Drive naked, save gas/increase mileage

[EStreetJoe]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/07/beck.energy/index.html

one paragraph from the story:

If people really loved America, they would strip down, leave their clothes at home, and drive around buck naked. That would decrease the weight of our cars, which would increase our gas mileage so dramatically that we probably wouldn't have to drill for any new oil!

 

[PeteyPirate]

That column was a steaming pile of crap. I don't know how you in good conscience argue against cutting consumption on the basis that it's "annoying."

 

[imjustagirl]

That column was a steaming pile of crap. I don't know how you in good conscience argue against cutting consumption on the basis that it's "annoying."

Talk about taking something out of context.

He said asking everyone to unplug their television every day was annoying and people would never do it. Not cutting consumption as a whole.

 

[PeteyPirate]

That column was a steaming pile of crap. I don't know how you in good conscience argue against cutting consumption on the basis that it's "annoying."

Talk about taking something out of context.

He said asking everyone to unplug their television every day was annoying and people would never do it. Not cutting consumption as a whole.

My apologies, the rest of the consumption-cutting suggestions he described as "gimmicks," so I take responsibility for mischaracterizing Glenn Beck.

 

[imjustagirl]

Filling your tires IS a gimmick. Sorry.

 

[andyouare?]

Filling your tires IS a gimmick. Sorry.

How is it a gimmick if it's true?

 

[PeteyPirate]

Filling your tires IS a gimmick. Sorry.

No need to apologize when I categorically reject the notion.

 

[imjustagirl]

Did you read the link? The majority of people already do that. The people who don't aren't likely to do it for a long-term solution.

It's a short-term fix. It's not a solution...it's a gimmick.

 

[andyouare?]

Good point. If it was accurate.

But no one actually said it was a solution. It was brought up as a comparison: We can save as much gas properly inflating our tires, as we would with offshore drilling.

But I wouldn't expect any more than an intellectually dishonest and flawed argument from Glenn Beck.

 

[imjustagirl]

Right. Great. OK, so it's a strawman argument, because one option is real and the other is make-believe?

Much better defense.

 

[andyouare?]

How can it be a strawman argument if it was never an argument to begin with? The point was that offshore drilling is unncessary because the gains would be as minimal as keeping your tires properly inflated.

But instead of understanding context, we'll just focus on a couple of words and ridicule.

 

[imjustagirl]

How can it be a strawman argument if it was never an argument to begin with? The point was that offshore drilling is unncessary because the gains would be as minimal as keeping your tires properly inflated.

As FDP said above, I categorically reject this.

 

[andyouare?]

How can it be a strawman argument if it was never an argument to begin with? The point was that offshore drilling is unncessary because the gains would be as minimal as keeping your tires properly inflated.

As FDP said above, I categorically reject this.

Well as long as you have your reasons.

 

[imjustagirl]

Meanwhile, the U.S. Minerals Management Service estimates that there are about 86 billion barrels of oil in the areas that we're not allowed to drill.

 

[Flash]

If driving naked is for the greater good, then so be it.

 

[PeteyPirate]

Meanwhile, the U.S. Minerals Management Service estimates that there are about 86 billion barrels of oil in the areas that we're not allowed to drill.

I agree that to suggest that all people who don't inflate their tires might suddenly start doing so is not realistic, but to suggest that we could access all 86 billion barrels is equally as unrealistic. There aren't enough ships to support current offshore drilling efforts, let alone a huge expansion of them. What makes more sense? Working to access an undetermined amount of oil over a period of decades stretching into a time when we don't want to be using oil anyway, or working to encourage the masses to take part in a bunch of little consumption-cutting efforts whose sum represents a tangible savings in energy while keeping in place the incentive to develop alternatives?

 

[Fudgie the Whale]

Meanwhile, the U.S. Minerals Management Service estimates that there are about 86 billion barrels of oil in the areas that we're not allowed to drill.

I agree that to suggest that all people who don't inflate their tires might suddenly start doing so is not realistic, but to suggest that we could access all 86 billion barrels is equally as unrealistic. There aren't enough ships to support current offshore drilling efforts, let alone a huge expansion of them. What makes more sense? Working to access an undetermined amount of oil over a period of decades stretching into a time when we don't want to be using oil anyway, or working to encourage the masses to take part in a bunch of little consumption-cutting efforts whose sum represents a tangible savings in energy while keeping in place the incentive to develop alternatives?

Kinda like giving a guy an pick ax, dropping him off in the Rocky Mountains and saying, "Hey, there's $1 billion worth of gold in those hills." That might be true, but so what?

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

The whole idea of keeping your tires properly inflated to improve your car's gas mileage has always been a scam designed to bilk us out of our quarters at those air pressure machines. It's about time we stopped being in denial about that and realize the dollars -- perhaps as many as 30 or 40 if you've been driving long enough -- we've thrown away believing such crap.

 

[imjustagirl]

Thank you, J_D.

Hey! Wait a second!!! >:( >:( >:( ;)

 

[Johnny Dangerously]

;)