tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20488916.post6530409777415391174..comments2023-10-12T06:45:35.930-04:00Comments on The Eastern Frontier: Debts and Drills and Bad DecisionsA.G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07696414105481604698noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20488916.post-1080132856197295132008-08-17T16:09:00.000-04:002008-08-17T16:09:00.000-04:00Whoops. Elissa was signed into the downstairs comp...Whoops. Elissa was signed into the downstairs computer. Those would be MY parents, not yours, who buy McCain's bullshit ads. Let's keep that straight.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17884801463675821328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20488916.post-39660825225244474462008-08-17T16:08:00.000-04:002008-08-17T16:08:00.000-04:00My parents are mad at Obama for keeping gas prices...My parents are mad at Obama for keeping gas prices high, so apparently McCain's ads are working.<BR/><BR/>Beautifully written. Thank you for not romanticizing living on the margin. I don't know if the author you're referring to is Franzen, but it sure sounds like him.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and apparently GM's going to save the American auto with the Volt. Just FYI.Elissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11582500008798467815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20488916.post-1965896334219083082008-08-17T11:32:00.000-04:002008-08-17T11:32:00.000-04:00Love this post.I hate to say it, but I think our a...Love this post.<BR/><BR/>I hate to say it, but I think our ability (as Americans, not as a species) to think ahead is already long gone. All you have to do to see this is compare typical American businesses to those from other countries. Case in point: the auto industry. Honda has been creating extremely fuel-efficient vehicles for years; it's always been a focus of their engineering work, even though they really didn't do much PR-wise to emphasize it until recently. They knew years ago that energy was going to be a major issue down the road, so they always focused on fuel efficiency and alternative technologies, hence the FCX Clarity and other such innovations. They were definitely successful even before Americans realized that driving a 12-mpg SUV to the grocery store is exceedingly stupid, but look at what's happened recently to make them look even more clairvoyant: Ford lost nearly $9 billion in one quarter, while GM lost <I>$15 billion</I>. Meanwhile:<BR/><BR/>"Honda was the only automaker to record better U.S. sales in June compared with a year ago, while others saw sales plummet in the worst June for the industry in 17 years."<BR/><BR/>In fact, Honda posted a record profit earlier this year, and in May, its Civic and Accord models (along with Toyota's Camry and Corolla) unseated the F-150 as the highest-selling vehicle in the country--a record the F-150 had held for <I>seventeen years</I>.<BR/><BR/>Of course, perhaps the best evidence that Americans are short-sighted is that in July, the F-150 reclaimed its spot at the top once again.<BR/><BR/>Sigh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com