Popdose: Pop Politico: “Happy New Year?”
DwDunphy
· 10 months ago
We've got yet another global issue to contend with now - We have a dispute between Russia and Ukraine over natural gas pipeline disruption and the new Gaza Strip conflict. Because of the instability, in the span of three days, the price of pump gasoline has jumped 20 cents. '
Now, fortunately, the price is low enough that while troubling, the increase isn't necessarily hurting... But if greed is a predictor, and Bernie Madoff seems to be nodding his head "yes", look to fuel companies trying to steal back their lost numbers during one of the hardest economic firefights we've seen.
Ted
· 10 months ago
Seems like Hillary has got her work cut out for her...
Even with the fall and slow rise of fuel prices, I think here in the U.S. many consumers got wise and realized that if they don't change their ways, they are going to be lulled back into complacency, return to profligate fuel consumption habits (because the prices are low), and then get sucker-punched with another round of price increases.
steve
· 10 months ago
Really? That's optimistic thinking Ted. The numbers show that SUV sales are up sharply and people are driving more. Ah, the American consumer. But they'll blame it on "Big Oil" or Congress when prices go back up.
What ever happened to that T. Boone Pickens guy anyway....... There are armies of suburban soccer Mom's happy to see him go away. Fire up the Land Rover honey - we need a new big-screen, there's a dead pixel in the corner!!!
I saw a piece on CNN about it, but I should have caveoted my comment - actually I meant to say that SUV sales as a percentage of overall sales are going back up. Yes - overall auto sales are still going down as an aggregate across the board, but in other words, SUV sales aren't going down as much in the past month or so, so they're going up as a percentage of overall. The report you linked to indicated this somewhat in this para -
"However, light truck sales did perform a bit better in December, narrowly outpacing car sales during the month, helped by a combination of lower gasoline prices and large cash-back offers to buyers of larger vehicles."
The CNN piece I saw said it was SUV's overall not just light trucks were performing slightly better.
Anyhoo - my overall point to make was that the greedy, bloated, I-can-never-have-enough-stuff consumer will not learn any lessons. They will waste more gas, then blame others for their wastefulness. But at the same time they'll tell their friends how they're 'concerned' about Global Warming at cocktail parties. Then they'll drive home in their Chevy Tahoe - the one with two flat screens in the back, because one flatscreen in your vehicle isn't enough.
JonCummings
· 10 months ago
It's hard to say how those numbers are being fueled (sorry) by the outrageous deals the carmakers are offering on SUVs just to get the huge backlog of them off their lots. If an SUV suddenly seems more economical than an Accord or Camry (or whatever those American sedans are that I stopped noticing years ago)--or is suddenly the only type of vehicle on which folks can get financing -- they'll drive them off the lot.
Part of the auto bailout plan should dictate that automakers do to their SUV inventory what GM did to the EV1 a decade ago--crush them into scrap.
steve
· 10 months ago
Although your suggestion goes against my fundamental beliefs of 'hands-off government' and amounts to a quasi "vehicle censorship", I kinda like it Jon. Maybe a better idea would be to have either a "luxury auto tax" - since most of these wasteful SUVs also cost over $30,000 (yes, folks who buy these are doubly stupid - waste gas AND waste money on the cost of the vehicle), or make sales tax rates on vehicles commensurate with their MPG rating. So you pay little sales tax on a Honda Civic, but super-high tax on a Lincoln Navigator.
But these decisions would be difficult. It's much easier just to blame Big Oil. And then waste it.
Murray R
· 10 months ago
After falling 35% in 2008, US stocks are now trading at only 10.6 times forecast earnings, well below the historical average. But are they good value yet? Martin Hutchinson says it will depend on the sector and country. He offers his financial advice by picking the biggest bull and bear markets for 2009.
Interestingly enough, I don't see retail in any of those bearish predictions. Just the other day, my local paper had a story on the wave of retail and even mall closures that are going to happen this year.
DwDunphy
· 10 months ago
Sadly, now that the holidays are over, retail jobs are the last thing on the minds of the economic bone-rollers.
Ted
· 10 months ago
Maybe a good number of folks are asking themselves "How much crap do I really need?"
J
· 10 months ago
It does sometimes feel like we are all going down...together, doesn't it?
All Comments
Now, fortunately, the price is low enough that while troubling, the increase isn't necessarily hurting... But if greed is a predictor, and Bernie Madoff seems to be nodding his head "yes", look to fuel companies trying to steal back their lost numbers during one of the hardest economic firefights we've seen.
Even with the fall and slow rise of fuel prices, I think here in the U.S. many consumers got wise and realized that if they don't change their ways, they are going to be lulled back into complacency, return to profligate fuel consumption habits (because the prices are low), and then get sucker-punched with another round of price increases.
What ever happened to that T. Boone Pickens guy anyway....... There are armies of suburban soccer Mom's happy to see him go away. Fire up the Land Rover honey - we need a new big-screen, there's a dead pixel in the corner!!!
"However, light truck sales did perform a bit better in December, narrowly outpacing car sales during the month, helped by a combination of lower gasoline prices and large cash-back offers to buyers of larger vehicles."
The CNN piece I saw said it was SUV's overall not just light trucks were performing slightly better.
Anyhoo - my overall point to make was that the greedy, bloated, I-can-never-have-enough-stuff consumer will not learn any lessons. They will waste more gas, then blame others for their wastefulness. But at the same time they'll tell their friends how they're 'concerned' about Global Warming at cocktail parties. Then they'll drive home in their Chevy Tahoe - the one with two flat screens in the back, because one flatscreen in your vehicle isn't enough.
Part of the auto bailout plan should dictate that automakers do to their SUV inventory what GM did to the EV1 a decade ago--crush them into scrap.
But these decisions would be difficult. It's much easier just to blame Big Oil. And then waste it.
http://www.contrarianprofits.com/articles/the-t...