Drew Dowdell

The Avi is surprisingly easy to park. I could maneuver it better than some smaller FWD cars.

Yes I realize that. The people that fall into that bracket are usually the elderly who have a small stock portfolio from decades ago or who are selling their house.

Uh, I have data and history on my side regarding economics. If you're trying to maintain that Horse and Sparrow works.... show it. The only time that a tax cut on the wealthy worked was when JFK lowered the tax rate from it's absurd high of 91% for the wealthiest folk. The boom after Reagan was from the deregulation of the credit market NOT the Reagan tax cuts. Proof? Marginal income stayed the same. There was no boom after Bush's tax cuts as the unemployment figures and payroll figures show... the country has been kept afloat by manicly crazy credit policy and the fed printing presses running at full. If I'm wrong, give me an argument as to why. doesn't cut it.

You can keep posting that and you'll just keep being wrong. Repeating it over and over won't make it true. It doesn't work for SMK and it won't work for you. I came from NOTHING and built my own business. My dad came from NOTHING and built his own business. My grandfather came from NOTHING and built his own business. None of us got anything other than advice from our respective elders. The company I used to work for was owned by a wealthy family. When the Bush tax cuts came out we got NOTHING. No raises, no bonuses, no nothing. They bought a new machine from a defunct competitor <the machine was purchased from the bank>, they fired most of the workers who used to work in the area where the new machine was being located and moved more production to El Salvador. The proof is in the pudding, unemployment is UP since the Bush tax cuts. Businesses are closing or laying off workers. Companies are trying to sell their products to people who can no longer afford to purchase them and then scratching their heads as to why the economy is so bad. Horse and Sparrow theory, Trickle Down theory, Supply Side economics whatever you want to call it, have 90 years of FAIL! Do NOT PASS GO! DO NOT COLLECT $200!

Ok, I'm going to violate my own rule. What the hell kind of stupid comment is that?

We're in a form of Fascist Capitalism right now.

You're playing with semantics. But yes, progressive taxation makes the burden even out... but that's just making it fair. Most people on here seem to be more concerned with using tax policy to manipulate the prosperity of the economy. Horse and Sparrow theorists have been consistently proven wrong in all except the most extreme of high tax cases. Read my sig. If you want economic prosperity for the whole country and you're going to adjust taxes to do it, you cut taxes hard at the middle and lower classes. Those are the areas most likely to increase spending. Whenever taxes have been cut for the wealthy, all that's happened is the wealth of this country has been concentrated higher and higher and the rest just get to eat cake. For me, a heavy tax cut for everyone under $200,000 yearly income. Capital gains get taxed at the same rate unless the income comes from a homestead sale or retirement fund. Ending of tax breaks for sending jobs overseas. A "per-country" tariff to equalize costs of labor.

it's already got the shovel on the front though....

oh ya, and first thing that comes to mind with that "name"

Start? Monte Carlo Malibu Corsica Bel Air Biscayne

Depends on if Ace Hardware has any more shovels in stock.

but it's still just a Civic. It's an even more blatent badge job than the ES.

I'm SUPER! Thanks for askin!

What I think you're trying to imply is that capital gains should be taxed as normal income. In that, we'd agree. There would have to be exceptions for personal real estate.

or.... you don't know enough about economics to understand why we have progressive taxation in the first place. Flat taxes are inherently regressive. Even though the percentage of tax is the same, the burden on the lower classes is much greater.

Horse and Sparrow theory is a farce while capital gains are at 15%. Vote for John McCain as long as you don't mind eating horse &#036;h&#33;. In our current situation, cutting taxes on the rich will NOT HELP THE ECONOMY! It's not the wealthy's taxes that are causing this mess, but it's the wealthy who have caused this mess by being so greedy.

Ok, you're right. I take it back. You CAN drive around in an '04 CRV and not exceed 2800rpm. It's all suburban driving and you'll annoy everyone behind you... but no more then any Edgar and Mable Bluehair on the road.

Tell ya what, I'm heading out to run some errands in an hour or so and I'll keep the tac under 2,800 rpm the whole time and see how long it takes before my BF smacks me. An Avalanche is about twice the weight, has about twice the power, has the aerodynamics of a brick, can haul 7 times the payload weight / haul large appliances / 4 x 8 sheets of plywood / has built in coolers.... there 10. You're right about the grandmother exaggeration.... I'm sure the CRV can at least equal the torque of my grandmother's broken hip 300hp Avalanche...... where's the exaggeration here?

and after all my rants about the CRV.... I do kinda like it. Around town it's a fairly refined vehicle and handles all my apartment maintenance duties. It's much more efficient than the '96 Roadmaster Estate. but it is not good for much more than an around suburbia scamp..... which is where I suspect 90% of these vehicles spend their time.

fixed...... as this CRV has required more than a few times.

What exaggerations? Want me to take a video of the CRV screaming uphill at 5,000rpm? I notice it because it annoys me so much to drive it. As for comparing an '08 Malibu to an '08 Accord using an '04 Malibu's numbers..... sure... if the numbers on the '08 Malibu are worse than those on the '04 like the CRV's..... go for it. Who here doesn't think that a heavier vehicle with less torque at a higher RPM will perform worse than a lighter vehicle with more torque at a lower rpm? Sorry man, the 5-speed isn't going to help you that much.

but the tire noise will...... and you can't NOT hit 2,800rpm in a CRV.... not without causing an accident anyway.

4wd, same route, loaded with people and luggage, 4-speed auto, yet twice the weight, aerodynamics of a brick, twice the power, and about 10 times the utility, yet I still got 19mpg and it wasn't sluggish nor screaming up to 5,000rpm just to hit real world highway speeds. 2003 Avalanche. I just looked up the 2007 CR-V. Power rating when from 160hp @ 6000rpm to 166hp @ 5800rpm and 162ft/lbs @ 3600rpm to 161ft/lbs @ 4200rpm! At the same time weight increased over 200lbs!! Sure... the '07 has a 5-speed, but they really need a 10 speed to keep it in the power band! Of course the Equinox that everyone likes to poo on around here has 185hp @ 5200 RPM and 210ft/lbs @ 3800 RPM.</off topic> The Escape I4 has 171hp @ 6000 RPM and 171ft/lbs @ 4500 RPM with a 6-speed and manages 28mpg. The CRV sells on badge.

I've rebuilt cars in the past. I keep this car operating in top shape. The '04 CRV with AWD and automatic was rated at 25mpg highway.... and it's not like Honda's numbers back then weren't a bit over inflated. It has 160hp at 6,000rpm and 162 ft/lbs at 3,600rpm. That right there is explanation enough for why it's screaming at 5,000rpm to get up a mountain at 80mph with it's 4-speed auto. edit: My avalanche had 80,000 miles and NO rust when I sold it. It was never garaged because it just wouldn't fit.