Sometimes, “diversity” is not our strength – as GM is finding out.
The Chevy Silverado pick-up is now number three – behind the Ram 1500 and the best-selling (and number one) Ford F-150.
This is alarming news for GM – assuming it still cares about making money as opposed to demonstrating how “committed” it is to “diversity” (see here) which is an odd preoccupation for a car company.
For example, Out With Chevy – which wasn’t a big brothery slogan ginned up by someone who doesn’t like the bowtie but invented by Chevy product PR people – to celebrate “coming out” in the you-know-what-it-means sense . . . which has what to do with trucks or Chevys I have no idea.
People who buy trucks want to know about the trucks – what’s it got under the hood – not what people are doing under the sheets, or with whom.
Well, while Chevy was establishing its “commitment” to “diversity,” FiatChrysler was jamming out Ram pick-ups . . . and selling them. Almost 37,000 more of them than Chevy has found buyers for over the past ten months.
And counting.
This is huge news all by itself because Ram trucks – formerly Dodge trucks – have historically lagged way behind both Chevy and Ford, the two major hegemons of the full-size truck market.
It hasn’t even been close . . . until now.
Especially painful – for Chevy – is that the Silverado is “all new” – and so ought to be more rather than less popular. The old Silverado outsold the Ram.
The new one is having . . . problems.
Arguably, because of a different kind of “diversity” afflicting GM’s ability to be competitive.
GM’s brands are too “diverse.”
There is the Chevy Silverado . . . and the GMC Sierra. Both essentially the same truck and sold by the same corporation under different labels. Which means duplication of effort as well as marketing expenses as well as in-house competition in addition to and prior to competing with Ram and Ford.
GMC once sold heavier-duty trucks than Chevy trucks and so there was a difference and so a justification for GMC. But that was decades ago. Today, everything GMC sells is a priced-up version of what Chevy sells. This makes Chevys seem “low rent” – and not just relative to GMCs.
At the same time, GMCs are too expensive – relative to Rams and F-150s – especially since they are just repackaged Chevys.
It would seem to be sounder policy to sell just one truck – under one label.
Of course, getting rid of GMC would make GM less “diverse” as a brand – and that is probably why GM isn’t doing it (dealers would squeal) and probably won’t do it until it is forced to do it by painful economic realities – which is what it took to get rid of Potemkin Village brands like Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn and Hummer last time around.
There is another, perhaps more interesting angle to this story – a third form of “diversity.”
FCA’s Ram truck division is still selling the old Ram alongside the new Ram – and the old one is selling so well it has helped put Ram ahead of Chevy. Why the old Ram sells so well is interesting in and of itself. Probably, because it hasn’t got the latest driver “assists” – which many find annoying and all will find expensive.
The Classic Ram is also still offered in traditional truck form – regular cab (two doors) with a long (eight foot) bed. The new Ram is sold only with four doors (extended and crew cab) and doesn’t offer the eight foot bed.
Ram’s “diversity” works in its favor because you don’t have to shop elsewhere – or another, higher-priced brand within the same company – to get what you want.
In fact the Classic Ram sells for much less – $27,395 for the base trim 2019 Classic Ram vs. $31,795 to start for the redesigned new Ram. GM, meanwhile, expects you to pay more – whether buy a Chevy or a GMC.
The least expensive version of the 2019 Silverado stickers for $28,300.
There’s one final iteration of “diversity” that is probably causing problems for GM. It is under the hood, where you’ll find what amounts to an affirmative action engine. A four cylinder engine . . . in a full-size truck.
It makes V8 horsepower – via heavy turbo-boosting – but for many potential truck buyers, the idea of a four, turbo’d or not, probably doesn’t sit well.
The Silverado still comes standard with a V6 – and you can get it with either of two V8s – but image is at least as important as tow ratings when it comes to trucks.
And a full-size truck with a four does not look good.
Speaking of which, the new Silverado may not be doing well because it doesn’t look good.
The truck, itself.
While all the current 1500s are beset by Cod Piece Fever – almost cartoonishly exaggerated stylistic bravura in the form of bed walls higher than the border wall Orang Man wants to build and blunderbuss front ends – the new Silverado takes this to a new level. The thing looks like a prop from the latest Transformers movie – which appeals to eight-year-old boys but grown men not so much.
Barry Engle – who is GM’s North American jefe – says the Silverado’s ED is a “temporary phenomenon.”
But have a look at some troubling numbers – if you’re Engle or work at GM.
It’s not just that Ram has sold more trucks this year – so far – than Chevy has. It is that Chevy used to sell several times as many trucks as Ram used to sell.
Back in 2015, for instance, Chevy sold 150,422 more trucks than Ram did. By 2018, that spread had decreased by more than 100,000 trucks; GM moved only 48,601 more Silverados than FCA moved Rams last year.
And now Ram is ahead by almost 37,000.
This is what comes of focusing on “diversity” while others are focused on building trucks people want to buy.
…
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Another way I mockingly analyze “diversity” (as it might apply to General Motors): If the city where the headquarters is located has 10% of the adult population with sub-50 IQ’s, does that require the company to have 10% of their headquarters employees to fit the sub-50 IQ class, too?
It seems like GM took that suggestion to heart, and employed all the sub-50 IQ adults in the city instead of just 10% of them. And gave them the right to make all the decisions within the company.
GM’s hiring matrix- Good looking ? Yes—> go to next step. No—> NEXT !
Top 2% in the looks department ? Yes—> go to next step. No—> NEXT !
Loyalty test- would push their own Mother down the stairs for money ? Yes—> go to next step No—> NEXT !
IQ Test- 0-85—> go to next step. 86 and over—> NEXT !
BS or higher from Michigan Institute of Terminology ? Yes—> go to next step. No—> NEXT !
Now you’re on the FAST TRACK !
On the voting discussion, the question I have is, if voting doesn’t matter/has no effect (see Mark Twain quote earlier), then why do the nonvoters get so charged up about those of us who do vote?
And just to add: I don’t mean that ALL nonvoters get angry at voters. But many do, as we see here.
Hi Robert,
“…why do the nonvoters get so charged up about those of us who do vote?”
Only among radical libertarians does this question even make sense. In the “normal” world, it is voters who get angry at non-voters. In fact, I doubt there is any group more criticized and reviled by the mainstream political and media class than non-voters.
Principled non-voters do not believe that “voting doesn’t matter/has no effect”. We believe that the real effect of voting is to create the illusion of government legitimacy and maintain the obviously false premise that “we” control the government. In short, the effect of voting, in the long term, always expands the power and intrusiveness of the State. Also, there is a difference between the effect of any individual vote (nothing) and the effect of “voting” in the abstract. Your individual vote will never alter the outcome of a national election. However, the fact that you do vote perpetuates the myth of “political authority”. This is why the elite class is so obsessed with shaming those who do not vote.
Some non-voters believe that the individual choice to vote is immoral on libertarian grounds, I find this argument absurd. I believe that voting is irrational and counter-productive, but I understand why people vote and do not consider it a per se act of aggression. We also notice that the elite political and corporate class maintains a relentless propaganda campaign in favor of “Democracy”. If voting challenged that power, they would not do so. I have many more thoughts but will leave it here for now.
Cheers,
Jeremy
Thanks for the well-reasoned and thoughtful comments, Jeremy. I wouldn’t disagree with anything you said. I guess in our little libertarian oasis here, things can seem to be … the opposite, sometimes. Like the Bizarro World. 🙂 But in a good way!
Personally, I have struggled with the question of whether I’d do more “good” by not voting, rather than participating in an election and thereby arguably validating a corrupt system. I still debate it. And the reaction of the general population that you describe to nonvoters is definitely a factor. But you make a good argument for not voting.
Hi Robert,
“Personally, I have struggled with the question…”.
I do as well, which is why I do not claim that “voting is immoral”. The decision of whether or not to vote is a tactical question, there is no “right” answer to it. All I can say is that I believe that non-voting is more likely, in the long run, to challenge government power than voting.
Kind Regards,
Jeremy
Hey Robert,
My number-one reason for not voting, is that if I did vote, and my candidate won, I would have essentially given my assent to what ever he does while in office- and no politician (‘cept perhaps for Ron Paul) ever does anything good.
I would hate to think that I had given my assent to what ever evils they inevitably do; had essentially lost my right to complain, since I “got the candidate I voted for”; and that I was partly responsible for what ever his administration inflicts upon my neighbors, and foreign countries.
The reality is: It’s never a question of voting for good vs. evil; or liberty vs. freedom; etc. but rather, just who may do a little less harm; or whose policies may work a little better; or give one group a particular advantage; or counter the opposition’s policies with slightly better policies.
But in the end, after their term is over, we always end up less free, and with bigger government- no matter who won the election.
Collectivists speak of the mythical “social contract”- which of course does not exist, because none of us were ever personally consulted nor offered the opportunity to opt out, etc. Yet, if we vote, are we not in-fact validating the idea of a “social contract” by our participation in it’s mechanisms? (In law they call that a ‘contract by adhesion”- when you are under no obligation to be bound by a contract because you never entered into one formally; but you act as though you have, by assuming the behavior of someone who is bound by such a contract, or by partaking of the benefits or responsibilities of such a contract- you essentially give your consent by your actions. I don’t consent.)
Voting is a process of participating in governance. I as an Anarcho-capitalist don’t believe in the legitimacy of government, so why would I participate in it’s processes?
Jeremy ‘splained it very well, Robert.
I don’t get mad at voters; I just think that they are wasting their time, and are deceiving themselves.
And in the context of Libertarianism/Anarchism, -which is essentially the belief that government is illegitimate and immoral, and should not exist- it is counter-productive and heretical to participate in the very process that perpetuates and expands and legitimizes government.
Most people of sound mind look at North Korea or China today (Or Soviet Russia or Nazi Germany of the past) and think “Oh, the poor fools, LOL- they vote thinking that they are really doing something in their constitutional republiks…” as they themselves run out to the polls and do the very same thing, which accomplishes exactly as much. Hilarious.
Ultimately, I think that voting is just a sign that a person is deceived at some level by the pluralistic illusion created to keep them content and participating in the system.
Hi Nunz!
I am with you in principle – but there are practical things to consider. The OA saved me at least a couple thousand bucks (to date) in “shared responsibility” payments for Obamacare. He has appointed Robed Autocrats far less objectionable than she would have. Most of all, he has not amen’d the “climate change” chorus and the value of that cannot be underestimated.
I do not expect OA to make America a free country again. But he has made it a freer country. He’s given us at least a few years of freer.
And I think that’s worth voting for – given the alternative.
I’d be inclined to agree, Eric. Had the OM not thrown his hat in the ring, I simply wouldn’t have voted; my streak from 2004 would have simply continued. The GOPe wanted to nominate Jeb!, while the Dems wanted to give us Hillary. If that had been the choice-well, that is NO choice at all. It would have been six of one, a half dozen of the other. Do you want to go over the cliff @ 100 mph, or do you want to go over the cliff @ 80? either way, you’re over the cliff! If Trump can simply buy some time, that would be something.
Plus, another valuable service Trump has performed is that he totally SMOKED OUT all the globalists from both sides of the aisle. We knew that the Donkeys were bad, but many on the ‘right’ were bad too. The only thing is we didn’t KNOW it. Yes, I had my doubts about George Will, Bill Kristol, Ben Shapiro, et al, but I couldn’t put my finger on it as to why; my distrust and dislike for these people was instinctive. Trump smoked ’em out, so we KNOW now where they stand; we know what they are: globalist traitors every bit as bad as those on the left. That alone is priceless.
On the surface, MM, that’s what it looks like- and I have to say, I was even very happy when Trump won instead of the Clinton bitch (And that he was even running, instead of Jeb, Mittens, Marco, or any of the other cast of idiots)….
But when you look at it realistically… he didn’t really expose anyone- many of us already knew who the establishment players are- and thyose who don’t, likely don’t care.
Then he brings his own creeps in- Kushner; the generals; the gun-grabbers; the climate-change advocates…. So really, other than the rhetoric, what is different?
What’s different is that some of the more mainstream types who would have been screaming if a Dem had done these things, are now cheering, because even though their guy did the same things…at least he talks like he’s one of them, and the liberals don’t like him…so that makes it all O-K.
Nunzio,
I don’t know if I’m going to vote in 2020, because I don’t know if I’ll have someone to vote FOR. I THOUGHT I had someone to vote for in 2016, which is why I finally renewed my voter registration. After 2004, I got sick of picking between Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, so I stopped voting. If it had been Jeb! vs. Hillary, I wouldn’t have renewed my registration, that I can tell you.
I was an early supporter of Trump too. I got Trump t-shirts and a couple of Trump hoodies. The clothing was nice too; it was well made, fit well, and made with good materials. I thought he was the breath of fresh air that we so desperately needed. Though he’s done some good things, Trump’s let me down. Yes, he’s had lots of opposition, but I think he could have done more. To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement.
Hi Ya, Eric!
Yeah, I know- we got lucky on that one; and I do mean “lucky”, because really, the fact that The Donald threw us a bone on that one, was really more like a consolation prize for renegging on his promise to repeal Obozocare- which he could have done if he had really wanted. Hey- they have to throw us a little scrap now and then- and look how grateful we are even for that.
Break 150 promises and lie to our faces and appoint the enemies of liberty to key positions…but throw us fools one tiny scrap, and we’ll love the guy!
Fact isd, those who voted had no clue- no control over what Bad Comb-Over Guy was gonna do. I notice they’re not lining up to take responsibility for all the bad he’s done…. 🙂
Hi Nunz. I appreciate your thoughts and reasoning. Like Eric said, I agree with you in principle. I also sympathize with the practical reasons for voting that Eric cites. Anyway, I’m glad we can all agree that the system itself is evil and needs to be pounded to dust and scattered to the four winds.
Amen, Robert, and thanks!
I can see yous guises point, too [I’m an exNYer; I’m allowed to say that! 😀 ]-How ever small the perks may be….at least it ain’t Hitlery!
Nunz, I agree with Jesse but it was long before Jesse saw the light. I had checked out before Jesse ever drank the cool-aid and joined the military. He did it with the best intentions but he realized there were no good intentions up the chain.
He’s nationally known, and I guess I am too but just not a household word. I don’t sleep well simply because I know they’ll always be after me. I wish I could do what he’s done and gotten the hell away from this country.
Some things never go away, like FBI files. They only get larger and then other agencies get their files and another and on down the line.
Remember the old story of the woman who rescued the snake? Just remember that snake when elections come along. I was paranoid(always, over many things)last election. I voted for the Orange one, well, maybe I did, I think I did….or maybe just stayed at the house. I think I got in too late to vote, a common thing for me. Voting doesn’t last long enough for hard working people who have jobs that “have to be done”. You just can’t, in all good conscience, pack up and not finish a job to vote. I may have early voted.
Recall old Frick and Frack? They did their own things that resulted in the same outcome. How well would their act have done if they’d taken on a partner or two? This described the two party system. I didn’t vote for decades. I can see that happening again.
I think we should call election day, “battery day”….or smelting day…..or ammo day, the day you turn lead plate into projectiles. I have lots of batteries. I need more molds. I hate to only pour two calibers.
Heh, yeah, scary 8- I’m sure once they take notice of you…..they never stop looking- just hoping they can catch you doing something- anything- they can use against you.
I stay home and try and take a good dump on election day- it accomplishes more good, and at least I can send those turds where they belong.
Nunz, I really miss Turd Burglestein and his avatar. If you never saw it go look at issues from years ago, probably 4 years back and further.
Morning, eight!
I have been wondering where Turd went… I hope it’s not some WP bug.
I hope he’s just ok and healthy. He sounded like he had a way to go to regain health after the wreck. But that was one hilarious avatar.
Was the avatar a pic of a smiley face in a terlit, with a turd as the mouth? (I Googled the name)- If so, that IS darn good!
Hi Robert,
Some more thoughts:
Representative democracy is not a system of government but a method of appointing rulers of the sytem that exists. The observation, “no matter who loses the election, the government always wins”, sometimes attributed to Emma Goldman, is relevant here. Notice that “we” never get to vote on the system itself, just those who aspire to wield its’ power, the choice of which is carefully limited to a small few, acceptable to the elite class that benefits from that system. Seeming aberrations like Trump are either genuine “mistakes” who are quickly rendered mostly impotent, or opportunists who understood the mood of the “voter”more accurately than their opponents but who are still fundamentally part of the ruling elite. Trump falls into both of those categories.
The ability to vote is used by the elite class to neuter other, more effective, means of protest. Judges routinely lie to jurors by claiming that they may judge only the facts, not the law, in any particular case. Activists who protest outside of courthouses, stating correctly that these instructions are false, are often arrested. State nullification is vilified as racist and declared, falsely, to violate the supremacy clause. The system of divided sovereignty between the States and the Federal government was completely destroyed by the 17th amendment, which eliminated the bicameral legislature and replaced it with two houses of “representatives”. All of this is “justified” by the absurd claim that, “if you don’t like it, you can vote to change it”.
Cheers,
Jeremy
Chevy, Budweiser and Gillet. The official brands of homosexuality. No thanks.
Remember when kids referred to the beer as “Butt-wiper”? Kinda fits again — but in a different sense these days …
Wasn’t Bud’s slogan “The King Of Queers” at one time?
Gee, what’s next? Will these stoopit companies be endorsing political candidates next?
“Trojans. If only Hillary’s father had heard of us!”
This shit is unprecedented.
AAMCO – Trannies for trannies.
Calvin Klein – You don’t have to be gay…but it sure helps!
Hershey’s – Let us pack some fudge for you.
And I suppose this’ll be used as an excuse to run straight companies out of business, because they’re ‘mean and not nice’?
Speaking of diversity, I guess the Orange Idiot is practicing that too! He just appointed some stupid bitch from here in southern KY, to the UN- who says “Climaste change is a real risk to iour planet, which must be addressed”.
Why do his actions always speak louder than his words? (Which is really saying something, considering how loud his words are!)
You guys who voted; ya gonna be fooled/let yourselves be lied to/waste your time again next year?
Nobody’s had the balls to say the only reason the orange one got into the WH is because the thought of Hitlery as prez scared the peedoodle out of them. I was considering this last night lying in bed(really), of who might be the next prez. I nearly AOC’d the bed. Terryfyin I tells ya, terryfyin!!
As much as I’ve been disappointed in Trump (as with every other politician in my lifetime, except for RP), that’s the main reason I voted for him, Eight — Anybody But Hillary. Another plus was all the ribbing he gave the other candidates — including the nicknames. “Low Energy” Jeb, “Crooked” Hillary, “Little” Marco — those alone were worth the price of admission. Not that they were clever insults — but he sure knew how to get under the other guy’s skin, and that was really fun to watch. Politicians are usually so boring, but he had them all acting like bratty preteen girls.
Speaking of nicknames, anybody remember SPY magazine? Their nickname for Trump was “the stubby-fingered vulgarian.” He never forgave them for that. And it still fits to a T, so to speak.
I didn’t say “anybody but Hitlery” but she’s the very reason I voted for him. She is a known entity and he wasn’t. It’s as plain as that. I’ll probably just watch and see if the Trump supporters will come back…..and if the vote boxes are stuffed with non-existent voters for somebody else, I won’t be surprised. Although I don’t care for socialism, Bernie does make a legitimate point, that the poor and not so poor are taken for everything they make my corporations and that corporations indeed to make the laws and the money that goes with them. If you notice on those cop cams, nearly every one you see has Axon on the screen. Another corporation getting rich.
Bernie has proposed a “Economic Bill Of Rights” which is almost a word-for-word plagiarism of Stalin. Truly scary- but maybe that’s what America needs to wake the remaining good people up and stir them to action.
That rich vs. poor is another ruse, too. The only problem I have with corporations (other than them being an artificially created ‘person’ created by act of government, to limit liability) is when they are given favored status by government- and made rich not through their endeavors on the free market, but rather by crony capitalism- which is a product of government taxation, control and corruption- and Bernie wants to expand those very things even more!
@Nutzio- Nope- I voted for Mr. Trump with eyes wide open- and will do so again. Was I voting for a hack politician like Bush41 ? Or a criminal mastermind/James Bond villain like Hillary Clinton ? Or an empty suit like Barak O’bamma ? No. I voted for a fixer. A doer. A clear-headed businessman not intimidated by the communist news media. The other side ? 27 crazy monkeys-with-car keys each crazier than the next. Trump will get 49 states !
I voted for him too. He has broken every campaign promise he made. He created a new tax code that once again, fucked the worker to subsidize the rich. I have agreed with Jesse Ventura before he ever opened his mouth politically or ran for office or had a venue. He came to the same conclusion I did decades ago: A vote for Republican or Democrat is a vote thrown away. They both use your vote to show the world they’re supported when they collude to keep other parties from even existing. Now that I know for a fact what Trump will do, I will stay at home, save gas money, and turn a used car battery or two into ammo. We’re going to need it.
But Nat, what’s the difference? He appoints “climate change” proponents- just like Hitlery or any of those other assholes would….
He appoints a phony conservative to the Supreme court, who always sides with the liberals, and who helped draft and implement the Patriot Act and Obozocare…
He appoints a second-amendment-hater to head the BATF (When he should’ve been abolishing the stoopit agency!)
He bombs Syria…which exactly what Hitlery stated she was going to do if elected….
Yeah, he’s a “fixer” alright- He’s fixing all of us good- just like Clinton, Obozo and the Shrub would/did. So what have you accomplished, other than to hear some rhetoric that sounds better than the rhetoric the others would be spewing, while the prick in actuality does the very same things those others would be doing.
This is the same guy who in a speech, implored the cops not to be so nice!!
Nothing but the same old slave master, who just speaks more palatable words. The better liar always wins. And if he doesn’t win in 2020, we’re really gonna be in trouble- and you can thank him for that too, because he broke so many of his promises, that many who voted him have stated they will not vote for him again- so one of the crazy communists may well win if the communist-lite (R) party is divided- not that we’d notice much of a difference.
See what this Dem vs. Repub false plurality creates? It causes people to support those who SCREW them, just because they think they’re opposing the other side…when in actuality, their candidate is doing the very same thing…while speaking words which make you think that he opposes those very things….
C’mon… I didn’t think anyone who posts here would fall for that crap.
Vote for Hitlery, or vote for Trump- either way you get appointees who pursue the climate change BS…..but does it really make you feel better if Trump speaks out against climate change, while doing it? It should make you furious, that he’d be such a hypocrite and a liar- and that he thinks so little of his supporters that he’d pretend to be against climate change, while simultaneously appointing those who pursue the climate change agenda. THAT is the ultimate slap in the face.
So you can vote for someone who supports the climate change BS and the grabbing of guns…….or someone who decries those things, but yet who does the very same things as the one who supports them. Some choice!- Unless of course, just hearing meaningless words gives you solace.
Nunz,
At least Trump pulled us out of TPP, the Paris Accords, and is directing the EPA do do away with Obozo’s Clean Energy program. He’s done a few good things, but…
That said, a big part of the problem is that whole departments blow him off; whole departments ignore his directives. For example, he wanted to bring the troops home from Syria, and DoD said no way. I don’t know why Trump didn’t use the words for which he became famous: you’re fired, spoken to those who undermined him.
What makes me scratch my head is how many swamp creatures he has around him, e.g. John Bolton or Bill Barr. There are others, of course, but there are a lot of ESTABLISHMENT people around him.
I wasn’t impressed with the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to SCOTUS. To put it charitably, he’s weak on the Fourth Amendment. Plus, he helped author the USAPATRIOT Act-what an abomination! I’ve wondered whether the mudslinging that took place at his confirmation hearings wasn’t kubuki theater designed to DISTRACT us from the more substantive issues WRT his stance and previous rulings on the Fourth Amendment. I didn’t hear ONE pundit mention that, let alone discuss it.
Before Trump threw his hat in the ring, I’d stopped voting. Prior to 2016, the last election I voted in was 2004 for Shrub’s 2nd term. Soon thereafter, I figured out that there wasn’t much difference between Dem & GOP, so I stopped voting. I mean, both are going to fuck you, but at least the GOP will put some KY gel in before they stick it to you…
Those are my thoughts…
I know what you mean, Martk. I was even happy when Trump won. I do feel a bit foolish though, for even holding out a LITTLE tiny bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, he might actually buck the system and at least slow down the deterioration a little [Was never expecting him to actually fix anything- as that is impossible at this juncture- our people are too corrupt and dysfunctional; and the system too big and too powerful]- but I thought maybe, like a big log blocking the drain, he might just stop the circling of the drain for a few minutes. I feel foolish for even holding that much hope…I can’t imagine if I would have actually voted. I would have been like: “Now what? I can’t complain; my guy won!”.
But yeah…keeping us out of the Paris Treaty BS is the one positive thing he did- but even that is largely negated by everything else- like Kavanaugh; betraying gun owners; appointing these climate-change loons, etc. etc. ad infinitum.
And as is always the case, the ones who appear to be more conservative always get away with much more, because all the conservatives let down their guard, or even cheer for whatever their own does….even when it’s no different than what the liberal twit would have done…as long as it’s their guy doing it.
Probably would have been better off had the stupid cunt won instead- as if she had, half of the country may’ve been up in arms by now.
Ah well….either way, we lose.
What kills me, is that Trump really had a chance to do some good, and to really beat down a good part of the system. If he had been sincere in the things he said initially while campaigning….he could have really accomplished a lot- but now; He’s got even those who elected him pissed at him, and as a result we’re likely gonna get something much worse to replace him- or another 4 years of him spewing BS while doing the same things his opponents would have done.
Such is politics- that is a larger part of why I won’t dirty my hands with it.
Nunzio,
I renewed my registration to vote, so don’t feel bad! I got so disgusted that I stopped voting after 2004. I figured why bother? There’s no MEANINGFUL difference between the two parties, and they rigged the system such that it’s almost impossible for a 3rd party to gain any traction.
I wasn’t expecting miracles, but like you pointed out, I was hoping Trump would act as a sort of drag chute to slow us down before we go careening off the end of the track.
I voted for Trump for three main reasons: he’s not a politician, immigration and the SCOTUS judges. I figured that Donald Trump was an accomplished businessman; he didn’t have ‘experience’ as a politician, something I considered a plus. I was based in San Diego twice during my Navy days, so I’ve long known how messed up immigration is. Also, with some SCOTUS judges getting up in years, I figured whoever won would get to make a MINIMUM of two appointments, probably more; I couldn’t in good conscience do anything to let Hillary make those picks.
Even if Kavanaugh had proven to be a better pick, I don’t know if stacking the court in our favor would work. The Dems and the left seem to be attacking and impugning the court with the intention of DELEGITIMIZING it. It was fine while they lefties controlled SCOTUS, but now that they don’t, they’re going to undermine it. IOW, having a non-Dem make the SCOTUS picks isn’t going to make much of a difference-even if the picks were solid.
Even if Trump wasn’t so easily swayed by the swamp rats around him, there’s another fly in the ointment: the GOPe, or GOP establishment, aka RINOs. For the first two years, the GOP controlled both houses; they controlled BOTH ends of Pennsylvania Ave. Even so, they couldn’t repeal Obamacare, build the wall, get a handle on the out of control budget, etc. When the RNC called a few weeks ago, I gave ’em an earful and told ’em not to call me back until they grew a spine and kept their promises.
I was particularly upset over the non-repeal of Obamacare. Thanks to that botched abortion of a law, I had less coverage that cost MORE! I remember having to pay a few grand out of pocket for things that would have been covered pre-Obamacare. While I’m grateful I had the money to pay for my medical expenses, I’m pissed because I HAD to use it for that vs. investing it on my behalf. Obamacare is personal with me.
The one thing that still gives me hope is Trump’s enemies. They say you can tell a lot about a man by his enemies. Trump has the right enemies, and they’ve done their DAMNDEST to get him out of office.
I’m afraid we’re at the point where the system is too corrupt and too far gone to fix via the soap box and ballot box; yet the country isn’t far enough gone where we can settle things via the ammo box, now that the soap and ballot boxes have proven ineffective; we’re in that dangerous ‘in-between’ time.
Hi Nathan,
I also voted for the Orange Man. And will, again. He is far from being a Libertarian. But he has managed to annoy the right people and that is no small thing. He also has done a few inconceivable things – such as nix the Obamacare mandate’s penalty – which effectively nixes Obamacare – as well as openly “deny” “climate change.” He also installed a couple of SC Deciders who aren’t outright socialists.
But most of all, his election – his existence – has revealed the authoritarian left for what it is. The value of that cannot be underestimated.
Not only that Eric, but he forced the phony ‘conservatives’ out in to the open. Doubts about William Kristol, George Will, et all were confirmed.
I think that all the grief Pres. Trump has received is not only due to the hatred the authoritarian left and phony conservatives have for him; I think it’s a Deep State message to any outsiders in the future who might want to try to change Washington for the better. The message is: if you think you’re going to come in here and upset the apple cart, think again!
Ah, C’mon- you guys shouldn’t be falling for this whole “He has the right enemies” stuff. It’s an illusion, designed to keep people participating, and to keep them voting for the slightly lesser evil- which plays right into their hand, and effectively destroys any hopes of a truly independent third party ever having a chance.
You’re fooling yourselves if you think it’s anything more than that. Trump is playing ball with the deep state just like all the rest. Yeah…he throws ‘his supporters’ a few crumbs- very few.
It’s sad that even mainstream conservatives would support this prick, who is just as much a gun grabber as any Dumbocrap- but for Libertarians to do so? Maybe we can’t do anything about it- but to actually play along and support it?
How do you feel, knowing that you voted for:
More wars.
A new cold war (likely to become a hot war)
More legal and illegal immigration (and all the freebies it entails) than under Obozo.
More gun control.
The most military spending of any prez yet!
The promotion of the 5G network to further enable the surveillance/control state and the “internet of things” and automated cars.
Trade tariffs.
The furtherance and bolstering of police agencies.
The climate change agenda (Yeah- he speaks against it, and then appoints it’s proponents to key positions)
And yes…so we get a temporary reprieve from having to pay the Obozocare tax…but meanwhile, the prick who helped Obozocare to become reality- Kavanaugh- is appointed to the freaking SCOTUS! (And a closdeted liberal/socialist/gun-grabber is worse than an open one, because he gets the support of those who should be his enemies)
If even you guys are willing to play that game….I guess it really is hopeless- for how can we expect any better of the average collectivist, when even Libertarians give their assent to the slightly lesser of the various evils?
Nunz, I gave up on voting ages ago upon realizing its futility and that our esteemed publick servants use it to (in their minds) legitimize actions which can in no way be considered legitimate by any thinking person. It gives them a “mandate” from “the people” to do the dirty work of the State – surveillance, theft, slavery, torture, terrorism, mass murder, and more.
A quote attributed to Mark Twain is “If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it.” Whether he actually said this is controversial but that does not change the truth of it.
George Carlin’s rant on voting is one of my favorites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxsQ7jJJcEA
Funny, Jason- I’d been thinking of that Mark Twain quote all day yesterday- and I had just seen that Carlin routine the night before!
Yep- it’s all a dog and pony show to placate the masses and to legitimize tyranny.
I think Larken Rose says it best, when he says something to the effect of “Regardless of who you vote for, you’re voting for your will to be imposed on others”.
And even if we say that we are merely trying to counter the will of others being imposed on us, we are not really doing that in an authoritarian-collectivist system such as this; we are just voting for a different will to be imposed on ourselves, as well as others- because there is never the option of a candidate who will deconstruct the system and abolish it’s laws- only, at best, ones who want to make more laws. And no candidatye who wants to abolish taxation; only ones who want to use the extorted loot for something slightly different than his opponent (But most of it goes for wars and welfare regardless of who wins!)
I’ve been an Anarchist since i was a child- but I didn’t know the terminology nor the formal philkosophies until recently- but I did realize (Though couldn’t really express it well at the time( that voting was anathema to this ideology. If I were to participate in the most fundamental ritual of ‘democracy’, I couldn’t very well call myself an anarchist in good conscience. Thus I’ve never been registered to vote. (In NY, they started automatically registering people through the DMV when you applied for/renewed your permission to travel- ya had to jump through some hoops to pt out- which I did, of course).
Just the fact that collectivists of all variety; politicans; and even the media, are all in unison on “the importance of voting; just get out there and vote, no matter who you vote for (the more ignorant you are, the better!)” should tell us all we need to know.
By the way, here’s a song for ya, Jason: 😀
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB_IVhN7dfk
Same here Nunz, even as a kid it struck me that pretty much all of history was people being butchered by governments. I must admit though I did fall for the voting racket for a while when I was young and stupid, thinking that it could somehow change things. Now I just try to crawl into a hole during election time.
Great video by the way, I’ll pass it on! Here’s another, these yids are pretty funny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at8hZpXyykM
That’s too funny! Unlike the more mainstream crap, that rap is actually pretty good… 🙂
I must agree Nunz, to a great degree. I once campaigned for a prez who said we would have no more wars. Just like that, his brains were all over Dealy Square.
I hate to say it, but the deep state will never let go of it’s power without a bloody ass civil war. It will make the 1st one look like a school picnic. There will be more than 2 sides. Even LEO’s will be divided. Without the stupid young, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Exactly 8. NO ONE just gives up power. It has to be taken from them AND destroyed. This whole political system, from the very smallest town’s local government on up, is designed to perpetuate and multiply that power- which is the very opposite of what we need.
LEOs are gonna be all over the map. Many fancy themselves as local dictators- judges/juries/and executioners. Considering the mentality one has to be of to be/remain a LEO these days, the scenarios will range from everything from blatant organized crime, to faux ‘keepers of the peace’. It’s always been my contention that then (just as now) LEOs will be our most present enemies. Hopefully I won’t be here!
When I said “they”, I should have made that more clear that the deep state is the “they”.
I imagine old LEO’s and the new roided versions might be on opposite sides, but that really comes down to what they believe and many of the ex-soldier LEO’s are loyal to the Constitution. But really, I have no idea which way that will go. I’d say sheriff deputies will more go along with the Constitution and cops with the power that be.
It will damned sure be interesting in the NE but for the most part, I see them jumping on the govt. deep state side.
I think the south will more or less side with the Constitution except the large cities.
I see it as a very treacherous thing and there will be lots of spies and traitors. I just hope neighbors in rural areas don’t work both sides. In the cities, I wouldn’t give two cents for how loyal my neighbor is to what he says he is. Considering all the factions such as one military base compared to another, no telling what surprises might come along.
For sure communications, esp. the web will be gone. I lament every day not having a good 10 or 11 meter radio with the latest scrambling equipment.
Hell 8, the northeast is gone already. Right them all off. All foreigners and libruls. What does the Constitution mean to anyone who’d live where they can’t own a gun, and have to get a permit to put a blow-up pool in their yard, and have their garden shed inspected, as they pay >$10K a year in property taxes. Fuck’em…they’re long gone.
Even in the more ‘conservative’ areas there- PA. and such- it’s all foreigners and exNYers.
Personally, I think the majority are gonna chase the government teat for as long as it looks like something may ever drip from it again.
People are no longer loyal to the Constitution nor morality; the ideology that’s supplanted such things is loyalty to “the government” whatever that might be, or whatever it might say.
Forget anyone who’s been a soldier, cop or deputy within the last 40 years- (except maybe for a few very rare ones in some very rural far-flung places)- they’ve already shat upon the Constitution by fighting in foreign wars for their masters; by breaking people’s doors down at home, because of their choice of intoxicant [etc.]; by manning DFWI checkpoints, etc. etc.
Funny thing about doing evil things to people: Those whose conscience will permit them to, get used to it very quickly- and soon become desensitized.
I think it would be more along the lines of cities vs. the countryside. Even in the south and in TX now, the cities are full of metrosexual weirdos and liberals and exNYers/CAers/etc. All the cities are heavily tyranized, and the residents are used to tyranny- and not only tolerate it, but demand it.
Even in the towns of any size in the rural areas…same thing.
Country folk are greatly out-numbered now- as 80% of the people live in cities now- but we are well armed and self-sufficient- But I think the LEO and other government types from those cities are gonna be THE major problem until they’re gone.
We may be well-armed now…but don’t forget, the government has large stores of arms in those cities- for their own….and no doubt a lot weill be given/fall into the hands of the residents- and those arms in many cases are better than anything we have/can get.
When the electricity and the fuel is gone….most of our neighbors will likely be gone too.
All “they” have to do is announce that the cities are being supplied; or that things are cheery there; etc. If internet and phones go down, no one will know any different, and people will go- just like in the Great Depression- though one could survive just fine in the country….many took off to the cities in search of work or freebies, etc. and that was just an economic crisis; this next one’ll be a 10x worse economic AND societal crisis…..
I don’t think it’s possible to even fathom the actual scenarios- it will be the luck of the draw; whatever happens around you; who your neighbors are, and what’s a ways down the road……
Picture the War Of Paraguay where they lost 90% of the male population…. And what did those men’s deaths accomplish? Absolutely nothing. Like I said, I’d rather not be here- not interesting in fighting for a freedom which has largely never existed, amongst a people who couldn’t care less about freedom. One side will win- but it won’t be freedom vs. tyranny- it’ll be more like Hitler vs. Stalin; R vs. D. Clinton vs. Bush./ No real winners.
And it’s very unlikely that the whole country will fall at once- so troops and LEOs being dispatched to do their conscienceless duty ‘where needed’ will likely be a big chink in the ointment.
Amen, Nunz.
You have noticed, no doubt, that neither party’s candidates tout respect for the Constitution (especially not the Bill of Rights) but rather than their “plan” for us is better than the “plan” of the other side. But both have “plans.” So the difference is one of management – not being managed.
The concept of being let alone is now thoroughly foreign to the majority of people in this country. They do not want to be let alone nor do they want to let you alone.
Right-on, Eric!
Yep- the whole concept of maintaining the principles which kept us somewhat free, are totally off the table; Instead of the business of government being about maintaining ‘order’ and justice, and guarding our most basic rights and protecting our property and national borders….they do everything BUT!
Yeah…always some ‘plan’- which always means doing things collectively and forcing all to pay for those things- as opposed to people just being free to pursue their own ‘plans’.
And that’s the way all of the lemmings want it- and you can see it even at the smallest local level- to wit:
In the little town which is the county seat of my county- a town of only 1500 peoiple- people can’t just let their kids play sports in an open lot or on their farms…oh no!
They instead have to have a town athletic field, and a parks and recreation ‘department’ (The people who man said department look like they’ve never been outdoors, from the size of their guts)….and rules and regulations….i.e. putting themselves and their kids voluntarily under the control of more government, and forcing their neighbors to pay for it.
So, the big news story T’other day was how the town fired some female coach for unspecified reasons, and a bunch of people showed uo at the town council meeting to try and find out why [No explanation was ever given] and to express their disapproval, etc….
All this over some kids games, because people can’t work out something like child’s play on their own, but instead have to invoke the power of government even for THAT!
It’s freaking pathetic, isn’t it?! -and that’s a small rural conservative town in Trump country….. THAT tells me all I need to know about the future of this country….SHTF or not.
8S, I think you’re right. If nothing else, Pres. Trump also helped expose the Deep State. Before he came along, no one mentioned it, let alone talk about it; now, it’s a common subject of conversation.
Keep in mind this direct quote Trump said right after the Las Vegas shootings: “I say we go for the guns and worry about due process later”. How else can you translate that? He’s doubled down on that again.
But now we are finding out some people who were shot at and some who got shot were shot from two shooters on the bottom floor and they collected huge amounts of brass from both places.
Of course they’re not letting any specifics of it out. I doubt the guy they blame it on ever fired a round. I believe he was murdered.
Las Vegas is as much a secret as Sandy Hook. Why are all those files sealed? For the same reason any investigation files are sealed.
If you think worse can’t and won’t happen here, look what’s happened in Canada, the land of so much better cops and laws than the US…..as they say. https://youtu.be/n9ms-CUF7UI
Trump is the best. Stay tuned for the landslide in 2020. America is getting great again!
Sure enough. They added $400B to the military budget and since the Pentagram budget is “secret” we have no idea how much more we’re paying for that.
The dollars is devaluing to the tune of more than it did in ’08. The good news is the TSA and the DHS have record budgets.
War is breaking out all over…..again….by the US at the behest of Israel.
Wages are plummeting like never before. I can now, if I can get another job, make what I was making in ’88. It don’t get any better than this.
Now if someone would just get me in touch with “Granny”, I need to get her recipe for Possum and skunk. We have plenty rattlesnakes this year but I have that recipe down pat….just cook the fuckers, hold your nose and chow down and hopefully not swallow one of those bones. At least guns are cheaper now in relation to the price of a dollar than every and Natchez Shooters Supply has 5.56 62. gr. green tip JBT for $. 42/round. Magpul mags aren’t down a dime but they’re worth every penny. I wonder if they’d trade for possums….and skunks…. and ‘yote hides? If I could have been the one to run over that 300 lb hog on the road 3 days ago, we’d be in hog heaven but it’s gotten a little dicey. Nevermind, Bernie’s gonna save us all.
I wonder if I could catch a Chinese freighter to Chernobyl. I hear the game there, esp. the hundreds of dog packs roaming, are bigger than ever. I know what Trump’s gonna do. What is a politician saying when his mouth is moving?
Hi Patriot,
I hope so. I’m a Libertarian – and Trump isn’t – but I will support the Orange Man, because he absolutely does threaten the agenda (singular) of both wings of the buzzard that is the Democrat-Republican party. Note that he is hated equally by such as Mittens Romney and AOC.
People fault the OM because he hasn’t undone in less than three years what it took decades to erect. But he has done more in the past less than three years than any Republican president ever to delegitimize the left and by dint of that, the guy is worth his weight in gold.
Ronald Reagan couldn’t hold OM’s piss bucket.
Trump sucks. He’s Israels puppet – he picked the worst people possible to work for him – he lets Assange and Manning rot in jail – he nearly kicked off WW3 a few days ago by Iran killing one of our robots – more illegals are flooding the country than ever before. He does nothing. He’s a dangerous loon who will likely go down as the worst president in history. Hell I trusted the communist Obama more.
What we’re seeing with Trump is the classic “We’d be freaking out [and rightly so] if a communist/Democrat/Neocon/RINO did it; but we’ll just make excuses and put a positive spin on it when the turd we voted for does the same things, or even worse”.
THAT is what voting does; it gives the voter a personal dog in the fight, so that they buy into the illusion that “at least the other side hates him, so he must be good”- even though there is no difference between what their guy and the other side does.
It’s the standard pluralistic con that has works so well on 99% of the population. Just like the Kavanaugh show they put on “Oh, look what the Dems are doing to him! “- and so the very people who should have opposed that liberty-hating POS, end up falling for the ruse and championing him. Same with Trump.
I’m sorry to see enlightened Libertarians falling for this nonsense; saying that Trump opposes the system and is against the climate change BS, yada, yada, while he hypocritically appoints proponents of the very things he claims to oppose, to key positions!
Look at the man’s ACTIONS, not his words. Just like Reagan. Reagan spoke wonderful words- at times almost advocating Libertarianism….but his actions were diametrically opposed to those words….just as is the case with Trump.
NOW, I was just reading where Trump in his 2020 pre-campaign rhetoric, is bringing out the whole “Hilary is a crook’ stuff again [true enough of course]…meanwhile, in three years in office, he has not one single thing to bring her to justice as he promised he would during his 2016 campaigning….and obviously has no intentions of ever doing so.
So apparently now one can campaign on promises which they’ve already broken…so the voter can have a second chance to be duped…..
I really hate to see our own participating in this nonsense.
What has Trump done for us?
More immigrants- especially ‘illegals’ than ever before;
More military spending than ever before.
Increased the scope, size and brutality of the police state.
More gun control.
Brought us to the verge of major/nuclear war- closer than we’;ve ever been before.
Erection of the 5G surveillance/’smart’ network.
More debt; more taxes.
Trade tariffs = The cost of everything’s going up rapidly.
Installs liberal judges and climate change advocates…
Surrounds himself with warmongers and liberty-haters.
Brings in the same Goldman-Sachs crew as Hitlery.
Bombs Syria…
People who voted for him might just as well have voted for the Clinton cunt; at least she said she was going to do those things. Trump told us he opposed those things…and then does them anyway…and people still sing his praises because “He’s not one of them”.
What’s more; this brash, profane, boorish, ill-mannered, impulsive cretin has spent his life “making deals” with the very politicians he *claims* to oppose, in order to use the power of the police state (eminent domain to acquire coveted properties; bankruptcy laws to cheat creditors; obtaining favored status/exemptions/variances, etc.) to feather his own nest (Even having donated $200K to Hitlery c. 2005)- his willingness to play ball ‘trumps” everything else, and shows where his true allegiances lie. Can someone who cajoles the powers that be to use eminent domain for their own benefit, truly care about your rights when they become the head honcho of the very organization which wields that power which they used for their own benefit whilst still a mere civilian?
The sad thing is, that Trump has had an unprecedented opportunity to do good and to truly put the kibosh on “The Swamp”- as he had such strong support by people who were tired of all the BS- if only he would have made good on even a quarter of what he promised and could have actually done- but instead, he has now alienated so many of the supporters who put him where he is, that the commies will likely win 2020- which may be good- because such might finally be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Good analysis. Trump is a conman and a carnival barker. And a coward. He did have a great opportunity but instead we have President kushner and first lady ivanka with vice president netanyahu.. The syria strikes show this guy is mentally off. At least hilary was upfront about her lunacy and communism. This guy hid it. His one veto was in favor of the genocide in Yemen. What an asshole.
Thank you for providing my entertainment for today. You loonies make my day ! You get more entertaining every day as Trump makes America First again ! Muchas garcias !
–Anonymous– an appropriate end to your comment.Glad to see you cant debate a point. MIGA!
Oh- I also could have said Hasta Lumbago !
Anonymous is a perfect example of why voting can never produce anything but more tyranny/collectivism.
Make America first again? First what? First to start the global economic crash? First to obliterate half the other sovereign nations in the world? First to impose European/Nazi style gun control? First to leave it’s borders wide open, while spending it’s resources defending Israel instead of it’s own citizens and their property? First to ignore the genocide of white South Africans, while letting our own country be over-run with uncivilized nlack troglodytes?
When Obabma did such things, you were probably furious- and rightly so; so why are the same things somehow now good and laudible when Trump hypocritically does them while pretending to be on your side???
I guess that’s one thing the idot Dems are right about: Trump’s supporters are as dumb as he is. (And he is dumb- They tricked him into bombing Syria, and he fell for it!).
Don’t you even care about your 2nd Amendment rights, Anonymous? While Trump pretended to be a 2nd Amendment supporter while campaigning (Remember the “We’re gonna make concealed carry permits from one state valid in all others”? -as if he even had the power to do that [there’s that dumb again]- Then when he gets elected, he installs gun-grabbers to key positions, such as to head the BATF- and tells the frickin’ cops “Not to be so nice”; and when he’s speaking candidly, instead of reading some carefully crafted script, his true feelings come out, when he says things like “We just need to grab all the guns first, and worry about the legalities later”!
Is that what you are in facor of, Anonymous, or have you been duped by the stupid media charades? Stop watching TV and you will start thinking clearly, and may get a better picture of reality.
The only difference between Trump and Hitlery, is that Trump says what he thinks you want to hear- but it doesn’t matter, because they both end doing the exact same things…..
It hurts to say this but Trump is better because Trump has talked peace and canceled military action. Yes it’s small, tiny, and really doesn’t change things for the better for us but we know that cackling woman would not have not bombed people.
They say if it saves one life, well, Trump meets that standard over HRC.
But it ain’t over yet, Brent.
With the threats, sanctions, tariffs, selling of billions of dollars worth of arms to the Saudis, increasing of our military spending to the highest it’s ever been, etc. even if does nothing else, he has put us and the entire world in a very dangerous position, and essentially set things up for whomever succeeds him- so really, he’s been no better than anyone who’s preceded him- and actually worse than many, as tensions have never been this high- ditto the risk of major nukular war between the major powers.
Would Hitlery have been worse? She would tried her damnedest to be- but she likely would have met considerable resistance both internally, and from the public.
Only difference is, as we have seen so aptly illustrated above by the likes of Anonymous- Trump gets a free pass because they feel he is ‘one of us’.
Just thank God that that piece of shit McCain never got in! -Not that he didn’t do enough evil anyway.
Funny thing too: Politicians often seem to do the exact opposite of what they campaign for/what they’re expected to do.
Remember Slick Willy, the Dem, whom the dopey Dems elected partly for more free shit, was ironically the one who initiated the biggest welfare reforms in modern history.
Trump promised to drastically curtail many of the freebies….but other than getting a few white people out of HUD apartments, has actually made welfare flourish even more….
Corporate Fascist America kinda runs like a nursery school.
Its probably more accurately called Retarded Fascism.
I work for a large corporation, and I’m constantly amazed at how the progressive mindset has completely taken over Corporate America. While a CEO can get in trouble for being too conservative or traditional, or simply not genuflecting to the cause of the moment, there is absolutely no downside to taking the most radical leftest positions. Sadly, this wouldn’t be happening if the boards and stockholders weren’t condoning it. Business fundamentals don’t matter — social justice does. But it won’t last forever. Meanwhile, as the Citigroup CEO said before the financial crisis, they’ll keep dancing until the music stops.
GM can’t even differentiate Cadillac, Buick and Chevrolet. They are basically the same just different “Price Points”. (Don’t you just love that manipulative MBA term? Gets people to stop looking at VALUE for money)
Just make GMC stand for Gay Multicultural Customers. Diversity problem solved.
Great article. More proof that forced diversity ruins even a none human. Glad to see GM screwing up again. It’s great that consumers are not always accepting of high tech driver interference systems. It seems like every consumer item is being “socially engineered” so that the demands of the one or two percent can be put ahead of the majority. It’s a race to see who hits the scrapyard first…GM or Tesla.
“…which is an odd preoccupation for a car company”
It makes perfect sense…when you have a government gun to your head.
GM and Ford Death Watch. GM wants to sell mobile refrigerators with sofas and giant TV screens to people who can’t be bothered with DRIVING…and Ford wants to find out the absolute limits of our electrical power-generation capacity- when will we have rolling blackouts/brownouts year-round due to millions of home and public battery chargers charging up BEVs and PHEVs 24/7/ Mor infrastructure, please !
The low-T furniture salesman who runs Ford actually hates cars and wants them off the road…
Chevy will fix the slump in truck sales later on by making more trucks(was in the news a few weeks ago) !
Their slump will stop because they will offer a LGBTQ edition of the Silverado !!
That will sure cater to the male demographic and will make every man in construction garb be proud to have a LGBTQ Silverado !! With custom ANALogue Gauges and plastic liners on the seats !
Will it have a glory hole at the front of the bed?
Clone brands USED to be the staple of the American automotive experience. Want a V6 family car in 85? There’s the Chevy Monte Carlo, the Olds Cutlass, the Buick Regal, the Pontiac Prix, Cadillac Seville — it was the same car in a different badge. I kind of miss choosing between a Plymouth Laser, an Eagle Talon, and a Mitsubishi Eclipse in the 90s.
We should start a pool to see who can guess how long [read: short] those heavily boosted turbo-charged direct-injected li’l 4cyl.s will last, pulling around a full-sized pick’em-up!
The irony is, VW and others get persecuted for ‘cheating’ the emissions tests….but these 4-bangers amount to the same thing; ’cause just sitting there, they do what Uncle and AOC desire them to- but when ya actually use them, they get worserer MPGs and put out high volumes of ’emissions'[gasp!] because they are constantly being used at or near max capacity….vs. a V8, which would spend the majority of it’s time under the same application running at 30-40% of it’s capacity- which happens to be right in the sweet spot of an engines most efficient zone.
I watched a vid T’other day of a Chebby salesprick driving one of those P/U’s with the 4, and he was going on and on about how it had ‘plenty of power’, yada, yada….but of course, just driving it in normal light trasffic, you could hear that he was punching that gas pedal to the floor constantly, and making the turbo kick in…and this was just going around the block near the stealership!
Yeah…. That motor will be toast by the time the ‘truck’ is out of warranty- and I like how he made no mention of what kind of MPG’s it was getting, because I’d be willing to bet, at top RPMs and with the turbo constantly kicking in, the damned thing was probably getting worse mileage than my V10 Excursion!
Scary thing is, that some people are actually buying these things (2nd vehicle for Tesla owners?)- Who the hell would???!!!!
As far as power goes on the 4 cylinder Chevy, I recently watched a test of one where the guys who do it are doing the same tests on every pickup made. I was astounded by the power that 4 had and almost matched the 6 L gas engine. How long it will do that, without problems, is another thing. It has so many variable things on it that it can’t help but having countless sensors. Even if the basic engine is good, sensors are notorious for screwing up, one of the major failings of all vehicles these days.
Time will tell whether the 4 banger will last or not. It may just do fine for taking your recyclables to the bin, which is about all those 4 foot long beds are good for anyway.
I just don’t want to test one out. But a turbo straight six might even interest me.
Nunz, another groups does real mileage tests on all pickups. They ran the 4 cylinder along with a Dodge and a Ford. They were amazed it got 26.4mpg at 70mph in line with the other two pickups. I don’t recall what mileage it got on the 11,000 ft. altitude trailer tow test but they were blown away it almost matched the 6L . They did mention one thing, the exhaust sound. It was a weird sounding thing and not something you’d ever pull up beside someone and give it a couple revs cause they probably wouldn’t even notice. I realize I’m old school but there is something to be said for engine sound. Both the High performance Chevy small block and Ford small block(289) had unique sounds, both very pleasurable. When Chevy got into the big dog racing like Le Mans that engine sounded like a jacked up truck engine, a really unique exhaust sound but damned if it wasn’t fast and won some of the Le Man’s style races and was the overall winner a couple three years in a row. It sounded nothing like the typical old small block, sounded more like a truck on steroids but man were they torque monsters….back before torque monsters became the norm.
I watched a video last night of some guy taking an old 383 Chevy engine and changing the cam and lifters as well as the timing chain and gear(it had lots of miles on it). They used a new solid roller cam and checked the valve/piston clearance. Put new springs on the valves, used the old single plane intake and got 481 hp on the dyno with 450+lb ft of torque. Now that would be a good toy. Put a dual plane intake on it and use it in your pickup. I’ve had some fairly rank SBC’s that did a good job in pickups. You just needed to change the TH350 to the 400 when you did a lot of trailer pulling. I recall back the in the 70’s when the K5 came with a 400/400. Knew a lot of people who ran them. They were tree climbing beasts.
Yeah 8, that’s what I’d expect with the 4’s- Easy enough to get good mileage once up to speed crusing along on a flat hioghway at 70….but any kind of surface street driving; hills; towing; etc. forget it…..that baby’s working at peak load and fully boosted.
I liked Chevys in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Good drive-trains in good trucks. 90’s? Still decent drive-trains, but what they were putting them in, while O-K for grocery-getters or towing camping trailers on the highway, started getting pretty wimpy, at the same time Ford was beefing theirs up.
Dodge? Well…Cummins is about all ya can say. Everything else fell apart…..
Now? Blechhh…seems no one makes a good 3/4 or 1-ton truck anymore. No wonder the ones are so expensive.
I’ve pulled loaded big rigs with a 10 year old Duramax 4WD crewcab…..up a slope. Nothing growing on that. I hate the endgates though. But I hate the endgates on everything from even before that. Mechanically, vehicles have never been better but so much electronics they constantly have problems, esp. trucks you work hard. Always some damn sensor taking a dump. My 2000 Z 71 was running 50-60 lbs oil pressure one day when I turned it off. Next day it shows 40. Good enough since I don’t believe it and those oil pressure sensors are prone to quitting….just like that. One day last week it acted like it was going to go back up. I can wait. It has Amsoil premium engine oil and Amsoil synthetic everything, the best thing I ever did for the moaning steering pump. GM has bulletproof pumps forever. Then in the 90’s they began to sound like the typical Ford. Go figure. I’ve had to figure out too many things to worry about a power steering pump.
HAhaha! And ironically, since the late 90’s, Fords no longer have that infamous P/S pump whine! (My current ’99 F250 and 00 Excursion are the first Ford trucks I’ve ever owned that didn’t whine!)
Yeh, I was going to say that and forgot. Amazing for one to go to the shitty moaners and the other suddenly get right, almost like they made a deal.
It was then that they traded MAF and MAS sensors, go figure.
I remember my ’81 F250- every time I picture it, I remember the sound it made (300ci six), and the P.S whine accounts for about 75% of that sound!
Same thing with my ’63 F600 stake body I had in the 90’s…
That was a long-running problem! Funny- it didn’t seem to hurt anything; I never ever had to replace a pump on any Ford I’ve owned- but that damn noise…kinda ruined the enjoyment of the vehicles!
And if you’re trying to do something like back a trailer in a very tight spot it can drive you crazy. The moment you think you’re close enough you shut it off. Ah, that’s better…..and no I have a moaner. If it was good looking and female, that would be different.
all of GM’s problems… and most of America’s and all of Western Europe’s problems… not to mention just selling trucks… comes back to progressive liberalism. If you don’t want to sell trucks and put out cars that ALL people will buy, put a woman at the head of the company. If you want to lose wars and be the laughing stock of world military… put women in your military and better yet give them command positions. This isn’t a screed against women, it’s a screed against liberalism which looks at how nature functions, and then does the exact opposite. These people are truly F@#$D, and they don’t seem to realize it… so they’re sinking the whole ship with everyone else on board.
GM products have long been “committee” cars, often sharing components from many different models. While this might have generated cost-savings across the line it also made for boring look-alike products. It also generated a colossal arrogance and belief in their own invincibility, which bit them hard on the bum when imports became a serious factor. Now the General’s in a serious fight merely to survive at all.
They actually continued to build good trucks during that period. It was their highest profit margin. They didn’t really care about losing the cars (which is incredibly stupid for a car company with huge market share). It looks like the current management is so focused on being “green” and “diverse” that they don’t give a damn about their real customers. I think this article is spot on. At least when they were building crappy cars they could shrug it off as “we don’t make money on those anyways”.
As Nelson from “The Simpsons” would say, while pointing: HA HA!
GM products have long been “committee” cars, often sharing components from many different models. While this might have generated cost-savings across the line it also made for boring look-alike products. It also generated a colossal arrogance and belief in their own invincibility, which bit them hard on the bum when imports became a serious factor. Now the General’s in a serious fight merely to survive at all.
GM builds POS politically correct garbage. My friend had a recent GM truck; the radiator had to be replaced at 60K miles. He use to be a GM guy, now he bought a Tundra and is quite happy.
I almost bought a Ram with the Hemi. The truck was a hot rod but I remembered my last Dodge experience when the tranny had to be replaced at 120K. I bought a Tundra with a V8 (it is a hemi without calling it) and I love it.
Just watched a video on Ram 5.7L engines(hemi’s) taking a dump. It seems their roller lifters are losing their bearings taking the cam with them. I’ve worked on some Mopar engines and bad quality control on their parts is their major problem, and has been for decades. While a lot of old Mopar engines are powerful, they often didn’t have enough nickel in the blocks or heads and simply wore out quickly.
Never had a problem with my Hemi engines..one had 197,000 before I sold it…
Many youtube video’s on bad Toyota,bad Ford,bad GM engines too..
Why did you buy a Toyota they have bad camshafts and rusting frames…I will never buy a Toyota because they all burn oil ,really the Cars do !! Bad piston rings a common theme from Prius to Camry !
You fall into the category of not buying something because you had one that failed and was 100% different than what they sell now..The problematic Dodge trans were the 904 based versions they put in trucks..I cant remember the name A518 ? not sure a quick search would tell me but too lazy to research it now lol…It’s basically its a old 904 they used in slant 6 and 318 cars but added a overdrive and thought hey lets put it in a heavy truck,oh dont worry GM,Ford also had years of weak trans even Honda and Toyota all had some models/years with issues..
Dodge has no bad transmission these days they stopped those 15 years ago…Toyota Tundra though has bad cams,diffs on their Tundra’s but you can find problems with any vehicle..I know my Wifes new Camry was a disaster,so no Toyota’s ever for me as they all are bad ! I have proof,mine was bad so they all are,right..
Toyota 5.7 doesnt have Hemi heads,nor is a Hemi ..I dont know who told you that it is,it isnt in name or not…
Toyota does us a Chrysler Hemi in Drag Racing,same with Ford and GM all their cars in Top Fuel,Top Alcohol use a Chrysler Hemi circa 1964-1971 ,yes they make them new !! Its a good old Mopar Big Block !
Uh, CB, the Toy may not be a hemi but it’ll give them to you. I know people who have them and can’t get over the 13 mpg they get….but at least they’re consistent. The 4.6L is somewhat better with most owners(2wd) getting 14mpg. We have a Chevy 4WD crewcab with a 6 L and a Toy with a 5.7 at work. Everybody speaks of how fast the Toy is(nobody keeps a mpg log) but it’s a much lighter trucker and it doesn’t have a big toolbox loaded up or the 120 gallon diesel nurse tank the Chevy does(it would swallow it’s ass suspension wise if it did). I’m not anti-Toyota but everybody here in farming country bought the hype over 10 years ago when Toy matched the HP of the Chevy engine….and then everybody found out the hard way, they won’t stand up to a gooseneck and won’t get the fuel mileage of the Chevy 5.7. A neighbor on each side of me had one. They were literally flashes in the pan. Now sending your wife and kids off in one and no gooseneck work and they do ok but their mileage still sucks….to this very day.
You won’t even see one now. They’ve all gone to the great used truck in the sky thing. A friend’s wife bought one(hey, she can pick out her own damn truck thank you)and not only will it not pull a trailer of any size it has consistently got 13mpg since day one. The good news? It still gets 13.
I had a Nissan and at 140,000 it was well into it’s second engine and the bed was rusted out, the transmission had had it and the little axles were going going…..and I sold it.
6 years ago when the patch was booming, they showed up here and there…and not even as a work truck, as a drive around and point your finger and watch other people work…..their trucks. What was funny was when early 90’s GM pickups were still out there doing the tough stuff and the Platinum Ford’s had fallen on their asses so Dodge and GM were doing all the work, you know that stuff like pipelineing and other rough jobs.. The Ford HD one tons were doing ok for welders and such. I promise you, day in, day out, running down rock roads and over pasture every day, you soon figure out what will hold up and what won’t. Toyota’s were good for the woman who operated the scales at the pit to get back and forth to work. I’ve seen GM pickups worked so hard and still goingm the damned seats were worn out from the non-stop crew action of 6 people every mile of their life. I won’t be buying one for political reasons but as far as a truck that works, GM’s have always had the best engines and transmissions. Ford used to have great rear-ends but that went away when Dodge and GM started using the 11.5″ rear end over 25 years ago.
I first started using pickups around 1960 and 5 year old pickups were considered new. Ford did make one engine that was a killer, the 300 cid inline 6.
Yeah, here too, 8. You’ll see a foreign truck every once in a while in town….being driven by a woman or some metrosexual-looking guy….but that’s about it; and ya don’t even see that too much anymore. The foreign trucks make good cars (Well, the Toyotas, anyway- Nissans are junk now)…but that’s all they’re good for: Transportation and very light stuff; and they don’t even get good mileage. If you’re gonna drive something that gets no better mileage than a real truck- and costs just as much- why not just get the real thing, which’ll do some real work, and far out-last the Jap stuff?
I would be ok with a 4 cylinder; as long as it was 400 cubic inches, had 4 carburetors and was cast iron!
How about a 28.4 liter 4 cylinder?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As_63QMoCig
There’s a pretty simple explanation for all of this: the f–ing GOVERNMENT.
GM does NOT care about making money. Why should they, when the government will step up and hand them twenty BILLION of the taxpayers’ money? If they are GUARANTEED to stay in business even if they LOSE MONEY, the people they hire are going to be people who are interested in milking a guaranteed income out of a guaranteed company — not people interested in actually selling cars and making a profit off them.
So the people they hire are going to be people would otherwise be absolute failures without the government sinecure. The people they hire are going to be hired based on political considerations, not economic or technological considerations. So naturally they’re going to have a female CEO and a PR department that cares more about gays, and an engineering department that cares more about “global warming,” than about actual car and truck buyers.
It’s the same reason that the universities have been completely corrupted by the lesbian feminists, the queers and the social justice warriors — their livelihood is guaranteed by government grants, government tax exemptions, and government assistance to students.
Had GM gone bankrupt as it should have in 2008-2009, none of these people would have a good-paying job cramming their gay agenda down our throats and building trucks that nobody wants to buy. But it will be the assembly line UAW people in places like Lordstown who get shafted by executive incompetence… not the gay PR department.
(Well, the gay PR department will get shafted, TOO… but unlike the laid-off workers, they’ll actually LIKE it).
Preach it, X!
Inside baseball: I have long-time friends who used to work in executive-level positions for GM… pre-Barra. They (off the record) despise her and what GM has become under her “leadership.”
Sic gloria transit mundi…
How did Barra become GM CEO? What was so special about her (besides having a vagina) that she got the top post?
Hi Mark,
You answered your own question…
eric, now the bullshit Jalopnik spews makes sense. They never mentioned the transgender motto for a pickup. They just said it was ugly. I say they all are. My neighbor is a short guy and his 2017 3/4T Crewcab 4WD work truck has a hood that obscures everything up to at least 20′ feet for me, more for him it would appear.
You’re out in the field, in the patch actually, having to navigate around all sorts of shit that could blow up or cause one hell of a mess if it was struck by a truck but you can’t see a pipeline valve from 20′ away. Makes sense to me. Better have all that shit memorized on a day when it’s pouring rain or snowing sideways. I’ve seen….what was left of a pickup that struck a high pressure gas line. I was told everyone inside was toasted nearly instantly.
But his personal pickup, a 2019 3/4T 4WD crewcab is lifted from the factory and is even worse and has sort of a big rig feel up that high, in something he hauls his family in.
I suspect that’s not the rig an older person would drive. It’s a bit tippy feeling. Now looking back and seeing a 50′ trailer behind it would almost make you feel safer.
I used to draw pickups when I was young and mine always resembled something like a small conventional cab big rig where you could see something just a couple feet in front of it. In the mid 70’s KW’s CEO retired and the employees handmade him a pickup that looked like a tiny Class 8 tractor. It was about the nicest looking pickup I’ve seen. No, it was the nicest looking pickup I’ve seen and nothing about it made you think of people with a penis and big breasts or any other combination MN only makes when it gets confused. Hey Ma, what say we get on of those pickups with the big breasteses, a gina and a dick? You don’t see one of those every day and finding it in a parking lot should be easy, just go to the center of the crowd.
GM lost me when they moved those 4 plants and 15,000 jobs to Mexico last year. Instead of a chime when you leave the lights on, they’ll have Speedy Gonzales shouting Arriba, Arriba, Andale, Andale, yi yi yi! And they can try to sell them all right there too.
But…but…but trading customers could make sense,,,let’s see we’ll get <3% of the public (homosexuals) as guaranteed customers while giving up maybe 30 or 40% of the public (conservatives) with a modern pro-homo ad campaign… IT. COULD. WORK !
but not for long
They’re assuming their existing customers aren’t going to change. Just like when everyone kept buying junk cars in the 1970s instead of moving to Honda and Toyota. Oh wait…
Some people never learn.
Toyota and Honda were junk cars in the 70’s ! It wasnt until the late 1980’s and 1990’s they were good,then they got bad again..
Get Woke Go Broke…
The Best a Ma’am Can Get!!!
Hi Nathan,
Another problem is their marketing. They assume people who buy trucks are interested in the same things people (women) who buy crossovers are interested in… saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafety and “tech,” for instance. But trucks are bought mostly by men – who are more interested in engine size/type, tow capacity and so on.
I am rooting for am and FCA – they still seem to care about their customers more than snuggling up to the government.
Too bad ol’ Sergio isn’t still around. He really flipped off the establishment with the Hellcat!
Once again, we get back to quality control. 5-8 year old Cummins engines have become notorious for losing the bottom end. If it’s in good shape, you can get $1000 for the head and sell the rest for scrap. If I hadn’t seen a lot of this I wouldn’t say it.
I met the mechanic in the dark one morning on a corner a mile from the yard. He just said really fast. “can’t talk, I’m losing the bottom end” and went on. I could hear it. Next time I saw it at the yard there were pieces of the bottom end under it.
5-8 years? Hell, that’s ancient by today’s standards! My friend bought a brand spanking new Cummins Ram a few months ago….motor started knocking after two DAYS! [He brought it back and refused their offers to give him another one- isn’t paying for it- said “Sue me!”- Went back to driving his c.02 7.3 PSD.)
Don’t you know? Nothing can be for men anymore. Certainly not cars and trucks. Those all have to be feminized, just like men themselves.
Never mind that the few women who do like trucks, usually like them for the same reasons men do…
The thing is, trucks aren’t targeting workmen anymore. They’re targeting urban/suburban “soccer mom” types who want their family sedan to have a bed because they occasionally take it to Home Depot, and think it should be 50 feet tall because apparently being too clumsy to avoid an accident is safer somehow (or just for the image).
GM started to lose the Pickup Wars when they took the hot selling S-series from an S-series size and real truck design, to the bloated Isuzu-designed second generation Colorado/Canyon around 2004. Everything they did from that point on revealed a company lost at sea , especially concerning trucks. It seems Mother MoPar has been doing things right for a change, on the other hand.
Third world socialists on our welfare system is our strength.
Pedophile rights are our highest value.
Affirmative action engine…. Brilliant term to describe these tiny engines found in bigger and (and pricier) cars!!
Most of the large and many small companies have been politicized. They prefer virtual selling over product selling and most in upper management have made their millions. They get juiced up by the Federal Reserve,,, buy their stock which makes the stock go up then sell their stock options. They care less about their nation, their employees or their customers. A good chunk of their sales comes from government so they could care less what mere customers want. Check out your local police, county or State,,, all driving mostly brand new vehicles.
By the way Eric,,, one of the Bandits cars just sold for over $317.500.
https://www.foxnews.com/auto/burt-reynolds-last-bandit-trans-am-sold-for-317000
Yep. Levis…Gillette….and now GM. They each hit their point of decline. They can only rest on their laurels for so long, before their once prestigious brand names lose their aura. They become unwilling or unable to do what it takes to maintain their once dominant market shares.
At this point, they sell out to the “inclusionary, diversity embracing, SJW” crowd. Do they really think this will boost their sales? So far, the exact opposite seems to be the case.
Well, GM thinks it can become a part of the fedgov, and get subsidized for facilitating every draconian, diabolical automotive plot intended to end personal mobility. But the farther they go down this path the fewer cars & trucks they sell. That’s good.
The 4 cylinder is a huge problem and the ugly grill.
The last time we had execs out to our Austin facility for a demo, the rental car counters at ABIA were upgrading mid size reservations to Silverado pickups for free. There seems to be a direct pipeline between GM Arlington (truck plant) and the Austin airport. I’m sure we’re not the only dumping ground in Texas.
As a bowtie/LS fan, looks like its NNBS and crate engines till i die. The New mid engine corvette is going to be PC ready too, and AV ready per Reuss. ASS comes standard on all the new 2019 Silverado’s too. You can tell by them acknowledging the fact they are in third place that investors and shareholders must be worried. Let em rot and rust!
I remember when Levi Strauss started focusing on this crap rather than making good jeans; it was at that point Levis went to shit and I stopped buying them. Before that, they build rock solid jeans that would take all the abuse one could dish out and come back for more. I remember the first pair of Levis I had lasted so long that they turned WHITE! That’s right; I had them so long that the blue was washed out of them. I played grass lot football, did heavy work, and dished out all SORTS OF ABUSE to those Levis. Needless to say I bought Levis for years after that.
Ah, but when they started this diversity crap, they also started making their jeans outside of the US too. Back in the early-mid 1990s when Levi Strauss started this diversity crap, they also started making their jeans outside the US. I remember getting a pair of Levis made in Guatemala around this time. They fell apart in a matter of weeks! Weeks after I bought that pair of jeans, the crotch area came undone. I never bought a pair of Levis after that. They got away from their CORE MISSION of making good, durable blue jeans, and their product went to crap. Looks like GM is making the same mistake.
Wrangler apparently paired with some thug guy who sings that old town road with Billy Ray Illuminati. I’ll wear them and then switch to amazon chinese knock offs if I have to.
brazos, I’m a Wrangler guy myself 13MWZ’s. I wore Wranger for a while, then switched in the 70’s to Levi’s, than back to Wrangers by the 80’s. Levi had a problem of not making the legs large enough according to waist size. I used to constantly split the seams on the upper leg getting into cabover trucks.
Wranglers have never done that on me and I’ve worn the same pairs for years. None of them work well enough to not tear when you get off the back of a road tractor and catch a sharp piece of a headache rack.
I have the same belt loop torn loose on Wranglers due to my catching them on the striker bolts of 379 series Peterbilt’s. I just happen to be the perfect height for catching them.
Levi’s are great, I wear the same pair 5 days a week at work and they last about a year. The secret is not drying them in a dryer, the heat and tumbling wreaks jeans and amplifies the wear areas speeding up their demise. Hang dry or even better don’t wash them unless they are visibly dirty (stains etc.) and instead freeze them to kill the bacteria that causes stinky jeans.
Just curious, do you have a wife?
I do! lol I thought it was crazy when I heard it as well but damned if it doesn’t work.
You are correct. I’ve frozen jeans that were dirty and wet and not about to get a washing. I think it degrades the fiber though. I don’t know if I could stand to wash clothes and not hang them on the line.
I washed my bedclothes the other day and those blankets that are made of some fiber that’s really warm and light were dry by the time I got the heavy bed cover hung. 5 minutes in west Tx. heat and you can bring em back in with you. When we have a good wind….which is almost always, they are dry nearly instantly.
But jeans last a lot longer not being whipped to death inside a dryer. In fact, everything does. I have to be desperate to wash sheets and all the rest and not hang dry them. They smell so good from being in the sun it’s worth whatever effort is involved and you don’t make that meter spin….er……change digits nearly as fast.
So they forced a digital meter on me almost 20 years ago. There had never been a problem with me recording the reading, going by and paying the bill, easy peasy. Then they decided they had to spy on us so they put one in and I moved an old round baler to sit right in front of it and there it will stay since the tires have been flat for years. Look through that mofo’s.
Damn, 8, What has happened to me? I used to be the same way about hanging stuff out to dry. Even in NYC, we always had a line on pulleys strung between two windurs of an L-shaped apartment (Now I think it’s illegal in NYC).
I started using the dryer in inclement weather in the winter, or if I had to do the wursh at night…next thing ya know, I’m using the dryer all the time……
When I was a kid, one of my nephews (Who’s only a few months younger than I) used to get my hand-me-downs- He’d always comment that my stuff always felt and smelled so nice- better than new- and it was because it had always been hung out to dry- even a little kid could tell the difference (Well that, and the fact that my sister is a freakin’ slob).
Nothing beats a clothesline! And it’s true- everything used to last so long- partly because things were made better…but also because they were hung. I have some sheets that are 309 years old, that are just starting to get thin, which I’ve only just recently retired. I have shirts…work shirts- that are 15 years old….
Uhhhh “30 years old”…not 309… 😀
You might have something there, about the drying, Delvin…. Come to think of it, when I used to hang stuff out on a line to dry….seemed jeans would last for literally decades!
Uhhhh…..I will wash ’em though! Dirt and bacteria’ll kill ’em faster than the dryer, plus….ewwww!
It’s the way it is with EVERYTHING today. They’re lowering the quality of everything, and giving you less in the package to keep from raising the price for a few more months.
Breyer’s ice cream- used to be great quality- now it’s garbage.
Huggies ass-wipes- Were worth the extra money ’cause they were thicker…now they’re freaking tissue paper.
Remember when Crapsman tools were good enough for professional use? Now? LOL!!
DeWalt? Used to be contractor grade; now it’s dollar-store crap.
I could go on and on…
They’re destroying their own brands. Some company’ll go pay hundreds of millions fo buy a well-established good name (like DeWalt) and then turn it to garbage overnight….
They’ll spend decades building a good reputation, and zillions on advertising, only to blow it because instead of raising the price $1 and remaining the king of their market, they’d rather compete with the Chinese junk….
It makes no sense…and it’s all all gonna come crashing down very soon.
Speaking of jeans….
My $10 Kmart Rustler jeans that used to last for many years…..I just had to put an inside patch on a pair last night, that are barely a year old…..were getting a thin spot, that was just about to go through! [Thank you Bish’s Tear-Mender fabric adhesive!]
Hi Nunz!
I used to like Breyer’s; you’re right – it’s awful now. Well, mediocre. Half of what you buy is just air. Feel how light a half-gallon is…
Bum’s rush to the bottom of the barrel..
Eric,
To add insult to injury, it’s not even 1/2 gallon any more. They followed the popular trend of reducing the amount of product while keeping the price the same.
Beat me to it, Jason! It’s been “1.75 quarts” (48 oz) now, for years! And all thje flavor’s gone….it’s pretty much just all sugar now. Worse than what some of the cheapo store house brtands used to be. I pretty much don’t buy ice cream anymore…..like most other things in the grocery store, it’s just turned into pure candy now.
Strauss Organic Creamery. Their mint chocolate chip stuff is to die for.
We used to eat Hagen Das but had to let it go to keep paying the bills. Blue Bell was good until they had a bit batch many years ago that poisoned hell out of lots of people. They had to completely revamp the plant. There probably was no way to kill whatever it was in a decent amount of time and it was more than likely through the entire system.
Once they got back rolling it was still the same and I guess it is now but they have competition from Blue Bunny(I know, I know)that has weird amounts and if you figure it up, is just about the same price but not nearly as good. Since I’m lactose intolerant(oh my god, I’m intolerant, the lefties are coming, the lefties are coming), I don’t enjoy ice cream like other people do if it’s really good stuff like Hagen Das.
There is a test to see how much cream is really in a brand, just feed some to me. If I’m in the library for a long time making bad noises, like a cat being tortured, it’s good stuff. Otherwise, you don’t have to worry about getting fat from cream, just some more solid version of HFCS.
Breyers used to maske (and maybe still does- but it wouldn’t be the same, so who cares?) Extra Creamy Chocolate. I used to always fantasize that if I only had 6 months left to live, I would just gorge myself on that stuff every day!
It’d be just my luck to come down with something where I really would have 6 months to live….now that there’s no ice cream that I’d want to gorge myself on! (Could at least still use the time to hunt pig though!)
the BEST ice cream on the earth is foodlion brand butter almond.. don’t believe me? I challenge all of you to try it! It’s like not stopping til the spoon scrapes the bottom of the carton good.
My 94 year-old mother loves butter almond- I’ll have to get some of that for her! Thanks!
I just figured it up and it would only cost me $200 in gas to get to the nearest foodlion. Maybe I should consider a big rig and bring back a reefer full. I decline the challenge.
Safeway house brand tends to be as good or even better than the ballyhooed pricey brands. IDK if Safeway in CA still owns its own dairy and creamery, it did many years ago.
Also, there’s a reason that Producer’s was and still is “Hoppy’s Favorite”!
Odd. Must be a USA thing. Here in Canada I just had a bowl of Breyer’s French Vanilla and frozen Blackberries. Very noticeably dense and rich ice cream.
“Price sensitive” consumers and ridiculously cheap Chinese manufacturing Which is subsidized by the Communist government to keep the kids from revolting. Meanwhile American manufacturing is all about getting big military contracts instead of trying to compete.
I saw a video a few weeks ago that basically said anything manufactured in a Chinese factory is shipped by the Chinese government anywhere in the world for nothing. I’ve bought a few electronic parts from China and was amazed to see that it was shipped for free from Schengen and was on my doorstep in a week. It spent most of that week in US customs. Granted these were single board computers, not cars, but still. If I wanted to ship the other way I reckon it would be at least $50 or more. For a part that only cost me $10.
Of course the American Crony government subsidizes food so we get the worst of both worlds. Produce whatever is subsidized and get it in as much food as possible. Then lobby heavily for exemptions and outright lies about nutrition to keep the gravy train rolling. And then drive production costs down to the point where only enormous scale can make a profit. Not to mention using the regulatory system to abuse the little guy who produces a product people might actually want. Once the small people are out of the way it leaves the door open for you to cut corners even more.
And then there’s the retailers, who having become identical as well, are only going to compete on price. Which means even more cutting back on quality. And they can always just point to the regulations too. As long as it meets the minimum required by law, they’re fine with it. Of course if you’re on the other side of the rich/poor line you have an entirely different experience than the rest of us, but I’m rambling…
A decade ago(more)I had a HP laptop. One day a highly important update was available and since it was rated highly important I installed it. Immediately it ruined my video driver. HP wanted $400 to replace it but a local store wanted $150 so they got it and kept it a long time. The part shipped from China, I had already researched it and almost tried to replace it my self but didn’t have the time or the expertise.
I finally go by and check on it. The owner said the new one($75 part)didn’t work. Like me, he had looked at it and it had a guarantee. The problem was, it had to be shipped back to them as “overnight” which was a few hundred dollars. I got my non-working computer back and never fixed it. What a racket. The owner was highly embarrassed and PO’d. I was PO’d myself. FEFEFH’s.
It’s China that adds a chemical that tests positive as protein in pet foods. So all those companies, a lot of them expensive brands, that cause pet deaths are simply buying their food from China and selling it for a few times more than US made food. It’s normally the ones that say no GMO or other crap. It doesn’t need a GMO component to kill. It’s like the foods that are full of the drug used for euthanasia and kill the pets, mainly small dogs. Cutter and Canners sound great in comparison.
Speaking of pet stuff, ya knoiw what’s absurd? The price you see people paying for pet treats! The idea used to be that it was cheaper than real food. Today, it’s actually cheaper to give your dog real food, instead of the junky treats made from leftover scraps and byproducts.
I bought a package of hot dogs yesterday- and not the real cheap ones- but good beef ones- which will be used solely as dog treats. Real food- cheaper than junk. (Even lips and assholes are more real than anything they put in dog treats!). I sometimes find flank skirt steak on sale for $3.50 a pound…I’ll by that for the bow-wow. Why would I pay $5 for a 12oz bag of plasticky crap when I buy real meat as cheaply or cheaper? But people do; we’ve been so conditioned that we have to buy pet stuff for pets…..
Nunz, one of the toms recently got sick, couldn’t piss because of the food. Vet bill was fairly expensive and he gave me a back(7.5lbs.) of Royal Canin SO to feed him, it was out of date.
Then I priced it and it was $70. I just started cooking him a T bone every day and I eat cat food. You get used to it but now I can’t seem to pee.
Really though, I told him I was feeding the cat venison. He said that sounded pretty expensive but when I found out what it cost I just keep feeding him venison and he loves it as do most of the cats, esp. the young ones who aren’t strung out on kibble. I can feed him shrimp, or round steak or fairly much anything I eat cheaper than that food. I nearly swooned when I found out what that cost. You don’t think pet owners are getting taken to the cleaners do you? After all, they don’t require that expensive food, just something other than kibble.
I have 5 lb chubs of venison that’s not very good to me. We have enough deer to feed a small army of cats. The last two years the Boone and Crockett record deer came from less than 5 miles from me. We don’t have those dog deer like down in central Texas and even have muley’s and a couple different species there is no season for since they’re imports. One is a big, black deer, larger than muley’s and the others are various types with all sorts of weird racks. We’re covered up in African animals of all sorts, and now even have red wolf/coyote crosses that are about the same size as Cholley Jack(80lbs). Year before last I saw a grey wolf down the creek and sorta freaked out. Can’t wait till hyena are the du jour dog in the pasture. Well, they’ll certainly cut down on coyotes.
8, my big tom(Ralph)’s dick got clogged last year (Common problem with male cats- likely from the cat food) and his bladder got hard as a rock and he couldn’t pee. Was in the hospi’l for 5 days! Vet said he’d have to be on a special diet- some junk can food, at over $2 a can- and Ralph eats about as much as my 116 dog!
Gave him the ‘spensive food for a few weeks (Vet had given me some, included in the $350 bill)- and noticed that the main ingredient was pork. Since when do cats eat pork?! That’s ‘upposed to cure him?
Any time Ralph would eat dry food, it’d start clogging him up, but he’d do O-K on cheap Friskies canned food- which is what I’ve been feeding him since; that, and I found one dry food he can not only tolerate, but thrive on- also a Friskies product. (I used to buy the cats “good” food- but they seem to do better on this stuff- plus, what ever I put out, has to be something that won’t clog Ralph if he gfets a hold of it)
Don’t know how old Ralphie is, but he looked old when he arrived here, just about starved to death. I’ve had him for 5 years- and as of late, he’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen him in. Go figure.
I dunno. Venison costs me about 90 cents per carcass and 2-3 hrs. getting it bagged. I can eat whatever parts I like too. Another 90 cents for a hog and I can break out the sausage grinder. We have a couple litters of kittens that’ll climb your leg for it.
Common theme for these cheapened brands…WHO IS IN CHARGE? You’ll find a J-O-O as the CEO, and the company product goes to shit! All these types care about is maximum short-term profit to drive the company stock up, then they sell their options and cash out, getting while the getting’s “good”, and they move on to another outfit they can rape and plunder. To them, we ‘goyim’ are just, as their Talmud teaches, “Stupid Cattle”, and too often, we “Good Christian” folks (since I’m LDS myself, debatable whether I should be counted in that number, which “Saints’ will go ‘marchingg in’?) live DOWN to that trope!
The false promise of “diversity”.
The individual has always been our strength.
Chairman Mao (Zedong) was absolutely correct..power DOES flow out the barrel of a gun!
Hence why we mustn’t relinquish OURS. “Gawd” bless the Second Amendment!
WHAT Second Amendment? It was effectively neutered when the background checks were instituted. What had been a right is now a privilege. You say I’m wrong? Let’s take a look at what the background check is.
You go into a gun shop. You fill out the ATF form 4473. The sales guy makes a phone call; on the other end of the phone is some anonymous, gov’t bureaucrat who says, ‘yay’ or ‘nay’, you may or may not buy the gun. I don’t know what YOU call that, but I call it asking for permission. If you have to ask permission to do something, then you do not have the RIGHT to do that something! It’s elementary, Watson…
Did I say I DISAGREED?
Now, if one’s place on the “no gun, no fun allowed” list was due to a proper adjudication resulting from a felony conviction or being judged mentally incompetent, per applicable Federal and State statutes, I don’t have a problem with it. Where we run into problems is when one is “excluded” sans any legal due process…which is what the gun grabbers want as an end run around 2A! And don’t kid yourself that once that door is cracked open, it won’t lead to a floodgate of arbitrary gun purchase denials, followed by confiscation of firearms already owned.
Doug, I have a problem with the concept of the prohibited persons list, let alone the list itself. The Founders’ position WRT gun ownership was, if a person shouldn’t own a gun, then he shouldn’t be on the street in the first place. That is to say that, if a person belonged on a prohibited person list, then he should be in jail. The 2A says that the right to keep and bear arms shall NOT be infrigned-period.
By that logic, inmates could still be ARMED. Common sense needs to be applied, there’s no “infringement” when 2A rights are stripped away as a consequence of SERIOUS criminal activity. By definition, a felon has forfeited his status as a citizen. Why not get one’s knickers in a twist about incarceration and/or the death penalty, or even the cops’ ability to apply deadly force (though it should happen far less than it does AND it ought to be subject to review by other than the peer agency itself).
But it does come to the point..IMO, the Lautenberg Act and similar state laws, like here in Commiefornia, are completely unconstitutional, for several reasons: They fail the “Ex Post Facto” standard, as they’re applied to Misdemeanor DV convictions prior to 1996 when that ill-fated act was passed, and they fail the Eighth Amendment as “cruel and unusual”, as in many states a felon may, upon successful completion of probation, and, typically after enough time since the conviction that would be the maximum sentence possible has elapsed, petition the court for a certificate of rehabilitation and dismissal of the felony conviction. Ergo, unless the felony was so serious that the felon will endure supervision for the rest of his life, he ought to be able to look forward to a full restoration of civil and constitutional rights provided he’s behaved and has become a productive member of society.
Doug, who gets to decide what a ‘felony’ is? Being convicted of not paying your taxes, or of boinking a consenting 16 year-old, etc. are felonies.
If everyone would simply be diligent to preserve their 2A rights, and to actually practice bearing arms, where ever they go- it wouldn’t matter, because a few criminals possessing guns in a population where everyone is armed, does not give them any advantage- it only works when they have guins and 98% of the others don’t- which is exactly why crime is so much higher in states and cities with the tightest gun control laws, and why mass shootings are much more common in states like CA and in “gun free zones”, like schools.
The way it is now, they can just declare more and more things to be ‘felonies’, and use that to deprive many people of their 2A rights. Some traffic offenses can be ‘felonies’!
There shouldn’t even be prisons. Prisons just tajke even more from the innocent and the victims, to house and feed criminals, while letting them mingle with their own kind and learn more tricks of their trade.
Real justice would be via restitution and punitive damages for property crimes (With those who do onot have the ability to pay being sold as slaves until their debt is paid), and by physical punishment or death via the hand of the victim or his nearest kin in the case of bodily crimes/murder.
Prisons just breed more crime; make it impossible for the victims to be compensated, and give government power over people which it should never have.
And get rid of all the ridiculous laws aginst victimless/non-violent ‘crime’ and there would be a lot fewer felons, and a lot fewer prisons.
As it stands now, things that can prevent one from legally buying a gun:
Past felony convictions. (If they are good enough to be set at liberty, why are they not allowed their basic rights? Yet they still must assume their responsibilities- such as paying taxes…)
Having a protective order issued against you. (Often done unjustly, based on one-sided testimony- especially when someone’s trying to make the other parent look bad in a divorce)
Dishonorable discharge (From the military- not your schlong!)
Delinquent on what the state says you must pay to support ‘your’ child, to the ex.
And a host of other thinhgs.
It’s a scary precedent. If they can deprive certain classes of people of their most basic rights, such as the Second Amendment, why can they then not also deprive them of free speech, or freedom of religion, or the right to protest or assemble…. (Oh, wait- they only deprive decent law-abiding citizens of those things…)
The Hollywood version of the Old West had everyone getting into gun fights at the drop of a hat. In reality, people watched their step, because getting into a power struggle with someone who possesses the same power you do, has no advantage for you- but since decent people tend to well out-number crooks (Except in the ‘hood) the guy who’s hasty to abuse other with his gun, will quickly meet his demise at the hand of 20 other good men- and that’s the way it should be, instead of having paid nit-wits with badges who kill and abuse as many good folks as bad.
WRT judging mental competence, who gets to decide that? For example, to a lib, everyone else who’s not a lib (IOW conservatives, libertarians, Christians, alt-rightists, etc.) is already judged mentally incompetent! The Founders’ idea was better; if a guy shouldn’t carrying a gun, then he shouldn’t be on the street in the FIRST place…
Douglas L Self,
“Now, if one’s place on the “no gun, no fun allowed” list was due to a proper adjudication resulting from a felony conviction or being judged mentally incompetent, per applicable Federal and State statutes, I don’t have a problem with it.”
Where in the 27 words do you find that bullshit?
If I hadn’t read some of his other comments, I’d think he’s a CLOVER! Judging by that comment, I think he has some cloverish tendencies…
People who continue to live in CA. don’t “get it”- else they wouldn’t stay in that most tyrannical of states.
MarkyMark, you get your knickers in a twist over revocation of 2A rights but have no issue with confinement or execution? Am I right? Something seems amiss, and who the devil is the “Clover” here?
I do agree that in general, IF a citizen must have his firearms taken away, it seriously calls into question his ability to move about freely anyway! I have no issue with felons being denied firearms during their probation (they should, IF they reform and successfully serve their sentences and subsequent probation, be routinely able to regain 2A rights), nor persons confined to a mental institution or under a doctor’s care to the point where also it’d be unquestionable that the DMV could and should suspend their licenses, funny, you don’t hear THAT being bandied about, even though the likelihood of harm behind the wheel is far more likely than with a firearm!
However, we all know these “red flag” laws and similar are complete red herrings, designed to justify “infringing” 2A rights, hell, to justify DISARMING the general populace, or restriction of anything that makes “Fun” rhyme with “gun”! (like flash and/or muzzle suppressors, bump stocks, folding stocks, forward handles, bayonet lugs, bullpup rifles, .50 cal rifles, and so on…). They come from the mentality that firearm ownership is a Government-granted PRIVILEGE, not an inherent right, not even GRANTED by the Constitution, as is also misunderstood, but part of the God-given right to self-defense, even and especially against a tyrannical government. And, yes, Mark and Nunzio, I do understand the problems of living in the “People’s Republic of California” but I resent what both of you insinuate…guilt by Association.
Hi Doug,
Being convicted of a felony is not sufficient to condone the stripping of someone’s natural rights. See here, for elucidation:
https://www.amazon.com/Three-Felonies-Day-Target-Innocent/dp/1594035229
Many “felonies” are based on an illegitimate arrogation of power by the Federal government. When someone is convicted of violating a federal drug statute, it is the government that is committing a crime. Not only is there no constitutional authority for such, that authority is specifically prohibited by the 10th amendment.
Most of what government does is illegitimate, even if one accepts the ludicrous proposition that a group of special people may legitimately rule over others.
Cheers,
Jeremy
Whenever I hear about a felony, I immediately think about how tampering with a catalytic converter or using a non-stock one is a felony right now. The definition of “felony” has become so warped it isn’t even funny anymore.
That SHOULD be struck down under the Eighth Amendment…but WHO wants to be the test case?
Exactly, Chuck. A ‘felony’ used to define a crime of violence against a real person- like rape, robbery, murder.
Now it’s applied to anything that the state doesn’t like and wants to punish severely.
Smashing a mailbox is a ‘felony’ now. Making several withdrawals from your bank account of slightly under $10K on several occasions over the space of a few days is a ‘crime’ and a ‘felony’ now- ‘structuring’- they deem you are trying to avoid the reporting requirements for withdrawing $10K or more, and are therefore intent on using the money (your own money) for some nefarious purpose. They don’t have to prove that you ever did use the money for any purpose at all- nor charge you with conspiring to commit some heinous atrocity…just the act of withdrawing your own money is enough- I know of one guy who is rather famous in Christian circles who spent 9 years in federal prison for just that!
Now he can not legally possess a firearm, ’cause he innocently withdrew $8-9K from his own bank account on several different days…for the purchase of lkegitimate things (as if it’s any of their business, anyway!).
The former sheriff of the county next to mine is now a convicted felon (for beating a restrained suspect, and then lying and conspiring with others in his department to cover it up to fed investigators)- and yet he works in a liquor store now, where there’s a gun behind the counter (They let it slide for their own!)
And the former constable of that county was a convicted felon (theft) and was not supposed to possess a gun…nor probably hold elected office…but he did for many years- again, for their own, the law doesn’t matter- they just want to keep the guns out of OUR hands so that we can’t defend ourselves against their goons.
Hey, I’d limit the deprivation to VIOLENT felonies, which is ostensibly the reason to take away the “toys” in the first place! Someone that defrauded me, while he deserves to be punished (and the legal system should go to better lengths to get my property back), isn’t necessarily a threat to public safety if he’s armed.
And yes, I agree completely about the 10th Amendment, especially as “Uncle” has ignored it to criminalize so many things that aren’t inherently criminal anyway, like if I grow some cannabis sativa plants in my back yard w/o getting it’s “permission” and paying the ridiculous tax stamp.
But oh that taking away 2A rights WERE limited to convicted FELONS. The Lautenberg Act stripped firearms from those convicted of MISDEMEANOR DV offenses, even those done PRIOR (a clear ‘ex post facto’ law, and the courts have side-stepped this by treating gun ownership as a ‘privilege, and not an individual right, I wonder, in light of “Heller”, whether this issue will be re-visited). The Federal act, enacted in 1996, strips 2A rights from misdemeanants FOREVER, and now “Commiefornia” has joined them , wherein it used to be a 10-yr prohibition. What CA also did was ADD PC 236, or “false imprisonment”, as a “DV” offense. So if, for example, years ago, you had a tiff with the g/f, and she tried to leave with YOUR stereo, and you stood in the doorway (but didn’t lay a hand on her), and when the cops came, they cited you for PC 236, and, wanting this to “go away”, you pled “nolo contendre”, paid your fine, and the judge gave you two years probation and admonished you to “be a good boy”…well, guess WHAT…if you have a firearm in your possession, you’ve just committed a felony in CA and under 18 US Code 922, you’re also liable for a FEDERAL rap, and you can be prosecuted by EACH, and serve time in one system, and then the OTHER…all because years ago your attorney said, “you committed a boo-boo, pal, but tell the judge you’re ‘sorry’, pay the $250 fine, keep your nose clean, and this will go away.
Next they’ll want to strip 2A rights for too much FARTING…in which case I’m screwed.
Doug,
If I defend myself and my property against an illegitimate armed invasion by the Feds, I will have committed a violent “felony”, but not a crime. It would not be me, but the State, that had committed a crime. You still allow that a criminal organization, the State, be empowered to disarm those who would protect themselves from its’ aggression.
Jeremy
A guy on a Youtube video I saw T’other day made a good point: There was this guy in his town who was a “violent convicted felon”, because he beat the living crap out of the school gym coach for raping his daughter. Now he can not legally own a firearm.
Instead of punishing the guy, they should be rewarding him.
This system is so perverted and corrupt, that really, any restrictions intended to “protect society” will ultimately just end up harming more people.
That Rube Goldberg tailgate we’ve all seen with the “hey hey hey, goodbye” music playing….I was curious how much that thing was, so I visited the GMC website.
That tailgate is not an option. You have to buy something like a $45k pickup to get one.
And…..you can’t get one on a Chevrolet.
Nutty stuff.