Misguided fad

I just read today that, because of Scott Brown's win against Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts Senate election this week, more Mass. residents are buying pickup trucks--specifically the GMC Canyon, the truck that Brown used as a "mascot" during his campaign. http://www.boston.com/

Now, whichever way you feel about who won or lost, a surge in truck-buying is bad. Americans should be going back to cars instead of trucks, which saves fuel, saves the environment, lessens our dependence on foreign oil, and makes roads safer. I don't fault people who use the trucks as trucks on a regular basis, but buying one because it's cool or macho is just stupid and backward-thinking. I used to have a truck when I needed one for my business, and I had a minivan when our kids were little. But both were more fuel efficient than a full sized truck. (Even when I had a one-ton stake-bed truck for my contracting business, it had a four-cylinder engine---and averaged 24 MPG.)

And don't start the "I'm tired of political correctness" stuff on me. That's like saying, "I'm tired of doctors saying I should quit smoking or eat sensibly or bundle up when it's cold," or complaining about having to wear deodorant or wash because everyone else does, or saying all this talk about pollution and conserving is boring. Get over it! I'm tired of people complaining about political correctness. It should be second nature to consider what you actually need vs. its environmental impact when you purchase something. Whether global warming is caused by people or not ignores the question of what our actions will do to our descendants. Why use up all the oil so our grandchildren or great grandchildren have none, when we might be able to make changes that extend the supplies for generations?

Brown's truck is made by GM. The Canyon is rated terrible in reliability. GM (and Chrysler) had to borrow money from the very people who didn't buy their (inferior) cars and trucks, and if we're going to buy from them now, we should be sending a message to them that we want more efficient and reliable vehicles. If you want to buy American (a good idea), Ford has some reliable and fuel efficient models, and they didn't screw up so badly that they faced bankruptcy. Even buying efficient foreign cars sends a message to American automakers that people want quality and conservation. It just seems that buying a Canyon is like buying a hole in the ground (pun intended) to throw your investment into.

There was evidently a run on Hummers when Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governator because he drove one. So I hope Ed Begley, Jr. gets a hit TV show soon---maybe there'll be a bigger demand for electric or hybrid cars.

And that's my rant for Friday.