THE SUV DEBATE

There does not seem to be much balance in the SUV debate but let me have a try at it anyhow:

The Wall St. Journal has a rather tongue-in-cheek explanation of why some people like to drive large vehicles and why others hate them for it. And, as this article shows, they are indeed hated. Forbes, however, has a more balanced article (free registration required) on the subject than either of the above extremes. My own first comment on the matter was on 9th December last year:

An interesting article on what Australians call 4WDS and what Americans call SUVs. The article quotes research findings to the effect that they are primarily bought for show and statistically debunks the claim that they are safer. Because of their instability, they are far more likely to roll over than other vehicles. So, overall, they are less safe and more likely to kill those in them. They are also more likely to kill other people in smaller vehicles that they collide with. And, as we also often see on the news in Australia, people accidentally back their 4WDS over their own children at a great rate.

A reply to that posting is to be found here

The reply challenges the finding that SUVs roll over more but I would be surprised if vehicles with such a high centre of gravity did NOT roll over more.

I do feel rather sorry for the people who feel the need to drive such needlessly awkward and expensive vehicles but as a libertarian I think they are entitled to whatever turns them on in the matter.

I personally would not own a SUV if only because I know how much scorn it would cause many of my fellow-citizens to feel towards me. I would rather be scorned for more important things.

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GOOD OLD CANADIAN SOCIALIZED MEDICINE

Shiny Happy Gulag reports:

Northern Alberta breast cancer patients whose wait to see a cancer specialist has almost doubled should be sent out of province for treatment, says the president of the Alberta Medical Association. Dr. Steven Chambers goes on to say that eight weeks is an unacceptable waiting period to see an oncologist, and these patients should be flown to the US for radiation therapy.

Eight weeks for patients with life-threatening cancers to wait before they can begin treatment. Welcome to the Gulagland state-monopoly health care system.

Note where the doctors would like to send their patients: To that wicked capitalistic USA!

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ELSEWHERE

Carnival of the Vanities is up again -- with something for everyone.

Oh Boy! This picture says it all about limousine liberals. Via Clayton Cramer.

Australian Tory reports a study showing that public transport emits more Greenhouse gases than private cars! I wonder how the Greenies will deal with that one? One guess: Ignore it.

More insane political correctness in Britain: Richard Browning was sacked from his teaching job because one of his students photgraphed a toy gun. Via Natalie Solent. If link does not work, try here

China Hand blogs on the terrible destruction wrought by envy in China and notes that Chinese intellectuals are just as parasitic as Western ones.

The Wicked one has what seem to be some totally new thoughts on cloning.

Chris Brand has a lot on the current Muslim situation in Britain.

Our Australian nutjob Leftists are so amazing that even American bloggers sometimes have fun fisking them. See American Realpolitik

Medpundit has some horror stories about lawyers in his post of 19th.: Like the lawyer who slept through his client�s trial and the fact that in many American States you can be sued for complaining to ANYONE about your lawyer! It does seem to leave shooting them as the sole recourse.

This �bra� nonsense certainly confirms what I have often said about Leftists being people who desperately need attention. I guess when they were little and said �Mummy look at me�, Mummy didn�t look.

Dennis Prager (post of January 21st.) says that American Jews vote Democrat because they think that Rightists were responsible for the holocaust. The Leftists have obviously conned them well. Hitler was a socialist.

Michael Darby warns us that Iraq is a North Korea in the making.

Hello Bloggy doesn�t like the French very much.

Lighter moments in science: Man descended from Aardvark. (Under the heading �British News�, of course!).

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Comments? Email me: jonjayray@hotmail.com.
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