This Week-Roundtable: Krugman's hitting his stride

[kpete]

Run time: 02:04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKgupzPU05E   Posted on YouTube: May 31, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 31, 2009 By DU Member: kpete Views on DU: 1606

 

[Metta]

1. Good for him. ... batting aside fears and smears so effortlessly. He should be in gov't.

There'd be less war if there were more people like him.

[elleng]

2. Will losing it, more and more!

'Forcing' us to buy cars we don't want? Fortunately, Krugman mentioned CAFE standards, which caused us LAST TIME to want small cars!

[underpants]

5. Several aspects to this

1. the new CAFE standards will not necessarily mean smaller cars. Less weight maybe but the problem is that Detroit has long stayed beholden to weight instead of making the same cars with better and lighter materials that are JUST AS SAFE

2. There is a demand for smaller cars. There really was no demand for SUV's but they effectively marketed them so people thought that they wanted them. People are aware of the cost of gas and the fact that they aren't really ever on a whim go cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway as we seen in every car ad. Demand has been manipulated.

3. Will conveniently ignores that the Bush tax cuts themselves subsidized SUV's-the weight standards for extra deductions covered almost all SUV's

[elleng]

7. Right you are!

I surely want a small car! and never could figure out where the suv era came from.

[bertman]

8. regarding 2., I WANTED an SUV because it met my needs. So I bought one. No one forced

me or any of the other folks I know who own SUV's to buy them.

Would I have liked the option of buying an SUV that used less fuel or was a hybrid? Certainly. I was actually pissed when Congress voted down the last attempt at raising the CAFE standards when Clinton was President because I was hoping the automakers would make them more fuel efficient.

[underpants]

11. There was already a satisfied market for those vehicles

mostly by LandRover Jeep and Toyota.

Yes a segment of the market needed and wanted SUV's but the mass public did not-that was my point.

BTW- I am not an anti-SUV person I don't really care to tell people what to do with their money.

[bahrbearian]

3. Why is George Will allowed to spew LIES

Americans don't want to drive fuel effecient cars? Tell that to Toyota and Honda. Jerk! Lied to us about Iraq and he still is on Television

[Pat Riot]

4. Americans forced to buy cars it doesn't want!! ha

Because about half of America are sheeple told by Hummer commercials that this is what they want, accept unquestioningly that is what they want, a Hummer not a Honda. I bet most Americans shop how they vote: about half believe the hype and about half actually research facts.

Signed, proud owner of a 1997 Honda Civic hatchback which was completely made in Marysville, Ohio, with more American made parts than any other car at that time

[bahrbearian]

9. Right On

:thumbsup:

[DeSwiss]

6. It's like he's just toying with them....

- And all George Will has got anymore is old, hackney-assed cliches and Repuke talking points that were forged back in the Pleistocene Era around the time of Reagan. Back when his opinion was last relevant.

K&R!!!

[stlsaxman]

10. Gwen Offal- "Why not just call it nationalization"

Always looking for the GOP code word and talking point to slip in there, eh Gwen? Have you ever asked Krugman on to your show? Bet he'd turn you down if you did. He knows the REAL name of your show is "Washington Whores On Parade".

:mad:

[ellenfl]

12. first of all, if everyone had a small car, safety would not

be such an issue. the playing field would be level. secondly, people want all kinds of things they cannot have because of the impact on others. it's what civilization is all about.

if only small cars were available, everyone would want the sportiest or fastest or coolest. advertising TELLS people what they want. most do not make their own decisions in that regard . . . at least not since the first days of 'keeping up with the joneses'.

the issue now is the price of a new car. i would buy a prius but for the price. so detroit needs to produce good, small, reasonably priced, fuel efficient cars. it can be done so that everyone wants one. everybody needs to think long term for a change . . . especially the car companies.

ellen fl