I had a discussion with my father while watching racing at his place a week ago. He leans to the right on a lot of issues but isn't involved in politics very much. He said something that made me mad. Something that comes naturally to a lot of Americans.

We started talking about gas prices during one of those God awful Dodge Hemi commercials (exactly what we need, right?). I say how we need to put a stop to these types of impractical trucks & SUVs and his response is one we hear all too often from the American peanut gallery: "Americans have the right to own and operate those types of vehicles." My sister is the exact same way. She drives a Tahoe and her only passenger is my 4yr old nephew. I think the carpet in her trunk still has that new car smell.

Why can't we just ban the production of ridiculous trucks & SUVs from this point forward? People will be upset for a good month and then it'll go away like any other American fad. After 30yrs has passed they'll be the next relics of car shows. We'll chop them up and melt them down with assault weapons and old B52 parts. Then we'll file the reasoning right behind not being able to smoke in public places (in some states) and seat belt laws.

My point regarding the B52 is based on our American arrogance on this topic. We went out of our way to decommission B-52 bombers after the Cold War as part of a mandate to help countries feel better. The thing is that whether or not those bombers actually posed a real threat to the rest world is up for debate whereas using oil is not.

So what gives? And if the argument is based on job loss then what about all the jobs lost at arms manufacturing plants and the Boeing B52 plant? Another rebuttal for that argument is employing the same people for hybrid vehicle projects. Why are we protecting automobile companies? I say we force them.

 

Plenty of good reasons to Ban SUVs

Number one besides fuel is the number of deaths of occupants in cars that are struck by SUVs during accidents due to the height of the SUVs and the fact that a normal car's safety area is lower than the bumpers of most SUVs and trucks.

 

So who disagreed? Can you give us your opinion, please?

 

I agree minivans do the job just fine to haul people around. And trucks to move stuff! My brother in law has a SUV. More of a status symbol than anything I guess, considering its only two of them.

 

I just don't know why you would want to legislate something like that? This is a free market right? If people will buy them then someone should be able to make them.

Honestly, they are the only thing that keeps the American car companies afloat right now. I know you guys out west don't really have a concept of what its like being coupled to the American Auto industry. As long as I can remember I have had numerous relatives working for all of the big three. The reason I bought my Subaru was after my father got laid off from Chrysler after the Daimler merger, but up to that point I had owned all American cars (mostly Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler) Besides if they ban suv's I won't get to buy my F-250 Crew Cab with the Powerstroke Diesel.

Living in Michigan is pretty tough times right now with all the trouble the car companies are having. I think we have the worst unemployment rate in the country. Luckily I work in education

 

Then where can I get an AUG or M4 around here? You see my point? If arms manufactures had one day to sell as many assault rifles to Americans as they could then they would make an unbelievable fortune. I would buy up as many as I could and I know hundreds of thousands would do the same. I am a responsible gun owner as I'm sure a lot of SUV owners are responsible drivers as well. But the statistics behind SUVs on consumption and safety should be reason enough to legislate them just as the government felt it was necessary to strip me of my assault rifles, tangible objects much like SUVs that are only as good as the operator.

Except with SUVs what they affect goes beyond what any assault rifle could within our shores. It's not like I can do a hail marry shot from Sacramento to Iran with an M16. But with the gross consumption associated with SUVs and these impractical trucks, we can clearly forecast the repercussions they have on the rest of the world. Everyone uses oil for life except we're using it frivolously. At least China has an excuse to be number one in consumption as they have over a 1.3 billion people. Are only excuse is that people have the right as Americans to be gas hogs. It’s ridiculous.

I see that as an opportunity to do it as soon as possible. You don't decide to strip a hotel of a major defect within the last phases of construction if you can help it. Instead, you’d much rather do it at a stage when they're low to the ground in production.

 

I understand that there should be stricker enforcement of the SUV's consumption. I have no argument there, and they should be pursuing green solutions to all of these problems. But the responsibility doesn't lie only in SUVs. My mothers new Dodge Durango with the MDS engine gets slightly better gas mileage than my WRX, So do we just discriminate because they are large vehicles? Better get all of the Semis off the road if you are using the dangerous card. And for that matter I would feel safer if my future wife and child were driving around in a SUV because they are safer for the occupants. Would I like an SUV that didn't consume so much, of course but the solution is not banning SUV's. It's finding alternate ways to power them. (That's why my F250 will be Diesel, so I can start powering it with Bio-Diesel)

Actually I can get an M4A1 right now at my local gun shop. It's not the full auto of course but still it's a nice weapon. You just can't get one because you live in Cali.

 

It's never going to happen though. To much lobbyist money goes from Detroit to Washington.

 

I disagreed, but I don't have time to give my reasons why. I have to catch a bus for class.

 

i dissagreed. i absolutely hate full size suv's, and i think they should be banned. but i like mid-size, like the toyota highlander, and i like range rovers.

 

Most SUV's get better gas mileage then a STI... Can carry alot more ppl and alot safer.

 

I hate them also. Aside from the gas/oil issue, there always seems to be some dumbass behind the wheel tailgating, blinding me through my rear view or driving aggressivly...but banning them is extreme.

Instead, why not special driving tests, like an SUV class drivers license. I also hate taxes, but how about an additional SUV tax? I dont know, but I do know that I cant stand them!

 

Thats awfully socialist territority for you Salty. If thats the path you want to go down, then make cigarettes illegal, make butter illegal, make bacon illegal, make plastic illegal, make whatever illegal. I'd be willing to bet that most of your fellow gun owners wouldn't stand with you on this one.

 

You're going down a stupid slope here so how about this... let's bring back everything that was ever made illegal. You see how ridiculous the exact opposite of what you suggests sounds?

You forget that my point does not recommend the banning of economical and practical automobiles, and practical trucks. Your logic suggests a never ending domino effect that would eventually strip people of their non-assault weapons and toyota Prius. My intent is not to strip everyone of cake (what yours suggests) but more along the lines of serving cake without a fork. What we currently have with today’s society is based on having our cake and eating it too... except in this case we’re gluttonous.

 

What about all the lobbyist money from the NRA and the numerous other pro-gun organizations and individuals? What about the money coming from the arms manufacturers?

I think it's more along the lines of doing what doesn't make you hypocritical. Not many people can say they're fired an assault weapon or smoked a cigarette in a public facility. But damn near everyone has stepped foot inside an SUV for one reason or another. God help any politician that introduces such a bill if there's so much as a polaroid of him/her standing next to such a vehicle.