Does the Leaf appeal to conservatives?

[hodad66]

There are so many ways to spend money. Being green is not
cheap so if I saw an individual driving a Tesla would I have
the same reaction as if he/she were driving a Hummer?
You can bet not!

[Jimmydreams]

Ah, the envy.

Be honest, JimmyDreams and sjfotos... when someone sees conspicuous consumption, maybe that guy with the Escalade or the Gulfstream, and bemoans his carbon footprint and seeks regulation to reign in his lifestyle to be more in line with their own, do you think it's always about the environment, or is there just a little deep seeded anger that they don't have that lifestyle too?

Speaking for myself, its all about the excessive footprint/greed/ostentatiousness. I could live a MUCH larger/opulent lifestyle than I currently do. But I try to NOT buy into the advertising and trends and go with a little more thought-out approach. I'm far from perfect myself, but anger/jealousy??? Very little.

Now, if you want to talk about geek-factor and "I gotta have THAT techno-filled item", yeah, I'm guilty as charged.

[sjfotos]

Also, I sure wish I had been able to take more flights on a Gulfstream!! Yeah, I may be green, but sitting in a spacious cabin without some kid kicking the back of your seat for three hours is a treat

I'm sure it was. (/jealousy off)

But where is the greater evil? Riding in a jet that has very low passenger miles/gallon of gas, or a parent letting their child misbehave by kicking your chair?

Ah, the envy.

Be honest, JimmyDreams and sjfotos... when someone sees conspicuous consumption, maybe that guy with the Escalade or the Gulfstream, and bemoans his carbon footprint and seeks regulation to reign in his lifestyle to be more in line with their own, do you think it's always about the environment, or is there just a little deep seeded anger that they don't have that lifestyle too?

I'm not sure what the majority opinion would be from those who are seeking to regulate those types of things. I can well believe that some number are out to storm the palace gates!

For me, I really don't care what people spend their money on. What I do care about is sending wheelbarrows full of dollars to Middle Eastern regimes that have no interest in seeing us succeed, especially as China is now their major customer.

So, I guess in sum, I would like to see regulations that encourage better gas mileage and jump start "oil-less" alternatives, but if someone wants to drive their Hummer to their Gulfstream and then power up their 1,700 horsepower speedboat after arrival, more power to them.

[mwalsh]

Ah, the envy.

Be honest, JimmyDreams and sjfotos... when someone sees conspicuous consumption, maybe that guy with the Escalade or the Gulfstream, and bemoans his carbon footprint and seeks regulation to reign in his lifestyle to be more in line with their own, do you think it's always about the environment, or is there just a little deep seeded anger that they don't have that lifestyle too?

Speaking for myself, its all about the excessive footprint/greed/ostentatiousness. I could live a MUCH larger/opulent lifestyle than I currently do. But I try to NOT buy into the advertising and trends and go with a little more thought-out approach. I'm far from perfect myself, but anger/jealousy??? Very little.

Now, if you want to talk about geek-factor and "I gotta have THAT techno-filled item", yeah, I'm guilty as charged.

I'm with Jimmy on this.

Pity is what I'm inclined to feel more than anything. Pity that the person is so self-absorbed and narcissistic, that all they can think about is self-aggrandizing. Then pity turns to anger that, in being self-absorbed, narcissistic, and self-aggrandizing, they don't consider that they are helping kill the planet.

[AndyH]

There are so many ways to spend money. Being green is not
cheap so if I saw an individual driving a Tesla would I have
the same reaction as if he/she were driving a Hummer?
You can bet not!

Being green can be the least expensive way. Check out this newfound (to me!) info on cap and trade:

http://mydd.com/users/lowell-feld-nrdc- ... ative-idea

In the end, the conservative Republican-inspired "cap-and-trade" system for acid-rain-causing sulfur dioxide was put into place by Republican President George HW Bush, who "not only accepted the cap, he overruled his advisers' recommendation of an eight million-ton cut in annual acid rain emissions in favor of the ten million-ton cut advocated by environmentalists." And it worked incredibly well, "cost[ing] utilities just $3 billion annually, not $25 billion... [and] by cutting acid rain in half, it also generates an estimated $122 billion a year in benefits from avoided death and illness, healthier lakes and forests, and improved visibility on the Eastern Seaboard."

Now is the time on Sprockets when we laugh.