re: Canadian Spec Cars reprise

["Sedon, Doug (OD/ORS)" <sedond@domain.elided>]

hi michael, ewe said:
>...We build a lot of cars for sale in the US, all US spec cars, funnily
>enough....
>
>But, my point was supposed to be that the US market is getting less and 
>less diverse. Free markets are supposed to deliver more variety and choices 
>due to open competition. The auto market in the US offers very few real 
>alternatives, most manufacturers are producing the same old same old. This 
>is a characteristic of a heavily protected market. Now I understand logic 
>well enough not to leap to the conclusion that common characteristics prove 
>cause and effect, but I conclude that the declining variety of vehicles 
>available in the NA market is due to US protectionism in the form of their 
>unique safety and emissions regulations (administered by at least three 
>different regulatory bodies, two federal and one state). No one has put 
>forth any argument to suggest this is an incorrect deduction (induction 
>more correctly but....you know).
>
>...The SUV issue just proves the US is not in fact REALLY committed to
>emission control or auto safety. The American public votes in politicians who
>support very restrictive passenger car standards, and then goes out in droves
>and buys passenger vehicles that don't comply with these standards.

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(jeez, why am i always a sucker for this stuff?)
michael, michael, michael!!!  when ya gonna learn?  if there was usa
protectionism, then canada woodn't be building *any* american cars!  the only
protectionism there is, is *corporate* protectionism.  if ford/gm/d-c had their
way, *all* their cars-n-trucks-n-suv's wood be built off-shore - it's *much*
cheaper!!!  of *course* the usa isn't as committed as it should be to
safety/emissions concerns - remember those good ol' corporate lobbyists?  

re: americans' feelings about cars-n-politics, ya gotta remember *most*
americans don't care any more about their cars than they do their refrigerators!
when they wote (those few that *do* wote), most could care less about passenger
car restrictions.  remember, those of us on this list are on the lunatic fringe!
we like to drive!  most folks don't - they yust like to *get* places!  if
camry's had no hood releases, d'ya tink anyone wood ever notice?!?

re: diversity, fact is, the usa market is actually *quite* diverse - there's
only a *few* wehicles not awailable here that some of us wood like to see, &
that *some of us* is a wery small fraction of the usa car-buying public!  while
the diversity of the global car industry may be in fact becoming less & less, as
the corporate giants swallow up more-n-more of the smaller mfr's, the % of world
vehicles awailable in the usa will only increase: it is in the corporations'
interests to ensure that a car that meets euro-standards & s. american
standards, will also meet n. american standards.  the *only* limit to the
diversity of vehicles in the usa will is that set by the desires of the
consumers, which will be met by the corporations' desire to make money.

doug "diverse tastes = diverse cars" sedon

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