Spring is in the air!

Ah, another solid 3 months of no posts from KP. I sometimes forget about my little love-child down here. I need to start keeping up to date with this.

Well, just as we have seen almost every year, now that the mercury is rising so are gas prices. It's amazing how quickly prices jump when crude oil prices go up. I mean it's almost like each gas station has an in-house stock ticker and there is widespread panic when crude jumps a penny.

Of course, when crude drops, we see no change in gasoline prices. With prices around $80/barrel, the gasoline companies are turning a pretty penny right now. The last time crude was this low, gas prices were around $1.50/gallon. I would expect to start seeing the "Record profit for Exxon this Quarter" headlines in the paper pretty soon. Unless, of course, they just stop running those completely.

Gotta keep Americans (dumb) happy!

Nothing overly exciting in the car market right now. Few new hybrids, few new models, same old stuff. MORE POWER, LESS FUEL! We have a 90% electric car! Well, WE have a 92% electric car!

There's a rant point. I find it interesting that so many people buy hybrids and fail to see the actual environmental impact of the car. Each car, when it dies, must be disposed of. The problem that hybrids pose is that their battery cells are highly toxic, so you can't just toss an old hybrid in a junkyard and say "Toodles!" Each NiCad or Li cell battery must be removed by a specialized mechanic and these batteries must be disposed of in an environmentally safe fashion.

That disposal process requires the burning of a lot of crude fuel sources: coal, fuel oil, etc. So while you are driving around in your hybrid claiming that you're "saving" the world, get a clue. You are only delaying the inevitable carbon output.

And one other thing on hybrid drivers: stop acting all high and mighty toward us lowly fuel burning creatures. Yes, you feel that you're doing your part. It's like any other lifestyle choice: good for you, but keep it to yourself.

I once saw a Prius with a license plate that read "MYPART." It took all my inner will power not to key the thing.


I still can't believe the Pontiac division of GM is gone. It's unfortunate that once they started producing cars that people would enjoy, they don't give them a chance to flourish once again. The G8 and Solstice only got a couple years run, but hopefully I'll be able to pick one of the two up in the future. Pontiac finally got back to a driver's car.

I'm holding off on a health reform act rant until I learn more about what the bill actually does. Going to be interesting for a while, I think.