2nd Sep 2008, 15:56
"28th Aug 2008, 15:44.
Funny experience, today I saw a Toyota truck pulling a Dodge truck. The Toyota was much smaller than the Dodge truck. I don't know if it was an older Toyota Tundra or what.
Cosmetically both looked terrible. But I guess Toyota trucks aren't as crappy as people make them. I do think dodges are crap though."
Well, don't base your opinion on just one observation. My father bought a Toyota motorhome with only 55,000 miles on it because of the supposed "Toyota reliability" of the 22R engine. I had to use my old '85 Dodge Ram to pull him home a good dozen times because the Toyota would die five miles down the road. The Dodge easily pulled the much larger Toyota motorhome, and was a sight to behold -- the old Dodge pulling the dead dog of a Toyota down the road.
You may have reason to think Dodges were junk in the 1990's, but they were the best trucks in the 1970's and 1980's. The Ram 2500 and 3500 series are still great for real, heavy duty work because they are used in the mines as utility vehicles, not just hauling an arbor vitae bush back from Lowe's. I would agree that the light truck Dakota and Durango are too fluffy for actual off-road use.
29th Aug 2008, 07:42
First and foremost, I agree we should respect other people's opinion, and it is good that you provided that reminder on this sometimes contentious thread.
However, I have a huge problem with the "global market" concept you mention. That whole idea is a neocon sceme (not saying this applies to you), pushed by industry groups under the craftily worded (as all neocon schemes are) guise of so-called "free trade," simply to give them access to cheap labor. As a result, American industry is falling apart because nobody here wants to work for less than third world wages. In fact, they cannot even legally do it, because it would amount to people having to work for less than minimum wage.
But, that is what it would take for companies to operate here under current circumstances. Or we could just continue to get illegal aliens to do all the work for those wages, while the government looks the other way. Either way, America suffers and the third world benefits in neocon fantasyland.
If our government would put a protective tariffs on imported goods - which is largely how we used to survive before the income tax was unconstitutionally implemented - and stop taxing/regulating them to death, this would no longer be a problem. We could keep our industry here and maintain our standard of living. But then the neocons would have to admit there whole "free trade" scheme was misguided, and it is obvious they would rather see our whole economy collapse than do that.