At 06:20 PM 8/15/01 -0700, Gordon Glasgow wrote:
>Not meaning to diss anyone, and I'm sure the information was provided with
good
>intentions, but I've never considered Consumer Reports to be an authoritative
>source on things automotive.
Thank you Gordon! I'll go several steps farther and say that I don't
consider Consumer Reports authoritative on much of anything because of
their politics and the overall philosophy of their parent group, Consumers
Union. If you didn't know, Consumer Reports is owned by the very liberal
group, Consumers Union, which is heavily involved in Washington DC politics
and lobbies incesently for increased regulation of everything under the
sun--because CU figures that consumers are too stupid to figure stuff out
for themselves. They've even gone international recently, with the creation
of Consumers International, that is involved in attempting to increase
internatonal regulations through the WTO, the Codex Alimentarius, and
numerous international protocols.
Consumers Union is a key part of the modern nanny culture that has the
federal gov't sticking its nose into every part of our lives, including the
following automotive wonders:
* Federal CAFE fuel mileage standards that cause companies to sell 50 mpg
Geo Metros at a $ loss to balance out sales of lower mileage SUVs and
trucks and also have the highest driver deaths per mile driven because
they're designed to get high fuel mileage;
* 5 mph bumpers that ruined the styling of the 260-280Z cars;
* Expensive airbags that are a complete waste of $ if you actually wear
your seatbelt;
* And niggling little things like transmission interlocks because some
idiots mash the gas instead of the brakes when they panic and then blame
"mad car disease" rather than admit their human error.
You may think I'm on a political rant here, but these issues are very
important to our car hobby and the next time you California roadsterites
have to deal with yet another regulation or licensing hassle with your
classic, remember who is pushing for all these rules and regulations that
make our hobby less fun than it should be.
Thanks for letting me get that off my mind.
Libertarian-leaning Alex in VA
This is the same bunch that rated the Fiat X-1/9
>handling "unacceptable" and got in deep yogurt over the faked Suzuki Samurai
>"rollover" test.
>
>I'll stick with the conventional wisdom on this one.
>
>Gordon Glasgow
>Renton, WA
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