GM, Chrysler and The Auto Alliance create websites to sway consumers to contact Congress
- www.drivecongress.com
- www.drivingamericasfuture.com
- www.grabdemocracybythehorns.com (password protected at this time)
What do all of the above internet sites all have in common? They are all designed to encourage consumers to contact Congress. What shall consumers say to Congress? To "Oppose Unrealistic Fuel Economy Increases," according to one of the sites. The other sites have similar goals, although Chrysler is only targeting their dealerships at this time with their "Grab Democracy by the Horns" site. Drive Congress was created by The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an organization made up of nine manufacturers, or ten if you count Daimler separate from Chrysler already.
The sites all suggest that there are better ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions than focusing on better fuel economy for our automobiles. Will this sentiment be rejected in the face of record high gasoline prices, or will consumers agree that fuel economy and harmful emissions should be kept separate from one another in legislation? Perhaps you should do what they are suggesting and contact Congress. Let them know what you think, one way or the other.
[Source: Detroit News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
woodman 10:51AM (5/27/2007)
Utterly DISGUSTING!!!! I urge all of ABG's readers to do the opposite!
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Nils 11:24AM (5/27/2007)
Very well done these sites, and the radio-spots. I can see a lot of people agreeing with what's being said, even if it's full of half-thruts and lies. Very scary and disgusting indeed. I'd call my congressman if I were a US-citizen, sorry bout that woodman.
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mikeinBuilding7 3:09PM (5/27/2007)
But, of course, there are No Conspiracy's in the U.S.
Just, good, honest, Back-Room-Deals to keep ExxonMobile Relevant in a future America. But, no, that can't possibly be construed as a Conspiracy against the American consumer.
We want Bio-Diesel Plugin Electric Hybrids.
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Tony Belding 12:50PM (5/27/2007)
I find myself surprisingly ambivalent about this issue. CAFE hasn't been a great success, largely due to the games-playing that car makers have done with it. I'm not confident that revised CAFE standards will work any better. I've heard an analogy that CAFE is like trying to combat obesity by forcing the clothing industry to only make smaller sizes. It's approaching the problem from the wrong direction.
Furthermore, as John McElroy recently pointed out on his TV show, if you force more efficient vehicles into the market without increasing the price of fuel, you are effectively lowering the cost of driving -- and encouraging people to drive more! The net result is no reduction in fuel consumption, no reduction in air pollution, but an increase in highway congestion.
So what's the right direction? Many economists and industry analysts have come to the same conclusion: we need to increase the taxes on fuel. High fuel tax has worked fairly well in Europe and Japan. It could work here in the USA. The problem is, whenever the experts raise this idea, it's followed by outraged howls of protest from the unwashed masses who are almost unanimous against any increase in fuel prices. Elected politicians are not going to fight that battle.
So that's why I'm ambivalent: I don't like CAFE, but revised CAFE standards may be the only thing we can do that's politically feasible to enact.
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Nils 1:19PM (5/27/2007)
I agree Tony, taxes should be raised. It's interesting to see how US-citizens react to $3,30/gal and feel it's the end of the world while at the same time in Europe we're used to double that and more and our lives continue without the economy crashing and stuff. Heck, we've never bought as many cars as in 2006. Even the big3 are selling lots of small, fuel-efficient and even larger cars over here. Why do they want the public to believe that it's not feasible in the US? Are Europeans so different? I don't think so...
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Joseph 2:21PM (5/27/2007)
@ both of you above
Taxes? Solve our problems?
I don't think so...America has more money that alot of Europe, so to increase fuel prices with taxes to the point that the majority really cannot afford it, it'd be insane. I personally think, thaqt for Americans to stop driving so much and buying gas guzzlers, you'd need fuel prices to be around $7.00 a gallon. At that point, the middle class couldn't really sacraice any more cash for driving, and since the middle class is by far the largest class, things would start to change. Change alot.
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susan.kraemer 2:28PM (5/27/2007)
Thanks, I used their site drivecongress to aask congress to support the CLEAR ACT subsidy for electric vehicles...
Then I thought these people running this drivecongress site will just change my message, so I advise everyone don't risk using their site to contact congress. You can call the congress switchboard and they'll find your rep for you and put you through to whoever you want to pressure at:
(202) 224 3121
or enter your zip at
http://www.congress.org
and ask them to support the EV subsidy - up to $40,000 (for big supermarket sized vans) that Senator Hatch is proposing:
EVs to Get $6000 Subsidy
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/23/212018/267
Theres a whole list with prices of whats coming available by 2010.
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John 6:00PM (5/27/2007)
They probably use companies like :
http://www.mysocialmarketing.com
to do the same thing for myspace and the like.
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Al 9:59PM (5/27/2007)
As long as vehicles twice the weight of mine are going 10 MPH over the speed limit I am not sympathetic to the howls of protest of the American driver. There is no reason to have cars that go 0-60 in under 5 seconds, and certainly not be able to go 160 MHP. Even if you have one of those gas hogs, you don't have to demo that from red light to red light. When people start driving sanely, then I will increase my sympathy level.
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Grant 10:12PM (5/27/2007)
"This legislation would set a average car and light truck fuel economy standard of 52 mpg by 2030 more than doubling the current standard"
Regardless of what law is introduced this is going to happen anyway. How much oil do they expect to be left in 22 years? If no other technologies replace the combustion engine by then, they'd have to making a car at least that efficient for someone to buy it due to fuel prices.
I complained on the Drive Congress site and put in a fake US address, support from Aus :)
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Chris 2:58PM (5/28/2007)
Those sites are despicable, first of all. Makes me want to boycott all the car companies that are members of that Alliance.
Second, gas taxes will never get raised. That would be political suicide, thanks to our "I hate taxes" American mentality. Also, a gas tax would cause rampant inflation and would amount to a tax on the poor who can't afford it, doing nothing to change the habits of the people who still drive SUVs now. But people like my mom, who barely makes above minimum wage driving to houses to help elderly people with their daily tasks, would seriously struggle.
Finally, CAFE standards have worked and will work better if standards are raised and loopholes are closed. GM pointed it out in logical mis-step on their blog, that while miles driven have increased 100%, oil used has only increased 60%. They thought that showed CAFE doesn't work...seems to say the opposite to me, but whatever. If the automakers can form an "Alliance" and stick it to us, preventing better technologies from forging ahead, than our "Alliance," our collective bargaining body, the federal government, should be able to stick it to them.
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Bob 3:23PM (5/28/2007)
50 MPG by 2030 is actually a REDUCTION of fuel standards if you count technology inflation.
Technology inflation is when technology improves but noone used it and so it doesnt improve3 as much as it should over time because there is no investment.
In other words if anyone CARED about fuel econ by 2030 we would have had 200 MPG cars. (We had 50 MPG in the 80s remember?)
So this whole thing is a sham. I say if you going to pass something like this you might as well not pass it.
The market will be "corrected" when toyota puts GM out of business.
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Brandon 9:29PM (5/28/2007)
One of the thing that annoys me when comparisons are made between Europe and America is the lack of consideration of infrastructure.
It is easy to say in Europe that they get along at 7.00/gallon fine when the land masses of the countries are smaller than most states and the transportation infrastructure has been established for many years.
In America there are much longer distances that must be traveled and the infrastructure is not as developed. If one was to suddenly raise the price of gas you have not only increased the price of driving, necessary because the buses and trains can not compensate, but you also have instantly increased the price of most all goods. This will affect middle to lower income people more because they eat just like everyone else but staples use more of their income than upper class. So before you use the phrase "well Europe does it" try to think behind just the cost of the gas.
As for the car companies, they are only doing what companies are designed to do - make money. Industries will only respond when challenges present themselves. For computers it is the user increasing desire to pack memory and processor intensive tasks into smaller footprints. For the auto industry there is not as much consumer push. In this case it is the responsibility of the government to spur innovation and accountability be challenging the industry to better themselves. Without this they will be stagnant, similar to the situation we are in now. What is the best way, I don't know, but it appears that the current method is not sufficient.
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j larson 5:10PM (5/28/2007)
I think oil companies making billions in profit is obscene. Also Europe has mass transit even in the countryside. We don't. The state of TX is bigger than most european coutries. Please read about globalism and the corporate take over. It is about Money and power. The rich are getting richer and we are getting poorer. It is about the end of the middle class in this country. We and the entire world are to be slaves to the global corporate elite.
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xyzzy 7:58PM (5/28/2007)
Let's not forget the granddaddy of them all, the SUV Owners of America:
http://www.suvoa.org
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deptaro 8:49PM (5/28/2007)
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bushisapussy 6:26PM (6/18/2007)
The rapid increase in gas prices, currently gas is at record levels and I recall last week it was at $70.00 a barrel. This increase has occurred under the republican administration, and the major cause is our invasion of Iraq. The current administration thought we were going to walk-in with smiling faces and take control of the oil. Bush has failed at every thing he has ever done in his life, an others had to bail him out.
If we increased the tax rate some of the funds could be distributed back into the communities to build the public transportation systems back to the service levels that they used to be. In the early 1900's our public transportation in even small towns were much better than they are today.
In the small town I grew up in there are old street car rails still in the streets in old parts of town. The public transportation that was developed early in the century became obsolete with the low cost of gasoline that we experience during most of the 20th century.
We can get back to that level again, and that would help with the working poor being able to access affordable transportation. This will happen if our transportation costs keep climbing. Many good thing are already happening at the current cost of fuel. More folks are riding bikes, buses, or car pooling. Where I work we are paid $20 per person to find alternative modes of transportation to work rather than one person one car. We do it because of the high cost of providing parking for everyone. This program work very well.
Gasoline is never going to be cheap again. The best thing that can happen is to ask congress to stick big oil with a wind fall profit tax and use the funds to build public transportation systems, high speed rail, and alternative fuels that reduce green house emissions.
Like it or not it is going to happen. We will find a work around to any problem that confronts us. It is already happening, and the next generation will grow up in a world of costly fuels, and they will not see riding a bus, or train as a burden.
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sbk 2:56PM (5/29/2007)
It is not just the big three sponsoring this gas guzzler initiative. The notable exception on the list would be Honda...
* BMW Group
* DaimlerChrysler
* Ford Motor Company
* General Motors
* Mazda
* Mitsubishi Motors
* Porsche
* Toyota
* Volkswagen of America, Inc.
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gm 4:41PM (5/30/2007)
A toyota prius is more harmful to the environment than an suv. Built from scratch it take more of a toll on the evironment to create a prius than an suv. Lower taxes and keep your money in your pocket, not some politicians pocket.
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GreyFlcn 3:57PM (6/01/2007)
re: gm
--A toyota prius is more harmful to the environment than an suv. Built from scratch it take more of a toll on the evironment to create a prius than an suv.--
Thats just lobbyist bullshit which contradicts all university and federal studies.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/pf/Auto_News/Green_Car_News/Prius_Versus_HUMMER_Exploding_the_Myth.S196.A12220.html
__________
re: gm
--Lower taxes and keep your money in your pocket, not some politicians pocket.--
By all means. Support renewable electricity and electric cars.
When you include the lavish subsidies afforded to fossil fuels, you are saving vast quantities American tax dollars by going Renewable.
http://www.greyfalcon.net/fossiltaxes.png
http://www.greyfalcon.net/fossiltaxes2.png
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