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[TheNiche]

Niche I'm dissapointed in your lack of creativity. Hating on union attitudes because you needed more money in school? Tsk. Seeking to work more hours for a wage? Double tsk. One finds a more creative way to make money on the side, preferrably making maximum dollars for minimum effort, like any self-respecting college student. I paid the bills and plenty more with minimal effort, while providing a valuable service for language-challenged, frat-boy business majors. And it damn sure didn't take 40 hours of my time each week.

I don't last very long in jobs I don't inherently enjoy or that aren't in and of themselves a kind of education...and I can't imagine how difficult it'd be to be a self-starter in any kind of a job where I'm doing the educating. There's more to a career than a paycheck on Friday, which I agree can be achieved easily and without much effort.

I do truly hope your zeal pays off

I do too.

[RedScare]

I didn't say anything about character-building. In fact, that mindset is entirely counter to what I was getting at...but I sense that you realize this and are trying to dodge my argument.

Mmm...actually, I was being entirely sarcastic, not wishing to engage in a senseless debate with one so completely careless of the concept of human dignity when it comes to profiteering.

I still do not wish to engage this debate.

[TheNiche]

I still do not wish to engage this debate.

Your sarcasm came through, but biting sarcastic humor has at least got to be somewhat on-point...and it seemed like you missed mine. Leave the comedy to Jon Stewart.

[RedScare]

I believe your limited grasp of humor has been displayed on this board previously. I aim high. I am not upset that you missed it. I find that people who are overworked are seldom amused or amusing. Try taking a day off and spend some of your riches.

[TheNiche]

I believe your limited grasp of humor has been displayed on this board previously. I aim high. I am not upset that you missed it. I find that people who are overworked are seldom amused or amusing. Try taking a day off and spend some of your riches.

Red, you were mischaracterizing or missing the point of my argument as part of that humor. That it was intended as humor or not was irrelevent; it deserved correction.

Now unless you have anything to add that isn't some kind of personal attack, I'm walking away from this. No sense in feeding a troll.

[sifuwong]

How smart are those 'smart' cars?

[TJones]

How smart are those 'smart' cars?

The "smart" part is keeping it in your garage and OFF the streets if you own one. Unless of course you like being stuck in a rolling trash compactor ?

[BryanS]

How smart are those 'smart' cars?

Compare their mileage vs. a Geo Metro... you'll see they're not so smart.

[RedScare]

The "smart" part is keeping it in your garage and OFF the streets if you own one. Unless of course you like being stuck in a rolling trash compactor ?

I'm curious. Do you guys that constantly criticize small cars routinely crash your vehicles into large objects? Do you find yourself in major accidents every 3 or 4 months, saved only by that 6,000 pound lovable hunk of SUV? Are you on your cell phones so often that you find yourself unable to pay attention to actual driving?

I've owned several sports cars in my life, none weighing more than a MINI. The only 2 accidents that I have been involved in did not leave so much as a scratch on me. But, you guys are obsessed with screaming "unsafe at any speed!", any time someone mentions a vehicle that does not have its own steel mill named after it. I gotta know, do you drive that badly, or are you just tough talking wimps? Should I ask Meals On Wheels to start delivering to your houses, so you won't have to drive at all?

Signed,

A Concerned Fellow Poster

[MidtownCoog]

I'm curious. Do you guys that constantly criticize small cars routinely crash your vehicles into large objects? Do you find yourself in major accidents every 3 or 4 months, saved only by that 6,000 pound lovable hunk of SUV? Are you on your cell phones so often that you find yourself unable to pay attention to actual driving?

I've owned several sports cars in my life, none weighing more than a MINI. The only 2 accidents that I have been involved in did not leave so much as a scratch on me. But, you guys are obsessed with screaming "unsafe at any speed!", any time someone mentions a vehicle that does not have its own steel mill named after it. I gotta know, do you drive that badly, or are you just tough talking wimps? Should I ask Meals On Wheels to start delivering to your houses, so you won't have to drive at all?

Signed,

A Concerned Fellow Poster

Oy vey...

You can't argue that they are not safer. My pregnant wife and 3 y/o were rear-ended by a company truck on BW8. She drives an Expedition. Took her to the ER, etc.

It took an attorney to make their insurance company finally pay. Watch out for Mercury Insurance. Bad folks.

I don't know about you but I think my family is safer vs. driving a Yaris and looking like the tall guy on The Simpsons.

[houstonmacbro]

On a related note, we just got a note from our HR office that they are raising the reimbursable for mileage to $0.585/mile.

[KinkaidAlum]

Oy vey...

You can't argue that they are not safer. My pregnant wife and 3 y/o were rear-ended by a company truck on BW8. She drives an Expedition. Took her to the ER, etc.

It took an attorney to make their insurance company finally pay. Watch out for Mercury Insurance. Bad folks.

I don't know about you but I think my family is safer vs. driving a Yaris and looking like the tall guy on The Simpsons.

Ah, the protector argument. Good stuff. However, if you want your wife to be truly safe, don't ever let her leave the house. Ever. Also think about homeschooling your kids.

[TJones]

I'm curious. Do you guys that constantly criticize small cars routinely crash your vehicles into large objects? Do you find yourself in major accidents every 3 or 4 months, saved only by that 6,000 pound lovable hunk of SUV? Are you on your cell phones so often that you find yourself unable to pay attention to actual driving?

I've owned several sports cars in my life, none weighing more than a MINI. The only 2 accidents that I have been involved in did not leave so much as a scratch on me. But, you guys are obsessed with screaming "unsafe at any speed!", any time someone mentions a vehicle that does not have its own steel mill named after it. I gotta know, do you drive that badly, or are you just tough talking wimps? Should I ask Meals On Wheels to start delivering to your houses, so you won't have to drive at all?

Signed,

A Concerned Fellow Poster

And you drive a Toyota Tundra becaussssssssssssssseeeeee .............. ????

If EVERYONE on the planet drove a smart car or a mini, I wouldn't give it a second thought. For Houston traffic though, I'm gonna go with my SUV or my 1972 hunk of Detroit iron against all the soccer moms SUVs and those pesky 18 wheelers that seem to think their trucks handle like miatas.

On a related note, we just got a note from our HR office that they are raising the reimbursable for mileage to $0.585/mile.

macbro, do you work for Halliburton ?

[houstonmacbro]

And you drive a Toyota Tundra becaussssssssssssssseeeeee .............. ????

If EVERYONE on the planet drove a smart car or a mini, I wouldn't give it a second thought. For Houston traffic though, I'm gonna go with my SUV or my 1972 hunk of Detroit iron against all the soccer moms SUVs and those pesky 18 wheelers that seem to think their trucks handle like miatas.

macbro, do you work for Halliburton ?

No ... why ...?

[TJones]

No ... why ...?

Because they just raised their mileage allowance to that number as well.

[houstonmacbro]

Because they just raised their mileage allowance to that number as well.

Yeah, apparently it is the IRS standard now.

[TJones]

Yeah, apparently it is the IRS standard now.

Well.............there ya go !

[20thStDad]

I've been in 1 major wreck and no doubt I would have died if I was in a mini car. That's reason enough for me, even if it happens every 26 years.

[RedScare]

I've been in 1 major wreck and no doubt I would have died if I was in a mini car. That's reason enough for me, even if it happens ever 26 years.

1982? Hmm, I'd be willing to bet that today's small cars have higher safety ratings than early 80s vehicles, regardless of size. You pretty much can't find a small car today without 4 airbags, and the insurance institute will crucify any offering without good crash ratings. What vehicle were you in back then?

[20thStDad]

1982? Hmm, I'd be willing to bet that today's small cars have higher safety ratings than early 80s vehicles, regardless of size. You pretty much can't find a small car today without 4 airbags, and the insurance institute will crucify any offering without good crash ratings. What vehicle were you in back then?

I guess I wasn't exactly clear - meant every 26 years, it happened 4 years ago when I was 26. In a Tahoe, it was totalled, I had no scratches. I decided to get another one just because of that. Now the mileage sucks, which is why I drive the Altima on my 22 mile (one-way) commute every day and my wife keeps the Tahoe at home for a few errands a week, if that.

[TJones]

I did some reading last night, and came across a weird little tidbit, which leads me to think, WHY are the Dems bitching AT ALL about the price of gas ? After all, it was their beloved ALGORE (captain planet), who said that our Govt. should "ARTIFICIALLY" raise the price of gas to $5 in order to curb consumption, to help save the planet. If this is true, do the Dems. have a leg to stand on ?

[CDeb]

I did some reading last night, and came across a weird little tidbit, which leads me to think, WHY are the Dems bitching AT ALL about the price of gas ? After all, it was their beloved ALGORE (captain planet), who said that our Govt. should "ARTIFICIALLY" raise the price of gas to $5 in order to curb consumption, to help save the planet. If this is true, do the Dems. have a leg to stand on ?

It's merely political grandstanding. They DON'T want the price of gasoline to drop. Otherwise, they would have tried to do something about it.

[TJones]

It goes back at least 10 years ago to the Clinton admin. Clinton vetoed a bill that would have allowed us to drill in ANWR 10 years ago. if this bill gets through, Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S. 2191), I am building my own Bio-fuel distillery.

[jfre81]

In December I was in my Sentra on 45, and was rear-ended by a Titan pickup truck going at least 35 mph. I was not moving.

I was just fine, and there was about $1,300 worth of damage to the back end of the car. The seemingly flimsy plastic bumper absorbed most of the impact, with only slight damage to the trunk door and a slight dent in the chassis of the car itself.

Everyone's in a competition to be in the biggest chunk of metal they can afford, letting it be an excuse to be sorry drivers and making life dangerous for everyone. Screw them. I'm glad they can't afford to fill up their urban assault vehicle anymore.

[TJones]

In December I was in my Sentra on 45, and was rear-ended by a Titan pickup truck going at least 35 mph. I was not moving.

I was just fine, and there was about $1,300 worth of damage to the back end of the car. The seemingly flimsy plastic bumper absorbed most of the impact, with only slight damage to the trunk door and a slight dent in the chassis of the car itself.

Everyone's in a competition to be in the biggest chunk of metal they can afford, letting it be an excuse to be sorry drivers and making life dangerous for everyone. Screw them. I'm glad they can't afford to fill up their urban assault vehicle anymore.

I'll have to disagree, nobody is buying LARGE trucks and SUVs right now unless they NEED them. They all want what you are driving, or a medium sized car that gets at least in the mid to high 20's mpg. The ones still driving their large trucks and SUVs are the ones that are too far "upside down" in them to get out without a large downpayment to eat up the inequity.

[jfre81]

I'll have to disagree, nobody is buying LARGE trucks and SUVs right now unless they NEED them. They all want what you are driving, or a medium sized car that gets at least in the mid to high 20's mpg. The ones still driving their large trucks and SUVs are the ones that are too far "upside down" in them to get out without a large downpayment to eat up the inequity.

Well yes, things are going in that trend but not everyone's done it yet. I saw a Hummer in front of a F350 in a Starbucks drive-thru just yesterday and thought about that. And I've long noticed a trend that the bigger the vehicle, the more careless the driver. More cellphones, more makeup, more eating food nobody should be eating while driving. I hope they're driving a VW Beetle next around a bunch of big rigs, then they'll be paying attention to what the hell they're doing.

[houstonmacbro]

Well yes, things are going in that trend but not everyone's done it yet. I saw a Hummer in front of a F350 in a Starbucks drive-thru just yesterday and thought about that. And I've long noticed a trend that the bigger the vehicle, the more careless the driver. More cellphones, more makeup, more eating food nobody should be eating while driving. I hope they're driving a VW Beetle next around a bunch of big rigs, then they'll be paying attention to what the hell they're doing.

Careless drivers are the worse. I think they are emboldened when they get in Big SUVs. Kinda off topic, but on the way back from Galveston the other day, I guess I was going to slowly. This dude passed me on the right (I actually thought he was exiting I45) and then zipped in front of me (nearly hitting me on the right front side).

Why are people so impatient?

[sevfiv]

Why are people so impatient?

I think some people get some sort of anxiety when in the car - also, i don't think most people take it easy and give enough extra time to get places.

IMO, people need to seriously chill out when driving. It helps alleviate stress, and will cut down on cardiologist appointments down the road!

[westguy]

In December I was in my Sentra on 45, and was rear-ended by a Titan pickup truck going at least 35 mph. I was not moving.

I was just fine, and there was about $1,300 worth of damage to the back end of the car. The seemingly flimsy plastic bumper absorbed most of the impact, with only slight damage to the trunk door and a slight dent in the chassis of the car itself.

Everyone's in a competition to be in the biggest chunk of metal they can afford, letting it be an excuse to be sorry drivers and making life dangerous for everyone. Screw them. I'm glad they can't afford to fill up their urban assault vehicle anymore.

They do need to regulate the use of bumpers on SUVs and trucks. Cars have to meet a federal-regulated performance standard, but they're mostly decoration on larger vehicles. Lowering them on the truck would certainly increase the parity between large and small vehicles in crashes. Detroit turned to SUVs like crack because they could use cheap parts in them, and sell them again in the replacement parts market.

[musicman]

And I've long noticed a trend that the bigger the vehicle, the more careless the driver. More cellphones, more makeup, more eating food nobody should be eating while driving.

If you're watching all this going around you wouldn't that make you careless?