From what I've seen over the past 7 years, you post some things that are well-known or enlightening in tandem with a large amount of information that may or may not be facts. It's all topped with personal commentary, and you claim to post without emotion. When you are asked to provide sources, you refuse to do so, claiming that "everyone should know" what you're talking about. You also cycle a lot of the same information--Lord knows how many times we've heard about how bad GM is, the dichead Sharon, etc. And when you are called out or your facts are refuted, you either ignore the information or try to twist the information to make it suit your stances. I have never once seen you admit that you might be wrong. Amazingly, I did get you to apologize once (not long ago) for not properly reading a post I made.

I have no doubt that you are an intelligent person, tw. But you use your intelligence in a manner that strips you of your credibility and makes you unbelievable. You've particularly stumbled a lot recently.

Now, you can reply by saying that I don't understand what you've been talking about, or that I'm unintelligent, or that I'm posting with emotion or that I'm attacking you because I disagree with you. Or you can conveniently ignore this. Whatever.

I enjoy a good spirited debate...I do not enjoy half-assed exchanges that show the ignorance and asinine nature of an individual. I have let you get to me recently...I will work hard to make sure it does not happen anymore. Because you're a troublemaker and a fraud...and those are the last types of people that should get to me.

<~~~~Tips glass to sycamore. :guinness:

:notworthy

And now this:

Toyota to suspend production of Tundra pickup in some plants and cancel production of Tundra in one plant, which will then produce the Prius.

From here.

Well said.

:thumb:

Looks like damn good marketing to me. Toyota was well accepted in the cities but had a hard time cracking the more rugged rural markets in the US. They had tried several times with trucks and SUV's only to be rebuffed. Then they decided to put the factories for their new larger more powerful trucks in the US. In rural, rugged parts of the US where men are men, so are the women, and the sheep run scared. Ford and Chevy country to be more precise. What do you know? After a little while Toyota trucks gained some credibility as a viable work truck for the tough guys. People who work in the factories realize they aren't "jap crap" and they buy them. Then their friends do. And their wives liked the SUVs and cars. Success. Toyota overtakes GM for number of units sold and still remains profitable.

In other parts of the country smaller more gas efficient cars are doing quite well. Not a lot is spent on marketing them but word of mouth works wonders. Scion and the Prius get a foothold. What's this? A fuel crisis? Who could have seen that coming? There is no part of the US that a toyota seems out of place now. Markets that were cracked by big tough trucks now will be more open to smaller, more efficient vehicles. Sounds pretty smart to me.

I love my Toyota Tundra.

Toyota sales down 21% last month.

How does that relate to the other manufacturers? That better, worse or about the same?

The newspaper chart I saw that in said GM was less, something like 18%, and Chrysler in the 30s. Don't remember Ford.

Last month, GM instituted more sales promotion including the 0% financing. This is how GM can claim a profit on this years sale while diverting losses to the financial operations. Those losses from 0% financing will not be felt for many years. IOW to keep sales figures up - an 18% sales drop in June. GM is again mortgaging its future. GM's May sales dropped 27%.

Ford dropped 28% in June compared to only 15% in May. Chrysler 36% compared to a 25% drop in May. Honda sales increased 1% compared to a 12% increase in May. Toyota went from a 4% sales decrease to a 21% decrease.

GM's 18% sales drop would have been in the 30 or 40 percentile without sales gimmicks and money games. The industry averaged a June 18% drop. (May's drop was 6% when GM had no sales incentives and a 27% sales drop.) Using 0% financing, et al, GM managed an average sales drop.

GM was recently hyping their increased quality. IOW GM was doing what others were doing 10 and more years ago. Others had moved 20 years ago to other innovations. One innovation is flex manufacture ring. Toyota plant in IN(?) that builds Tundra’s will be switched over to building Camry’s. No massive retooling. Same machines can build both vehicles because management comes from where the work gets done.

GM has no such abilities. Four SUV and pickup plants must shut down. GM cannot convert any plants to making Cobalts. That required planning in the engineering department - not in the accounting department. Flex manufacturing means cost increases when analysis is performed by bean counters - people who stifle innovation.

GM must mortgage precious capital; use money games to maintain sales of bad products. Last month was the exception. GM sales did not drop anywhere near what market analyst expected.

Few remember that GM was only 4 hours away from bankruptcy in 1991(?). How did GM 'fix' itself? Pension funds were shorted by about $7billion. Pension funds are supposed to be fully funded when the employee retires. Instead, GM played money games so that GM now has legacy costs. How does GM find $7billion for the pension fund when GM is only worth $6.5billion? No problem. PBGC. GM can dump those costs on the US Government.

More money games because GM products have been so crappy for so many decades. GM is estimate to have $20billion in cash reserves - and is eating that up at $1billion per month.

Also unknown is Chrysler. Since Chrysler is not public, then Chrysler's financial state is unknown. Nardelli who was running Home Depot under is now running Chrysler. Chrysler recently had to tap a credit line for $2billion implying that Chrysler had burned through its reserve cash. Well, when AT&T was in this position, nobody noticed. And AT&T was publically traded - its spread sheets were public record. If Chrysler is on the verge of bankruptcy, would anyone notice before the crash?

I found the word "had" to be an interesting choice of yours. One would think that "chose" would be more appropriate for one who does not make assumptions.
Perhaps the "chose" to borrow money because of the lower interest rates.

Not to worry, we'll be in clover.;)

The Cobalt, which is made in Lordstown, Ohio, is ranked number 2 in most-American vehicle in a survey by Cars.com.

GM Has $15.5 Billion Loss on U.S. Sales Drop, Leases (Update4)

OK tw, we get it... wait - Classic?

I filled up the gas tank in that little ford focus I bought. I went 352 miles on 9.8 gallons. In the city. :D Not sure about the 70 HP/L though.

Again, I figured I'd save us all another 2000 word post - thats all.

It was an interesting read too - lotta info. I found some of the numbers a little confusing to me though. Its like I need something to relate them to, otherwise they aren't as relevant. Like they posted the 3rd largest loss in it 100 year history. Well could they do that in $% so it means more to me.

Also, I noticed the foreign car company #'s were posted in % instead of $$$. Seems to have more meaning that way. Thoughts? Opinions?

I voted for:

Market speculators
Oil companies
aided by
US Automakers
US government/lawmakers

Exactly 70hp/L. The new North American Focuses have a 2.0 L engine that produces 140hp.

Hey, do you have SYNC and the optional ambient lighting in yours?

wow, too bad that technology is decades old...

anyway, yes I do have the SYNC system and so far am enjoying it to the point that i haven't even plugged my iPod in yet as I'm just using a memory stick to see the features the SYNC has within it. The phone mic and speakers work well too. Ambient lighting I'm not sure about, I haven't noticed a lava lamp if that's what you mean.

- Bump -

Here we go again.
I guess we are making some type of dent on the terrorist front - Apparently they need more money.
Gas prices to top $3.00 this summer.

The higher prices go the more people are motivated to make changes. I hope it goes to $5.00 a gallon.

I agree. It would be better if gas prices were maintained at $5/gallon. It's the up and down that causes distress.

Really. Fuck the working stiffs. They'll figure it out.

Elitist.

What do I care if my weekly gas bill changes from 45 to 90 a week? Its only another .... $200 a month. I'll just take that outta my... uh... my... well actually I have nowhere to take that from. Now what?

I guess I can tell my boss that I cannot afford to go to work anymore and therefore lose my job and go on unemployment. :eyebrow:

Giving $5 blow jobs in North Philly.:p:

Hey, it's 100% profit! And I know somebody with some semen recipes.

Exactly.

Mr Money doesn't care, though. Wonder what kind of gas-sucker he drives? Wonder if 5 dollar gas will motivate him to trade it in? Pitching in for the future of the world, or looking out for Number 1, as usual? :right:

This is a standard seasonal bump and prices will similarly decline in September.

Oh, I know. It's (almost) summer! People drive more. Time to raise prices.

Even my brother, he of the big-wigginess, says things like "well, you gotta buy gas anyway, what diff does it make if it's 2 dollars or 5 dollars?"

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Not according to NPR - these rates are higher than last year and earlier in the season as well . . . or so I heard yesterday on the drive home.

I am sure I just don't understand some simple concept, but don't the laws of supply and demand dictate prices would be lower when buying was up?

It's a big screw, if'n you ask me, but we have to buy gas.

This winter they closed down a shitload of refineries, so as demand goes up the supply will struggle to catch up.

Refineries were never the bottleneck. If refinery shortage existed, then refineries would have been making massive profits. Refineries have been some of the least profitable parts of the gasoline supply chain.

Real problem has been gasoline prices too low. Especially because demand is so low due to a recession. To fix the real problem means oil prices should have been higher.

Someone just told me his Ford Focus gets 24 MPG. Any car not doing at least 30 MPG is a symptom of gasoline prices that have been too low for too long.

Surprising how many homes I saw only this past year with heated rooms - and no insulation in the attic. In at least one case, why did the homeowner not insulate last fall? Energy prices are too low. Insulating was too much work.

Complaints of gasoline at $3 a gallon is silly especially when the same complaints were back at $1.50 per gallon. Now $1.50 is a preferred price? What changed? Only emotions. Energy is still too cheap when facts replace that emotion.

At what price do you complain then?
A candy bar used to be a quarter, now they are over a dollar. What changed?

Refineries have never made massive profits, that's not where the profits are made in the chain, nor is trucking out to the dealers.
tw wants to use gas prices as a social restructuring tool, saying prices are too low.

2009 PROFITS
Exxon Mobil $45,220,000,000
Chevron $23,931,000,000
Occidental Petroleum $6,857,000,000

Hey, it was a slow year.

Shut up, stupid.



I blame your average American Liberal Environmentalist for the way gas prices are. America is being raped economically by facist middle eastern countries to the tune of $700 billion dollars a year because of oil dependency. When was the last oil refinery built in the USA? The early 70's? What is preventing this country from drilling for oil? The dumb fucking environmentalists who want to save some endangered insect or critter. How much oil does this country have? Enough to last a long freaking time.

But, what the hell... carry a banner and save the blind, albino cave bug in south Texas. Bullshit! Give me a gallon of gas and I'll toast that six-legged bug and place an oil rig over its roasted corpse.

It just doeasn't make any damn sense to continue this road we are on. We are at the mercy of the Arab nations.

As long as our consumption is as high as it is, we will be dependent on foreign countries for oil whether we drill in the US or not.

That's exactly what they want us to believe. People are afraid to upset the apple cart. Hell, we should be tipping the fucker over and making demands from the politicians we vote in office and if they don't comply - tar and feather their political ass and carry them on a spit, upside down and naked, past the capitol. They're supposed to have OUR needs in mind - not give BJ's to Green Peace activists.

Green Peace - May they all OD on THC.

The price. Duh! :p:

Gutless politicians with itty-bitty balls to stand up to liberal opposition that prevent them from utilizing the resources in this country and off shore.

Why do we fight amongst our own people when all of us are dependent on arab oil? These arab countries would rather see us dead - after they rape us of all our economic resources.

Total proven US oil reserves (including offshore) - about 21 billion barrels

Total US consumption - 7 billion barrels/year.

Do the math.

If only we could convert all this "damn the environment...damn the liberals....drill, baby, drill" hot air into usable energy!

:lol:

Source? I've seen the same bullshit statistic.

We have the technology to produce shale oil. Which would give the USA more oil than the entire world combined. However, that's not practical at this moment in time. So let's look at what we really have that we can pump out of the ground...

http://www.resistnet.com/profiles/bl...ource=activity

There is more than one site and, for that matter, you could do a little further USGA reading to whet your appetite.

So... you do the math. Better yet... do a little research.

Maybe you should spend a little less time on a forum and more time in a library.

:lol:

Here's a LINK for you too. Maybe between the two of you you can have a complete brain.


:lol:

Believe me, no one wants to be the other half of my brain.

But, thanks for the thought, I don't know what we would do without concerned citizens such as yourself pointing out the foibles of the country and working tirelessly to make changes the people so desperately need.

Oh, yeah, Redux...he works in the stuff. I think I meant him.

:lol:

The 3 to 4.3 billion barrels in the Baken Formation is included in the estimated 21 billion barrels of proven reserves.

In and of itself, and putting aside the higher extraction costs ("technically recoverable), it will add less than one year's domestic supply.

That's it? Nothing else beyond this...

You must be a liberal. :lol:

Ya think?

Cause only conservatives are nasty. :stickpoke

I know!


Liberals are the kind of people that would try to make peace with people who would rather see us dead and destroy our economy. That's sleeping with the enemy.

I, for one, do not want to see this country spiral down into economic chaos because of foriegn dependency. The oil is there and all we have to do is get it.

Get with the program. I've been here damn near four years. Have our moderator and/or administrator check out my IP address. I'm no sock puppet. Granted, I'm a pain in the ass conservative that enjoys treading on liberal territory, but that by no means makes me a troll.

So... go fuck yourself.

Stupid liberal.

The 503 billion barrels in the Bakken Formation has been debunked repeatedly.....most recently by the USGS numbers you cited - 3-4 billion barrels......enough to supply less than one year at current consumption rates.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2...as_oil_bonanza

Of course it has. Gotta saved the bugs and Elm trees.

Hey...I was just using your own USGS cite...3 to 4.3 billion barrels in the Bakken Formation...no where near the 500+ billion barrels that was reported by a speculator wanting to sell shares in an energy investment scam.

The most recent inventory:
21 billion barrels "technically recoverable" (at what cost) and a current consumption rate of 7 billion barrels/year.

And that is your best solution?

Are you telling me I'm wrong? :eek: Well, I'll be dipped in shit. :lol:

Fuck it... Let's take over Iran then. Somebody needs to stop that asshole before he starts WW III.

Shale oil... we got lots of that. More than the entire world oil reserve combined.

It's stupid to continue with a petroleum based energy plan. Conservatives need to take off their blinders and try to learn something.

We have... Never follow a liberal..