ot; black friday buys…

[spdrun]

flu: relability might be an issue. I certainly wasn’t impressed with the quality of the interiors of the two Fiat 500s I had as rentals. One had a broken armrest at 6000 miles. The other had a broken gas cap at 10,000 miles.

But an electric drivetrain should be simple enough to be reliable.

As far as crash safety, they’re nimble little cars. I’d rather avoid a crash than survive one. And besides, I ride motorcycles, so I’m not a fearful little kathoey.

[CA renter]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=spdrun]

It never ceases to amaze me that these days, more Americans are interested in seeing other people fail then they are interested in seeing people succeed… Talk about the total Schadenfreude mentality that if I can’t have it better, then neither can you…

Envy-fluenza strikes again..

Wrong: I wish Elon Musk with Tesla, Lockheed with their fusion reactor project, and Sunpower with their high efficiency solar panels all of the luck in the world. Same to anyone building hydro power projects where they make sense and producers of modern fission reactor tech.

I just happen to think that the frack industry, as has existed for the last 5-10 years is an insanely asinine idea. And that oil as energy should have been left in the last century.[/quote]

I agree with you spd, but I take a different tack. Theoretically, not fracking for oil today doesn’t mean that we are wasting resources. We would be saving it for future use while Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela deplete their oil reserves in the present. We would have very strong future competitive advantage.

[/quote]

This is what I’ve always questioned as well. Wouldn’t it be more prudent for us to save everything for the time when petroleum products had mostly been depleted in the rest of the world, leaving us with the most highly-valued assets. Of course, that would likely lead to resource wars, the likes of which we haven’t seen to this date.

Just seems counterintuitive to be doing all of this drilling/fracking at this time.

And could not agree more about the need for other types of energy sources. We should have kicked the oil & gas industry to the curb back in the 70s instead of letting them drive our economic and political policies over these past few decades. As we all know, this is why we’ve spent so much money, and lost so many lives, in these wasteful wars. What many people don’t know is that we’ve been doing this since WWI (and before).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamian_campaign

Time to move on. If we could have spent those resources on R&D instead of wars, I wonder how much better (or worse?) off we would be by now.

[CA renter]

[quote=spdrun]

As far as crash safety, they’re nimble little cars. I’d rather avoid a crash than survive one. And besides, I ride motorcycles, so I’m not a fearful little kathoey.[/quote]

Just wait until you have kids…

[spdrun]

I hope to be out of this excuse for a country for good by the time I have kids. Far healthier for children to grow up in a country that doesn’t have irrational fears rammed down its collective gullet by for-profit media scum that seize on every abnormal situation as if it were the norm.

Much prefer places where kids walking to school at 8, and traveling on their own at age 16 are the norm, rather than being considered child abuse. And where parents don’t feel pressured to stop living just because they pop a sprog or two.

And where my family’s health care will be covered by the collective, rather than putting us in danger of bankruptcy if it’s needed. Basically, with a good welfare state, one doesn’t have to worry as much about their kids starving if the worst happens, so they don’t need to wrap themselves in bubble-wrap as much.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=spdrun]I hope to be out of this excuse for a country for good by the time I have kids. Far healthier for children to grow up in a country that doesn’t have irrational fears rammed down its collective gullet by for-profit media scum that seize on every abnormal situation as if it were the norm.

Much prefer places where kids walking to school at 8, and traveling on their own at age 16 are the norm, rather than being considered child abuse. And where parents don’t feel pressured to stop living just because they pop a sprog or two.

And where my family’s health care will be covered by the collective, rather than putting us in danger of bankruptcy if it’s needed. Basically, with a good welfare state, one doesn’t have to worry as much about their kids starving if the worst happens, so they don’t need to wrap themselves in bubble-wrap as much.[/quote]

you can run but you can’t hide.

someone once said having kids is like living with your heart walking around outside your body.

scary stufff

[spdrun]

There’s a difference between insane schizophrenic paranoia and caution.

[CA renter]

[quote=spdrun]I hope to be out of this excuse for a country for good by the time I have kids. Far healthier for children to grow up in a country that doesn’t have irrational fears rammed down its collective gullet by for-profit media scum that seize on every abnormal situation as if it were the norm.

Much prefer places where kids walking to school at 8, and traveling on their own at age 16 are the norm, rather than being considered child abuse. And where parents don’t feel pressured to stop living just because they pop a sprog or two.

And where my family’s health care will be covered by the collective, rather than putting us in danger of bankruptcy if it’s needed. Basically, with a good welfare state, one doesn’t have to worry as much about their kids starving if the worst happens, so they don’t need to wrap themselves in bubble-wrap as much.[/quote]

Where would you like to go? Honest question here, as I generally feel the way you do about the direction of the U.S., but have heard from friends and relatives abroad that these other countries are on the same general trajectory, even if they’re a bit behind us.

[CA renter]

[quote=scaredyclassic]

someone once said having kids is like living with your heart walking around outside your body.

scary stufff[/quote]

That is so well put. It changes you’re entire perspective…makes you a completely different person. Very scary stuff.

[spdrun]

Germany, Czech Republic (anywhere in EU works well for me legally). If not that, then I’d try somewhere in South America or New Zealand.

[CA renter]

It’s easy to say you’ll throw caution to the wind when you are childless. So very different once you hold that vulnerable, gorgeous life in your arms.

[CA renter]

[quote=spdrun]Germany, Czech Republic (anywhere in EU works well for me legally). If not that, then I’d try somewhere in South America or New Zealand.[/quote]

Have you done much research on these countries, and have you learned their languages?

My maternal family is Austrian, and I have long considered moving there since it might be easier to get citizenship and I’d already have a social/family network, but taking the leap is a big deal. What would push you over the edge? What sort of residency status would you aim for?

[scaredyclassic]

I have no fear associated with me riding a motorcycle.

the idea of my kids riding a motorcycle makes me terrified

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=CA renter][quote=scaredyclassic]

someone once said having kids is like living with your heart walking around outside your body.

scary stufff[/quote]

That is so well put. It changes you’re entire perspective…makes you a completely different person. Very scary stuff.[/quote]

like, ina very real sense, my purpose is to keep them alive. that’s like…my purpose in life. an actual purpose. not just making a few bucks ona house flip, or being cool. but like, an actual important mission.

dont fuck it up!

[Coronita]

[quote=spdrun]

As far as crash safety, they’re nimble little cars. I’d rather avoid a crash than survive one. And besides, I ride motorcycles, so I’m not a fearful little kathoey.[/quote]

Just wait until you get rear ended by a Yukon, Suburban, Escalade, Expedition, or something similiar..Assuming they emergency crew can peel you and the Fiat off the front bumper of the aforementioned vehicles..

[spdrun]

I was actually rear-ended by an Envoy in a Miata. Still alive, though I did make the dumb bint who was driving it cry before the cops got there. No apology from her, just a mewling “I didn’t see you, I was on my phone.”

“What if it would have been a bicyclist, you dumbshite? You’d be heading to jail for manslaughter right now. Know what happens to rich kids like you in county jail? … … …” So easy, hope she learned a lesson.

And her daddy dearest’s insurance paid for book value plus other things within a week.

[Author]

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