse of Ford and General Motors will mark the acceleration of the trend, as hundreds of thousands of Americans depend on those two giants for their paychecks. General Watch also chronicles the decline and fall of General Motors.

Other sites whose economic analysis I've come to appreciate include The Daily Reckoning and Mish's Global Economic Analysis.

I myself am slowly running up the balance on my credit cards. Used to pay 'em off every month, but I'll need supplies for when the banking system goes, and there will be so many "bad debts" that I expect no one will come collecting. I'm not buying frivolous crap, mind you, just some bulk food items and other "stuff" I think will be useful.

If every GM car was as good as a new 'Vette or Cad, perhaps they'd be making more profit? Perhaps if they stopped making ugly, shitty cars that get bad mileage they'd sell a few more? No, it's easier to blame the unions.

so true, so true. GM could be profitable even with their union labor rates. They'd just have to build cars the equal of Toyota's lineup.

GM Deathwatch, part 81

also see GeneralWatch

I'll bite. I consider your comment a troll. Calling Carnagie a fool must be a troll. By virtue of the fact of his success he is not a fool. His philanthropy afterwards can be considered either a moral good or a poor substitution for his actions in life. Either way he was no fool.

As far as the unions being benign this, this, this and this seem to say otherwise. Just using GM as an example.

Not only do unions cripple companies against competition, they do a poor job protecting workers. The best protection workers can have is high standards. If all you want to do in life is work in a coal mine or work a hydraulic press then you may get paid highly or poorly depending on how many other people also want those jobs. Even in the greatest of depressions there is always a way for an enterprising individual to avoid working a shit job. And the more people who do that, the higher the guy who does it gets paid.

Furthermore, there is an underlying undercurrent of Victorian philosophy behind a pro-union position. It presumes that some are born to be kings and some are peasants. Well, that's bullshit. In a free society any one of us can get a good job or even become a millionaire. There is nothing preventing a person from striking out on their own, with their own business. There never has been. Even with zero capital starting out (in a service based business.) The thing that has always kept people subservient is the rink associated with doing so. As long as people are fearful then they will remain the peasants they consider themselves.

Modern India, China and Brazil are perfect examples. Look at the number of people who are rising out of poverty by refusing to work the jobs their father's did. Their pay scale remains lower than some places but that is strictly contingent upon the risk they take in a chosen occupation or business. The business owners are the ones making the money because they are the ones taking all the risk. Just as Andrew Carnagie once did.

Read his Wikipedia entry. He had nothing handed to him. He started out making $1.20 a week and ended up the richest man in the world. So he was most certainly not a fool. The fools were the ones who decided to work for him for so little. If half of them had decided it wasn't worth it there would've been no need for unions and their jobs wouldv'e paid much better.

...

Like gluttons at an "all you can eat" Las Vegas
buffet, they filled up on high calorie, high profit
trucks and SUVs, then gave away the profits and
gambled that nobody would notice that they had
forgotten how to build cars.

Worst of all, GM long ago stopped listening to
its customers, and that's just plain bad Car-Ma! ;-)

The turning point occurred in the late 90's, when
a group of visionary engineers, under the tutelage
of then CEO Robert Stempel, attempted to "reinvent
the corporation." Among their achievements, they
built, on the relatively small shoestring budget of
$350 million, the world's most advanced and efficient
automobile -- the EV1. The EV1 assembly line in
East Lansing, Michigan established new benchmarks
in low volume custom manufacturing -- a key
technology for the future, then and now dominated
by Toyota Corporation.

But Stempel and his lieutenants were soon ousted
by a corporate coup when GM's earnings took a
downturn during a recession, and the Beancounters
took over once again.

In 1997, GM showed off a hybrid electric version
of the EV1 at the Los Angeles Auto Show -- just as
Honda and Toyota were introducing their hybrids to
the world. But the Beancounters at GM Corporate
quietly tucked away their hybrid, never to be seen
again, and openly derided the Japanese offerings for
selling "below cost" -- forgetting the painful lessons
that America has had to learn in so many other elec-
tronic-related technologies.

At the same time, GM executives were trying to
kill the all-electric EV1. But they had a problem.
Many tho

and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL on the PRICE - AMD is slowly giving up the most important weapon they had against Intel and without some cuts on price for the X2 line AMD might seriously loose market share to Intel in 2006 !!!

Real world experience with marketing demonstrates that there are much more important things than 'price' in selecting a product. Wally World puts their cheapest "microwave" in the main trafficways. Mesmerized Customer says, "hey, good idea, I could use a new 'microwave', and damn, this thing's dirt cheap. But it's probably a POS, so I wonder what else they have..." Then they go into the isle and pick out a more expensive microwave, which has a significantly higher profit margin for WW, which is probably cheaper elsewhere (source: Frontline documentary on WalMart).

If price is all you push, your company will end up like General Motors ("We just lowered the sticker price on EVERYTHING!"), mismanaged into the ground, and have to give away your product at a loss...

The school system in this country also needs to be radically improved.

dood, talk to the children: almost all of them hate their government schools. School is the problem. Read some John Taylor Gatto and you'll understand why.

You're right on about needing CEOs who are Engineers and not Beancounters, though... Read about what happened at General Motors with their EV1 project. The engineer-CEO & board members who said "we can do this!" (meet California's Zero Emission Vehicle mandate) got kicked out in 1992 after a recession caused them to miss profit expectations. They were replaced with Beancounters, who gave the EV1 project lipservice, but did everything they could to kill the mandate. Now look at GM: giving away their cars for 3+ months (employee discount program, losing >$1,000/car). There are no profit expectations because the analysts expect that they're going to lose lots of money.

http://ev1-club.power.net/ - 100+ people offered GM $24,000/each for USED compact-sized EV1's. GM said "no thanks" and took the cars to Mesa, Arizona where they were uncerimoniously crushed.
GM Deathwatch (part 1 of 34+)