Drew Dowdell

He is basically responsible for all of the above except FWD. Kill 7 birds with one stone. I don't really think FWD is a bad thing, just the over emphasis on it. GM not had Roger Smith, they would have done much much better, we probably wouldn't have Saturn, we might still have Oldsmobile, and Chrysler and Ford would have had to keep up. A lot of the domestic's problems revolved around ignoring the threats from the east. If Ford and Chrysler <and AMC>, had a domestic competitor that they couldn't ignore, things would have been much different.

It's not about global warming at all. It's about sustainable energy. The Saudis are lying about the size of their reserves oil are being depleted faster than we're being told. Here is a map of the wind generation potential of the US. All off the area in blue is prime wind generation area and we have something called a grid that allows us to move electricity all over the US... so even if the wind isn't blowing in Detroit, the lights are kept on by wind power in Texas.

man, I work in the electricity generation and wholesale business with a focus on green energy.... really want to go to the mat with me on this one?

Other: Roger Smith.

is this a joke? If you go back to enough sources, wind is hydrogen energy. Hydrogen fuses in the sun creating heat and light for solar energy. Solar energy heats the air on earth causing variances in temperature. Hot air rises, cold air descends, making wind. So yeah... it's not renewable once the sun burns out.

I got my "Check is in the mail" two days after I got my check. I was like.... no it's not... the check is in my bank account.

Not everyone received only $600, many got more because of family. There was also some business stimulus in there as well.

1. The same way Toyota gets called a "green" company for building the Pruis. People often buy Toyotas for fuel efficiency even if it's the Tundra.... which isn't the most efficient in it's class. 2. To do it in a way that will offer 40 miles of electric only but have "acceptable" acceleration for the average, fat assed, American is a moonshot. Remember, people call the 6 seconds to 60 in the CTS "sloth like". 3. The concept is simple, the execution is not. GM has been building ICE/Electric hybrids since 1941, just not for cars. 4. Who said no one else is doing it? BMW is supposedly considering a similar set up for the Mini and the next Pruis is supposed to be fairly close in concept.

Oh no no! Upgrade everything underneath. Just keep the visible stuff looking crappy.

too heavy.

No, the coolest Fiero is the one that still looks like ass, but someone dropped a twin turboed GM 3.4 DOHC in the back to eat Mustang GTs\ Supra\ any other rice with. I'm all about the sleepers.

not so much starting it as enabling it. No, starting it was when you started seeing those ads for "Borrow up to 125% of the value of your home!" and "Get a mortgage for $300,000! No proof of employment required!" and "Put no money down and pay only when it's comfortable for you!"

So... if the "e-flex" system can be installed in a Malibu... why can't it be sold in... uh.... a Malibu? Even if it meant 30 mile electric only range instead of 40 mile electric only, I'd prefer to buy a more conventional looking car.

Well... both really. Much of the "wealth" of the last 7 years was on paper only.

Either you need to expand your question better or I really need to go grab lunch because I can't wrap my mind around what you just asked. just in case, I'm going out to lunch...... brb

I wrote this in another forum where I'm a "filthy liberal". If you're worried about subsidizing Ethanol, why aren't you worried about subsidizing oil via the Iraq war?

Interesting tidbit. I was doing some calculations for a fight on another board I frequent. Remember those $600 checks you got back in May? They cost the government $168 billion dollars. That is enough to pay for wind generation installation for every household in the U.S........ 3 times. Imagine never having to actually pay for recharging your Volt.

I was partially raised in New Hope, so I know it well.

At $40,000 the Volt will be cost effective over a current Pruis at 175k miles At $30,000 the Volt will be cost effective over a current Pruis at 75k miles Every bit helps.

Not neccessarily. The auto makers just need standardized chains.

Oil opened down $2 at $118 RBOB Gasoline drifting around $2.98

Up until the announcement, Oldsmobile was putting out more Intrigues alone than Saab and Hummer are selling combined. Throw in the Aurora<More sales than Sky>, Bravada<More sales than Outlook>, Intrigue <more sales than Aura>, Alero <way more sales than Astra> and Silhouette<way more sales than Relay>, and you suddenly wonder why Saturn is here today and Oldsmobile isn't.

Saudi Arabia has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production levels. Russia has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production levels and has reduced it's shipments to Czhek republic by 50% Venezuela has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production levels. Mexico has not been able to maintain it's previous oil production level and will switch from net exporter to net importer by 2015 Indonesia and Malaysia have not been able to maintain their previous production level and have already switched from net exporter to net importer. The gas companies have been granted permits and full access to build a few new refineries already...... ever get the feeling they don't want to because they know something about where future oil production will be by the time the refinery is built?

There might be a recession in Europe but not nearly as bad as what will happen here. England and Ireland are in for a walloping, but Germany with their fiscally conservative habits <it's sort of culturally ingrained to not use credit cards>, will probably weather it relatively easily. The U.S. will suffer because of it's gasoline/automotive based infrastructure and high fuel costs. Europe can at least turn to the rails if automobile use becomes too expensive. Even AirFrance trying to combat high jet fuel costs by buying railroad companies in order to offer alternative <cheaper> service to their customers. In one of the biggest, most blatant shifts of wealth to the rich ever constructed, the federal government is now going to bail out private investors <rich people and hedge funds> with taxpayer dollars. Somehow we all seem to be ok with that. I feel like I'm getting out of here in the nick of time and to the safest <financially> place I can think of that has friendly faces.

pretty much at the end of every food isle, there is a little old lady handing out something.