homage to the Hummer

[Calabrio]

* APRIL 17, 2010

An Homage to Hummer
Comedian Penn Jillette laments the passing of the 'big, stupid' vehicle
By PENN JILLETTE
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304510004575186243922694492.html

There's a feeling one gets when one sits behind the wheel of a really big stupid military-lite American Hummer. You have that feeling of being strong and safe, high on your pleather throne, above the fray, above the danger, not having to listen to anyone or anything, the rumble of a too-big motor giving you a wiggle and jiggle and tickle inside you. You have the power to run over anyone else on the road, if they dare monkey with you and your Hummer. Don't tread on you. Kill one of ours, we'll kill 100 of yours. You're Arnold Schwarzenegger before he was a wimpy whining begging politician in a state where he has to smoke his cigars in a tent. Put the Hummer bumper against a small building, put the lead Terminator foot down on the Hummer pedal, and the Hummer will move that small building. The Hummer is the four-wheel "heavy metal thunder" that Steppenwolf (the band, not the book or the artsy Chicago theater company) sang about. The Hummer is "Born in the U.S.A.," not the ambivalence that Springsteen slid into the lyrics, but the "Born in the U.S.A." we all knew from the straightforward title and the 2 and 4 of the drums. Do you know that feeling?

I don't. I don't know that feeling at all. I got my Massachusetts driver's license the day I was legally able, but only so I could safely drive my mom's little Ford Falcon 100 miles to see Zappa and the Mothers of Invention in Boston. I like Steppenwolf, the band, the book and the artsy Chicago theater company. I liked Springsteen right up until "Born in the U.S.A.," and I drive a little tiny pink Mini Cooper. The Cooper is engineered for 6'6" max, so I have only one extra inch to squeeze in. I didn't even get the stick shift. My little Mini doesn't go way fast, but even in drive-fast-take-chances Nevada I rarely go faster than 55 miles per hour.

The Mini has a comfortable heated seat and I had some guy in a heavy-metal T-shirt add in a great after-market stereo. I can ride my 20 minutes to work and back contentedly. I can pull into my "Penn & Teller" designated parking space at any sloppy angle I happen to land at, and the Mini fits easily with plenty of space all around. It fits sideways in my big stupid garage. I never have to back up and straighten it out. I never scrape the side mirrors. My Mini gets high enough MPG that I never get dirty looks…for that. My license plate reads "ATHEIST" and when friends drive my car, they report plenty of dirty looks, but I've never seen any of that. I drive oblivious. I don't ever notice the world around me. I'm in a little moving chair with loud music, nut talk or slanted news.

Cars mean nothing to me. I'm not a car guy. I let my motorcycle license lapse as soon as I could afford something more comfortable than my Vespa motor scooter to get me to gigs. I don't need the top down and the wind in my hair. I don't desire fast and furious or low and slow as the tempo. I don't crave rumble. I've never revved my car at a light for an attractive woman or an auto-rival, not even as a joke. I've painted most of my cars bright pink. My heart is so much closer to multilevel-marketed Mary Kay pink than speed-freak Motörhead chrome and black. I don't even know which "O" to put the umlaut over in "Mötorhead." I've seen Mötörhead live a couple times, but I couldn't get the exact pronunciation from Lemmy at that glorious ear-ringing volume.

Now it looks like the Hummer will be no more. General Motors has set a deadline of May 1 for any last-minute bids to save the brand, but it seems unlikely anyone will step up. Meanwhile President Obama has taken over GM and is jacking fuel economy standards up to 35 miles per gallon. The Hummer gets like 10 miles per gallon. The new standards would barely allow a Hummer unicycle. American auto manufacturers are thinking in terms of electric vehicles so the disgusting smoke will come out of coal smokestacks many, many miles away, and not right out of the tailpipe where you can see it, smell it and enjoy it.

Having a Hummer is stupid. It's stupid to waste that much gas. It's stupid to waste that much money on gas. It's stupid to parade your insecurities on public roads. Hummers are stupid looking. You don't need an attack vehicle for the Krispy Kreme drive through. My wife and I saw Adrien Brody in a Hummer at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons and it made him seem less like an eccentric pianist and more like a…Hummer. When Carrot Top came by my house to do my radio show, he drove up in a Hummer. It fit well with his big muscles. I have a friend who made his father turn around and take his new Hummer right back to the lot. My friends have to be able to take a great deal of embarrassment, but even they have to draw the line somewhere.

Hummers are stupid and wasteful and if they go away because no one wants to buy one, that'll be just a little sad. It's always a little sad to lose some stupid. I love people doing stupid things that I'd never do—different stupid things than all the stupid things I do. It reminds me that although all over the world we humans have so much in common, so much love, and need, and desire, and compassion and loneliness, some of us still want to do things that the rest of us think are bug-nutty. Some of us want to drive a Hummer, some of us want to eat sheep's heart, liver and lungs simmered in an animal's stomach for three hours, some us want to play poker with professionals and some of us want a Broadway musical based on the music of ABBA. I love people doing things I can't understand. It's heartbreaking to me when people stop doing things that I can't see any reason for them to be doing in the first place. I like people watching curling while eating pork rinds.

But if any part of the Hummer going belly-up are those government rules we're putting in on miles per gallon, or us taking over of GM, then I'm not just sad, I'm also angry. Lack of freedom can be measured directly by lack of stupid. Freedom means freedom to be stupid. We never need freedom to do the smart thing. You don't need any freedom to go with majority opinion. There was no freedom required to drive a Prius before the recall. We don't need freedom to recycle, reuse and reduce. We don't need freedom to listen to classic rock, classic classical, classic anything or Terry Gross. We exercise our freedom to its fullest when we are at our stupidest.

There's a lot of bad stupid around. Really bad stupid. But we can't stop the real horror by stopping just-plain-stupid stupid. We're not going to stop overseas wars by stopping people from driving big stupid cars. As long as we think that "nation building" is part of our destiny, no amount of independence from foreign oil is going to stop us from getting into meddling, expensive, immoral foreign wars. As long as we let terrorism fill us with terror, we're not going to get our nonstupid freedoms back. Our government declaring that we need alternative energy sources, and betting our money on who might get a smart idea, is not going to give smart people smart ideas. It's really easy to see stupid all around us, but I don't think we want to be too quick to stop it. We need to protect other people's stupid to save freedom for all of us.

Yeah, Adrien Brody and Carrot Top wasted gallons of gas driving their stupid cars. I can feel smug about my Mini Cooper's sexy 37/28/32 MPG measurements. But I don't think we should be too quick to feel happy about the stupid Hummers going away. We're all making bad choices all the time, and most of mine are way stupider than driving a Hummer. I love my freedom of stupid. I bumped into Adrien one time and had a great talk with him, we got along great. I know Carrot Top well enough to call him "Scott." I know that they're both a lot thinner than me. They're both in a lot better shape. They eat better than me, and they can do a lot more push-ups and sit-ups. They can run farther and faster than me. So, in the near future, with us all being involved in each other's health care, Adrien and Scott might make up for their wasted gas mileage paying for my high-blood-pressure meds. If we're all getting together to stop the stupidity of driving a Hummer, will we have to stop the stupidity of eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts and pie? Freedom is freedom to be stupid.

They came first for the Hummers.

Then they came for the pie.


—Penn Jillette is the larger, louder half of Penn & Teller and co-host of Showtime's "Penn & Teller: BS!"Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page W7

 

[1bad4.6l]

I didn't think it would be that much reading.:drunk:

 

[Calabrio]

Here, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version:

Now it looks like the Hummer will be no more. General Motors has set a deadline of May 1 for any last-minute bids to save the brand. Meanwhile President Obama has taken over GM and is jacking fuel economy standards up to 35 miles per gallon. American auto manufacturers are thinking in terms of electric vehicles so the disgusting smoke will come out of coal smokestacks many, many miles away, and not right out of the tailpipe where you can see it, smell it and enjoy it.

Hummers are stupid and wasteful and if they go away because no one wants to buy one, that'll be just a little sad. It's always a little sad to lose some stupid. I love people doing stupid things that I'd never do—different stupid things than all the stupid things I do.

But if any part of the Hummer going belly-up are those government rules we're putting in on miles per gallon, or us taking over of GM, then I'm not just sad, I'm also angry. Lack of freedom can be measured directly by lack of stupid. Freedom means freedom to be stupid. We never need freedom to do the smart thing. We exercise our freedom to its fullest when we are at our stupidest.

We need to protect other people's stupid to save freedom for all of us.

If we're all getting together to stop the stupidity of driving a Hummer, will we have to stop the stupidity of eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts and pie? Freedom is freedom to be stupid.

They came first for the Hummers.

Then they came for the pie.

 

[Aquabrit]

I stopped reading at this point:

Cars mean nothing to me.

*shruggs*

:lol:

 

[1bad4.6l]

I like pie. Sorry I will read the full one tomorrow when I will remember. The short version made me interested though. TY

 

[Calabrio]

I like pie. Sorry I will read the full one tomorrow when I will remember. The short version made me interested though. TY

There really isn't much more to it than my synopsis.
The author is extremely long winded.

 

[cammerfe]

He's not a car guy! And he's too long winded. And his diatribe, although in some degree to be agreed with, is too condescending for my taste.
KS

 

[Calabrio]

.... is too condescending for my taste.

i don't see how it's condescending.

He says Hummers are stupid...instead he drives a bright pink Mini. And he recognizes that he doesn't understand auto or driving culture, but....

He enjoys other stupid things.
Stupid things are great.
Freedom is also about being able to do stupid things.
And if the government prevents us from doing stupid things, we're losing our freedom and that makes him mad.

And if we tolerate the government preventing others from doing something that we personally think is stupid, it's only a matter of time before they ban something stupid that we enjoy.

As stated, first they came from the hummers, and I didn't speak because I drove a hot pink Mini.
Then they came from the Krispy Kreme donuts...and by that time there was no one left to speak up...

And that's what's happening right now at an accelerated pace.

Long winded, absolutely.
Condescending, hardly.

 

[fossten]

I weep for our country. It's been taken over by idiot nannies.

 

[foxpaws]

I believe this is redundant...

I drive a little tiny pink Mini Cooper.

and

Cars mean nothing to me. I'm not a car guy.

However, as much as Gillette might like to allude...

Hummers aren't being discontinued because of government mandate - it is because no one bought them...

From a high of 34,000 in 2003 they have dropped out to 12,000 in '07, 6,000 in '08 and a sad 1,500 in '09.

GM can't afford to keep lines open that sell that few vehicles.

H2s are big, awkward, not very good off-road, hard to park, harder to maneuver in traffic, and the status symbol they once represented isn't there any longer. They are dinosaurs.

No one 'came for the Hummers' as Penn is insinuating. They died a natural death.

 

[fossten]

H2s are big, awkward, not very good off-road, hard to park, harder to maneuver in traffic, and the status symbol they once represented isn't there any longer. They are dinosaurs.

No one 'came for the Hummers' as Penn is insinuating. They died a natural death.

Yeah right. High gas prices, the left wing media, and the Sierra Club had nothing to do with it.

 

[Calabrio]

Hummers aren't being discontinued because of government mandate - it is because no one bought them...

To quote him, "But if any part of the Hummer going belly-up are those government rules we're putting in....."

The article, though long winded and indulgent as it is, really isn't about the Hummer. It's merely being used to make a larger point.

No one 'came for the Hummers' as Penn is insinuating. They died a natural death.

You've deliberately ignored his very simple point.
It wasn't an attack about Hummer.

But when government imposes policy that dictates behavior that we might think is foolish, we have to realize that it's an imposition of our liberty. To quote someone, "The bigger the government, the smaller the individual."

I personally don't eat bacon wrapped hot dogs that are deep fried, it's terrible for you. Or use salt in restaurants. However, I think it's wrong for government to dictate whether I can have those things. Those aren't "MY" stupid pleasures. And if it's o.k. for them to ban the things I don't respect, they'll soon be robbing me of the freedom to pursue the things I foolishly enjoy.

Be it big, poorly designed, re-badged trucks.... or pointless sports cars.

 

[fossten]

She won't complain until the government starts imposing restrictions on expensive shoes that cost more than one of us makes in two weeks. Then she'll get all Harrison Bergeron on their ass.

 

[Calabrio]

It's a simple point.
And, foxpaws is right that the Hummer brand was hurt by $4/gal gas along with social stigmatization. But the new government culture at GM did lead to it's demise.

"GM can't afford to keep lines open that sell that few vehicles."
There was redundancy in the GM line-up, but it was the government appointees that forcefully dictated that GM eliminate some of the lines. Worse though, the guys making these "suggestions" had no understanding of the industry or automotive culture.

GM ended up in a big internal fight because they were "suggested" to kill the Buick line and the GMC brand of trucks. Despite the profitability of these vehicles, but the "central planners" thought they were redundant and didn't understand how the market differentiates a GMC truck from a Chevy truck. Or how hugely important the Buick is in Asia.

It's reasonable to think that government and social pressure from do-gooders resulted in the death of the hummer. The name was too toxic in the government culture, so the concept of release smaller, maybe Wrangler or Cherokee sized GMs was abandoned and the division killed.

The Hummer H4 or HX was going to be a small, wrangler sized, "green" vehicle.

 

[foxpaws]

It's a simple point.
And, foxpaws is right that the Hummer brand was hurt by $4/gal gas along with social stigmatization. But the new government culture at GM did lead to it's demise.

Doubtful - GM was looking to pull the plug anyway. We had production parts lined up for the H4 - and in 2008 we were told that they weren't going into production. GM was bleeding buckets back then and knew they were going to be phasing out the line.

GM ended up in a big internal fight because they were "suggested" to kill the Buick line and the GMC brand of trucks. Despite the profitability of these vehicles, but the "central planners" thought they were redundant and didn't understand how the market differentiates a GMC truck from a Chevy truck. Or how hugely important the Buick is in Asia.

The only reason Buick is big in Asia is because the Aveo is branded as Buick there. Actually - having 3 lines for the time being will work, but just as Ford is looking to phase out Mercury and have only 2 lines, eventually so will GM. It only makes sense.

It's reasonable to think that government and social pressure from do-gooders resulted in the death of the hummer. The name was too toxic in the government culture, so the concept of release smaller, maybe Wrangler or Cherokee sized GMs was abandoned and the division killed.

What killed the Hummer was that the era of conspicuous consumption was over. Even the smaller Hummers were tainted with the stamp of the H2. They had a pretty good vehicle in the H3, the electronically controlled front and rear diff system is incredible - one of the most innovative things out there (we use it on our trophy trucks), and they had an electric version - it is just they couldn't get over the name 'hummer'. Sales numbers on it followed the H2 - just not quite so fast. I think in the last year of production they brought only 5,000 off the line.

I would agree with Foss that the environmental groups certainly helped hasten the demise of the Hummer, but not the government - the writing for Hummer was on the wall long before the government stepped in.

Plus, why complain in general - without the government stepping in, there is a good chance you would be decrying the demise of GM (including such icons as the Corvette) and not just some of the GM lines.

The H4 might be revived into the Chevy line-up - but we aren't holding our breath.

 

[fossten]

Plus, why complain in general - without the government stepping in, there is a good chance you would be decrying the demise of GM (including such icons as the Corvette) and not just some of the GM lines.

I wouldn't be decrying it. But then again, I'm a capitalist. Sink or swim, don't rely on government subsidies to stay competitive - either fix your business and compete, or die. But we all know what's been happening for the last 50 years, don't we.

Yet again another revealing admission that you're not a capitalist.

 

[foxpaws]

I wouldn't be decrying it. But then again, I'm a capitalist. Sink or swim, don't rely on government subsidies to stay competitive - either fix your business and compete, or die. But we all know what's been happening for the last 50 years, don't we.

Yet again another revealing admission that you're not a capitalist.

No foss, I was pointing out the surface hypocrisy that this article has - that Penn is implying that it could be government involvement that has ended the Hummer's life - when, in fact, without government involvement, it would have been all of GM that would have been on the block. Hummer isn't a casualty of government intervention, its demise is a sign of the times.

However, I am glad that the government stepped in with GM - they will turn around, and we will have Corvettes for a long time to come. GM will pay back the government - and we will continue to have those jobs.

Did you know the reason that Ford didn't come to the government for money? It wasn't because they weren't having money problems - they were - huge ones. They just got to the bank first. They were able to mortgage their property to the hilt first. GM, because they were second to knock - didn't have that option.

 

[fossten]

No foss, I was pointing out the surface hypocrisy that this article has - that Penn is implying that it could be government involvement that has ended the Hummer's life - when, in fact, without government involvement, it would have been all of GM that would have been on the block. Hummer isn't a casualty of government intervention, its demise is a sign of the times.

Again, sign of the times (yet ANOTHER vague copout phrase used by you) implies government intervention, which is exactly what is happening with our gas prices. Government has been subsidizing American auto makers for decades. You CANNOT deny this.

You fail to address my argument and you simply reassert yours. You're getting nowhere, but you certainly spend a lot of paragraphs doing it. I'll give you a solid B-plus for effort though.

Of course, now that we know you work for GM and have a personal stake in its survival, we can safely say that you are unable to be objective in discussing the government's involvement.

 

[foxpaws]

Again, sign of the times (yet ANOTHER vague copout phrase used by you) implies government intervention, which is exactly what is happening with our gas prices. Government has been subsidizing American auto makers for decades. You CANNOT deny this.

You fail to address my argument and you simply reassert yours. You're getting nowhere, but you certainly spend a lot of paragraphs doing it. I'll give you a solid B-plus for effort though.

Of course, now that we know you work for GM and have a personal stake in its survival, we can safely say that you are unable to be objective in discussing the government's involvement.

I don't work for GM. Never have worked for one of the big 3.

Know how building a car works Foss - there is something known as outside vendors who supply parts to the big 3 like Sylvania, Goodyear, Monroe, Moog, etc.

And yes, the government has been subsidizing the automotive business since they have needed tanks and other military/government vehicles.

The gas prices didn't rise to $4 a gallon because of the government-it rose that high because of speculation.

So, do you want to pay what the rest of the world pays Foss - our prices are low because our government doesn't tax gas all that much, I think federal gas tax is under .20 a gallon. In Europe - around $5.00 a gallon. The actual cost to get the fuel is about the same everywhere - the taxes, or subsidies, are what make a difference.

We actually feel the bump more when gas prices skyrocket because of the low taxes on it. If your gas is already at $8.00 a gallon - the percentage difference of $2.00 extra isn't all that much. However, if your gas is at $2.50 a gallon - when you pop that extra $2.00 a gallon difference, we really notice it.

 

[fossten]

The gas prices didn't rise to $4 a gallon because of the government-it rose that high because of speculation.

So, do you want to pay what the rest of the world pays Foss - our prices are low because our government doesn't tax gas all that much, I think federal gas tax is under .20 a gallon. In Europe - around $5.00 a gallon. The actual cost to get the fuel is about the same everywhere - the taxes, or subsidies, are what make a difference.

We actually feel the bump more when gas prices skyrocket because of the low taxes on it. If your gas is already at $8.00 a gallon - the percentage difference of $2.00 extra isn't all that much. However, if your gas is at $2.50 a gallon - when you pop that extra $2.00 a gallon difference, we really notice it.

Very weak response, fox. Basically you concede all my points.

Classic red herring. Speculation does not account for the entire price of a gallon of gas. Taxes accounts for more than 20 cents I can assure you - more like 50 cents a gallon in most states - and scarcity and refusal to increase supply also does. Politicians including Obama have expressed a desire to raise the gas tax to reduce consumption. This is interference. So is attacking Big Oil. Let's not forget that there are literally dozens of different reformulation requirements from state to state - this also adds to the cost. Ethanol - do I need to continue.

CAFE standards increase the cost of cars significantly, putting a strain on carmakers who are already struggling to meet costs..

And regardless of whether you work directly for GM or not, you definitely have a vested interest in its survival. My point stands.

Truly, such childish, dishonest responses from you are getting tiresome.

 

[Calabrio]

Though a bit of a departure or hijack of the thread.

Doubtful - GM was looking to pull the plug anyway. We had production parts lined up for the H4 - and in 2008 we were told that they weren't going into production. GM was bleeding buckets back then and knew they were going to be phasing out the line.

Very well.
As mentioned, $4/gal gas and poor design killed the Hummer.

The only reason Buick is big in Asia is because the Aveo is branded as Buick there.

The Chinese culture views Buick differently than we do in the U.S. It's often attributed to Chinese emperor having owned a Buick. The Buick was the first car driven in the forbidden city.

And rebadging the same car under different 'brands' is terrible business, something you'd never do unless you had a dead corporate culture and felt your arm was twisted to maintain legacy costs and operations. But the hummer line up was essentially became rebadged GMC/Chevy trucks. The H1 was the only "real" one, in my opinion.

Plus, why complain in general - without the government stepping in, there is a good chance you would be decrying the demise of GM (including such icons as the Corvette) and not just some of the GM lines.

Why complain about the government taking over GM and Chrysler?

Or why complain about the concern that the government will use the industry to pursue policy goals rather than responsibly pursuing profit?

The H4 might be revived into the Chevy line-up - but we aren't holding our breath.

I read that GM was privately reluctant to sell the Hummer name, almost as though the effort to sell the brand was all for show. Maybe we'll see a GMC H4 someday.

 

[foxpaws]

Very weak response, fox. Basically you concede all my points.

Nope - the hummer died a natural death. The market didn't want it any longer, so it died.

Classic red herring. Speculation does not account for the entire price of a gallon of gas. Taxes accounts for more than 20 cents I can assure you, and scarcity and refusal to increase supply also does. Politicians including Obama have expressed a desire to raise the gas tax to reduce consumption. This is interference. So is attacking Big Oil.

Federal tax on gas is, and has been forever right at 18.4 cents per gallon (17 years to be exact). State taxes are different.

Of course there is income tax involved... but I don't think Exxon paid any federal income tax last year. There are taxes along the supply chain, but that is for everything, not just gas, it is for the plastic Coleman cooler that is imported from China as well.

Speculation was the biggest culprit on why gas got to over $4.00 a gallon. It never did cost that much to get it out of the sand.

And regardless of whether you work directly for GM or not, you definitely have a vested interest in its survival. My point stands.

Truly, such childish, dishonest responses from you are getting tiresome.

Nope - I am far better off if Asian and European cars survive than domestic vehicles.

Your speculation on what I do is rather fun Foss - it is a little like 20 questions isn't it?

 

[foxpaws]

And rebadging the same car under different 'brands' is terrible business, something you'd never do unless you had a dead corporate culture and felt your arm was twisted to maintain legacy costs and operations. But the hummer line up was essentially became rebadged GMC/Chevy trucks. The H1 was the only "real" one, in my opinion.

Rebadging is silly... but they have all done it for so long. It is what GMC does... They are Chevy trucks, but a GMC guy is just a GMC guy. A Sunny by any other name... It just isn't the US makers that do it.

Why complain about the government taking over GM and Chrysler?

Or why complain about the concern that the government will use the industry to pursue policy goals rather than responsibly pursuing profit

But, GM is paying back the government, and Chrysler might die anyway. Plus - are they really the big players anymore? Toyota, Honda, VW are the future as of now, and our government really has very little say in how those companies are run, other than regulating emissions, safety and overall brand mileage ratings. Now that imports account for over 50% of vehicles sold in the US, pursuing policy goals via an industry where the US doesn't dominate, even in their own marketplace, seems a bit futile.

I read that GM was privately reluctant to sell the Hummer name, almost as though the effort to sell the brand was all for show. Maybe we'll see a GMC H4 someday.

Yes they were, it was a sticking point when trying to sell it to the Chinese.

 

[Calabrio]

No foss, I was pointing out the surface hypocrisy that this article has - that Penn is implying that it could be government involvement that has ended the Hummer's life -

To repeat, the article isn't really about Hummer. The speculation was merely a device used to address a much broader, significantly more important issue. Teller, nor I, particularly care whether Hummer remains a viable brand in the market or not.

...without government involvement, it would have been all of GM that would have been on the block. Hummer isn't a casualty of government intervention, its demise is a sign of the times.

And in the long run, why would that have been a bad thing?
If a product or company fails, it should be allowed to fail.

I think we have around $52,000,000,000.00 borrowed tax dollars tied up in GM right now.
They'll never pay that sum back.
It's unlikely they'll even be able to pay the $6.7B they are responsible for.

And if I read it right, they are paying the "loan" back with money that was given to them by the federal government. It's an outrage.

The assets, the brands, the property would then be sold off to people with the competency to do something productive with it. The legacy costs of over 3/4 a century of mismanagement would be shaken free as well. Instead we are subsidizing market inefficiency with tax dollars.

The take over of this industry by the government.
And the federal government essentially propping up the union pension plans IS unfortunately a very unsettling, alarming, "sign of the times."



BUT THE CASUAL OP-ED IS NOT ABOUT CARS.
It's about government and the encroachment on our personal liberty.

 

[foxpaws]

BUT THIS CASUAL OP-ED IS NOT ABOUT CARS.
It's about government and the encroachment on our personal liberty.

Then why use a car? Especially why use a car whose demise wasn't caused by the government.

No personal liberty was taken away via the government when GM shut down the Hummer lines. GM made that decision - because of market conditions. Exactly what is suppose to happen in a free market.

Don't you think that Penn could have come up with a real example of the government forcing us not to have a choice in vehicles, instead of having to 'imply' that the Hummer could have been killed by the government.

Why use a false example?