Thank God SB6900 died - POLITICAL

[yyzcanuck]

...Also, USA bashing is a national sport here. ...

That sport has been offically banned in our home... I didn't realize how much I did it until Andrea pointed it out ONCE.

[Jack M]

and the proof is... the best are always hated. Patriots... Yankees... Burton... Microsoft...

;) ;) ;)

[Erik J]

This thread has prompted me to write a letter to my senator asking that we attack Canada. Expect to see the tanks by morning.

[Derf]

Her father asked her, 'Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct a 1.0 off your Grade Point Average and give it to your friend Audrey, who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 Grade Point Average and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of Grade Point Averages.

'The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, 'That's a crazy idea. How would that be fair? I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work. Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!'

I think her father missed the point. Maybe if she gave some of her time to Audrey to help her study and explain to her the consequences of partying (and show her the example), Audrey could get a 3.0 GPA and since the girl gave some of her time away, her GPA fell to 3.0. That would be the smart thing to do. It would be a good exercise to show the girl the benefit of sharing and doing some volunteer work since she can afford it.

[Derf]

This thread has prompted me to write a letter to my senator asking that we attack Canada. Expect to see the tanks by morning.

Do your tanks have snow tires? They are now mandatory during the Winter here in Québec. Tell them not forget their passport, they need it to cross the border (both ways). They can call the tourism office for places to see or the immigration department if they like it so much here that they want to move here.

[Derf]

As for me, I act like I speak: I try to have a small environment footprint, I have a car, but drive it less than 8000km per year, I bike 3000+km per year, I live in the city. I just got a job out of town, but I hope to be transfered downtown some day.

I forgot to say that I am involved in my local traffic reduction group and I am a member of the local municipal political party against cars and for public transit.

[Dr D]

I think her father missed the point. Maybe if she gave some of her time to Audrey to help her study and explain to her the consequences of partying (and show her the example), Audrey could get a 3.0 GPA and since the girl gave some of her time away, her GPA fell to 3.0. That would be the smart thing to do. It would be a good exercise to show the girl the benefit of sharing and doing some volunteer work since she can afford it.

I called the local sanitarium. the men in white coats are on their way over. they want to take you for a nice drive in the country there will be cookies and milk and mother will be there.:lol:

Audrey is not her responsibility. America was founded on the principals of self reliance and self responsibility. In America Audrey would be pissed that people were getting in her business. she is right where whe wants to be. she has a different value system than you do and values partying more than grades. THAT IS HER RIGHT!:D

[pebu]

It would also be the young womans choice to help Audrey. If her grades slipped because she was forced into helping audrey that woudln't be any better than just giving audrey a portion of her GPA.

[C5 Golfer]

I forgot to say that I am involved in my local traffic reduction group and I am a member of the local municipal political party against cars and for public transit.

Good job Derf.. a couple of questions in your traffic reduction group do you help or assist in getting parking stalls that can lock a bicycle? I no longer work and have cut back driving my cars and I wish I could bike to the store but I have no secure place to lock it if I go in to shop. (Wish there was no crime and we could trust our fellow citizens but that is a subject for a future post)

We have made great strides here in PNW with ample parking at park and rides with a great bus system to downtown Seattle ( cost is $2.50 ) and other places. We have much more to do but it is a start. But here again some have had break ins/vandalism on their parked car - the park and rides are a very target rich environment. Same goes for the trail heads in our National forest - huge crime problem, So bottom line when we offer public transportation the public needs to feel secure he/she has a way back home sans police report.

SUCKS :AR15firin

[Dr D]

Come on D, Canadians aren't the only ones who have trouble with America's foreign policy, medicare, gun laws, etc. You make it sound as if all Americans are united on these issues.

I think Canadians tend to comment because we are bombarded with US media coverage and we have the advantage of a bit of distanced perspective.

Also, USA bashing is a national sport here. Ric Mercer has even made a career out of it.

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not what I meant at all. We definitely don't agree on most things but its like a domestic disturbance mom and dad can hit each other with frying pans but just let the neighbor get involved and they will both hit him over the head.

[C5 Golfer]

Come on D, Canadians aren't the only ones who have trouble with America's foreign policy, medicare, gun laws, etc. You make it sound as if all Americans are united on these issues.

Skategoat - I am curious - just what gun law(s) in the USA do you or other counties have a problem with? Not wanting to start a big political fight here but we have so many on the books now one law abiding Citizen cannot keep up with what law one is potentially breaking when you own or move a firearm.

I am betting to what you are insinuating is that the trouble you mention Canadians and other counties have is the “lack of enforcement” of the laws we have... I bet that is to what you are referring.. huh? -

[Dr D]

Derf I have had many long discussions with those on the opposite political front and one thing I have learned is that we all have more in common than we like to think we do. We all want the same things we want a cleaner planet and less crime and fair wages etc. we just have fundementally different approaches to how those things could happen. the media portrays both sides at odds rather than united in their goals.

here republicans are portrayed as gun toating gas guzzling blowhards that want to take away your rights to porn and abortions among other things. Dems are portrayed as thieves who want to tax you to death and give your hard earned money to some drug addict on the corner. neither of these is really true.

I simply believe that a free market with a minimum of government (conservative or liberal) will always yield the best result.

there have been hundreds of inventions in the last 100 yrs that give a gasoline engine huge leaps in efficiency and they have all been bought and suppresssed by oil companies. My 73 camaro got better mileage than my 04 pick up does and it had a considerably larger engine. questionable smog reducing tech has mostly reduced efficiency to the point that its all a wash. I have been experimenting with hydrgen generators in my truck with good results. partially because it fascinates me and partially to get more out of my gasoline dollar. the free market will drive things to an equalibrium if we let it.

screw Government regulation all it does is perpetuate the problems:smashfrea

[Dr D]

Skategoat - I am curious - just what gun law(s) in the USA do you or other counties have a problem with? Not wanting to start a big political fight here but we have so many on the books now one law abiding Citizen cannot keep up with what law one is potentially breaking when you own or move a firearm.

I am betting to what you are insinuating is that the trouble you mention Canadians and other counties have is the “lack of enforcement” of the laws we have... I bet that is to what you are referring.. huh? -

Heller Vs the US will potentially over turn all of them and we'll get to start over. Sounds like fun doesn't it.

Derf you should read "more guns less crime" startling look at statistics worldwide pre and post guncontrol. they talk about canada and australia and the UK quite a bit.

[C5 Golfer]

Heller Vs the US will potentially over turn all of them and we'll get to start over. Sounds like fun doesn't it.

Derf you should read "more guns less crime" startling look at statistics worldwide pre and post guncontrol. they talk about canada and australia and the UK quite a bit.

I believe this is the link to which the Doc is referring.

http://www.amazon.com/More-Guns-Less-Crime-Understanding/dp/0226493644/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203546946&sr=8-2

[Dr D]

he's got a new book out but I haven't got a chance to read it yet.

[skategoat]

Skategoat - I am curious - just what gun law(s) in the USA do you or other counties have a problem with? Not wanting to start a big political fight here but we have so many on the books now one law abiding Citizen cannot keep up with what law one is potentially breaking when you own or move a firearm.

I am betting to what you are insinuating is that the trouble you mention Canadians and other counties have is the “lack of enforcement” of the laws we have... I bet that is to what you are referring.. huh? -

Not a single law or even group of laws but the overall availability of firearms, particularly handguns, and the culture and misuse that goes with it. I'm sure there are laws in place that are supposed to keep the guns safe but clearly they don't work.

Let's not start a gun debate. Please.

[Dan]

Great thread! Though our political threads sometimes teeter on the brink of meltdown, we get such great conversations that I can't resist.

I think that the real impact of "altruistic" behavior (i.e., Audrey helping raise her friend's GPA) is being neglected here.

The great thing about altruism at the level of a society (and here the Audrey metaphor may break down) is that it's really the same thing as enlightened self interest -- the heart and soul of capitalism. For instance, I live in a city (Portland, OR) with a notoriously underfunded public school system. I don't have any kids, yet I always vote in favor of additional school funding levies.

Is it because I'm a sucker/bleeding heart? !@#@ no! I hate kids! :)

But I like living in Portland. In 10 or 15 years, if the schools really go to hell, and we have, say, a 50% high school dropout rate, how is that going to affect Portland's livability? Would you rather live somewhere where the average level of education is low (Detroit), or high, like Cambridge MA or Seattle? An educated populace brings employers, which increases the tax base, sending more money to schools -- a virtuous cycle. Of course, the reverse is also true.

Same thing goes for the homeless -- I'd rather see effective programs to help them get jobs and get off the street (though finding/creating those "effective programs" is a real crapshoot), than say "to hell with them" and have an enormous homeless population on the streets all day with no avenue for support. It's not about being a bleeding heart, just self-interest.

(Having said that, I do feel that as the richest nation on the earth, it's an embarrassment that we can't find the wherewithal to help our homeless. I spent a few weeks in Laos about 8 years ago, in both the capital and the countryside, and saw no homeless people or beggars during that entire time. At home in Portland, I can't go downtown without at least one or two people sparechanging me. That's right, we've been trumped in social services by a country with a per-capita annual income of around $600/year. Am I the only person who finds that humiliating?)

And back to gasoline...though there doesn't seem to be any consensus on when we're going to run out, it's clear that supplies are limited and non-renewable except on geologic time frames. Are we going to plan a smooth transition or just plunge along the way we've been going until we find ourselves out of gas and up the creek? It's not just about running engines, how are we going to replace all our petroleum-based textiles and other products? Polar fleece, Gore-Tex, Raichle boot shells, neoprene...

Cutting back on transportation uses now and looking more seriously for alternatives will minimize the economic pain and social disruption of the inevitable move away from gasoline. Again, though there are some tree-hugger reasons to discourage gasoline use, it also makes good sense for us as a society to make a better attempt to make alternate plans.

[Dr D]

Cutting back on transportation uses now and looking more seriously for alternatives will minimize the economic pain and social disruption of the inevitable move away from gasoline. Again, though there are some tree-hugger reasons to discourage gasoline use, it also makes good sense for us as a society to make a better attempt to make alternate plans.

Makes great sense so lets get the patent book out and pressure the oil companies into putting stuff back on the market. 100mpg carburators etc. I have played with three different techs that show great promise but are reinventing the wheel since it was already done 50 yrs ago. Our engines don't begin to get all the energy out of a gallon of gas. Why is hydrogen such a terror? The hindenburg didn't blow up because of the hydrogen it was the glue right. a little electricity and some water and you have hydrogen and oxygen at a very safe mix and it potentiates other reactions. gas burns way more efficiently in the presence of brown's gas OOH. any idiot can build a gadget to feed a little into the air intake.

bottom line there are lots of things out there we are just encouraged not to explore them. I know of at least one car modified to run on only water converted to OOH. you can burn any vegetable oil ,without refining it further than filtering the fries out of it, in a diesel engine if you add OOH. I have seen a pick up run on wood gas made by burning woodchips in a gadget in the back of the truck. come on just get on the net and start experimenting. screw the manufacturers warranty:eplus2:

[C5 Golfer]

Makes great sense so lets get the patent book out and pressure the oil companies into putting stuff back on the market. 100mpg carburators etc. :

interesting read here -- Dr D and Dan enjoy..

http://www.snopes.com/autos/business/carburetor.asp

[Dr D]

interesting read here -- Dr D and Dan enjoy..

http://www.snopes.com/autos/business/carburetor.asp

true enough its been around so long its a part of our language:eplus2:

there are currently at least three technologies that show promise in the private sector and no major company is looking at them. one is in fact based on the old vaporise the fuel first idea. one is OOH gas introduced to the air intake. one is really a filter system for the pcv system it basically takes the carbon and oil out of the vapor and lets the gas vapors continue back into the intake manifold. there is some fuel reintroduced to the system but basically it just runs cleaner and is more efficient that way. I have that installed in my truck it works quite well. oil lasts longer and I get maybe a 6% improvement on mileage. I am currently playing with the OOH systems (there are several different ones)

[Dr D]

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Ha ha Ha :lol::lol: sheeeeeit all that proves is that politicians are morons and the people who go to rallies are even dumber. not really news is it?

Just because everyone in america went to school doesn't mean they are educated:cool:

Uneducated sheep make better subjects, no

[bobdea]

The newer locomotives and city buses are are hybrid deisel electrics, guess they don't have enough power.

western rural folk work for a living, but we don't here in the east is this what you mean to imply? We don't have similar needs?

Are western devons, holsteins and or in your case for the weekend equestrian a western appaloosa or arabian bigger and demands more resources that it's eastern counterpart?

you'd be amazed at the number of Vt, NH and MA farmers that haul hay/manure/cows and all sorts of other things in their trucks but generally drive a small sedan for any purpose not related to the farm.

Trucks generally blow in snow, the only time they hold really a advantage to a friggin' subaru GL or even one of the front wheel drive super compacts is when you are using chains in 4wd with a foot or more of snow on the ROAD not on the ground or when it's flooding.

Batteries DO have a huge impact but they can be recycled where as burnt gasoline can not. It's not perfect but the issue is closer to the imediate effects of emisions and the the increasing scarcity of oil.

As far as you guys preaching conservatism goes, then you should like a bill that taxes those who purchase gas guzzlers as it sticks you with a bigger part of the bill if you choose a polluter so others who don't are not footing the bill for your irresponsible choice. I guess economic tough love only applies when it hurts someone else's bottom line.

If there were no pollution of any type from bigger cars you'd have some conservative ground to stand on but instead you're saying socialist type system to take care of it. If you destroy a river that people depend on for water by dumping chemicals into it do you think it's inherently the state's job to clean it up with no consequence to you?

Read some Jefferson and Smith before making comments, it helps.

Jefferson was big on personal responsibility, hated the idea of unrestrained big business such as corporations that in effect would become faceless entities with no accountability. "I hope we shall... crush in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and to bid defiance to the laws of their country."

- Thomas Jefferson, letter to George Logan. November 12, 1816.

Smith, he used to make comments on how businessmen could not be trusted and also would just plain contradict himself on a fairly regular basis, free markets are a nice dream but not a reality

BTW, I am a friggin' pinko on most issues but on some I've been accused of sounding like Barry Goldwater. I took that as a compliment though because he stood for what a true conservative should and in that I think the guy was great.

The Prius is a good example of a american market, it's milage is not so hot for a hybrid but for the american market it had to be bigger and more powerful than something like the honda insight which gets much better mileage but is not as big as the Prius that is such a hit in the US compared to the insight. There's allot of things bad about the prius other than mileage.

There are quite a few gas only cars that get mileage around 45 MPG in the real world that are not available here because people don't buy them. So many cars here are less efficient here than they are in other countries even when they are the same models because we want bigger, more powerful engines in them.

Wanna talk trucks? Same issue, in other parts of the world what a american thinks he needs gas powered F350 for people will use a six cyl toyota for and the people that ACTUALLY need to haul heavy loads go deisel.

[Derf]

Not a single law or even group of laws but the overall availability of firearms, particularly handguns, and the culture and misuse that goes with it. I'm sure there are laws in place that are supposed to keep the guns safe but clearly they don't work.

Let's not start a gun debate. Please.

Please, PLEASE, no gun debate. There's a thread on it, it was beaten to death, let it sleep.

[Guest grainger1]

I'll probably get flame and hate response but I am glad this died. SB6900 in Wash State was to implement a tax on the size of your motor in your car.

Where did you see that it died? I first heard about this a few weeks ago and have read the bill but I live in Vancouver so we only get Oregon news.

[Derf]

We had a meeting today: What can we do to reduce the number of automobiles that pass through our neighborhood? Some of the solutions were:

• more efficient public transit
  
• less available parking at the destination
  
• pay to enter downtown with a car
  
• lots of others...

Safe bicycle parking was mentioned.