4 ms·

I take issue with your representations here. Republicans have more trucks because there are more Republicans in areas where trucks are currently necessary for l

I take issue with your representations here. Republicans have more trucks because there are more Republicans in areas where trucks are currently necessary for life. Republicans may also vote with their feelings more (in my opinion that's both true and a ridiculous blanket statement), but that has nothing to do with truck ownership other than some very nuanced answers as to "why" these people choose to vote Republican.

deleted 5y ago
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toomuchtodo 5y ago
I encourage you to have a conversation with someone with a pickup truck whether they “need” it (versus an all wheel drive vehicle of better fuel efficiency) and if they’re willing to pay more (ie the true cost) for fuel to live their lifestyle. I have had the conversation, numerous times, with predictable results. I mean this seriously, go get some ground truth if your circumstances permit. You don’t need a pickup truck to live in a rural area, even in the winter, and if you do need it (frequent towing/bed hauling), there is a cost that should not be subsidized by others. I stand by my broad assertions based on too much reading and too many greasy spoon diner conversations from the East Coast to the Rockies. We could get off of oil much, much faster, but most folks would rather hold on to the bitter end. Edit: I appreciate the data point even when it contradicts my thesis. Thanks for asking them! (I live in the South, not California fwiw) I owe you a beer for the trouble.
- jimmygrapes 5y ago
  Well, I'm at a bar right now in "flyover" country, and the bar is packed but quiet, everyone is having conversations about what they did last week and what they're up to next week, along with news and sports and general bullshit. I asked the man next to me your question after hearing him talk about how he finally had to get a new set of tires after 5 years of pulling stumps and hauling equipment. I actually asked him, "Do you really need a truck?" He told me, direct quote, "Every day I haul saws, chains, oil, gas, drills, a generator. You don't want that shit in your back seat or trunk." I then asked him what he does for a living and why he needed to haul all that. He works for Amazon, just like many of you. He also does self sustaining farming, just like many of you claim to support and praise. He also clears trees from roads after storms, free of charge. He also helps when his friends and family need to move. He also carries de-icing salt to distribute to his family when it snows. He just asked me if I'm talking to "one of those California know-nothings". He didn't use any slurs.
  - pasabagi 5y ago
    I grew up in farming country and nobody I knew had an american-style truck. Some farmers had old military-style jeeps, but none of them were particularly large, and if they wanted to carry stuff, they could put it in a trailer. Guys who haul stuff like scrap around typically have a flatbed van. I get that a van isn't sexy, but it's a great value proposition if you want to haul stuff about.
- nickd2001 5y ago
  Given that rural areas have more land, on which one could put solar panels and/or small wind turbines and thus have some electricity for free, I wonder if electric pickup trucks would ultimately be cheaper for people to run overall? In which case people who are apparently surgically attached to pickups, might at least be motivated to switch to EV version? ;)

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

toomuchtodo 5y ago

I encourage you to have a conversation with someone with a pickup truck whether they “need” it (versus an all wheel drive vehicle of better fuel efficiency) and if they’re willing to pay more (ie the true cost) for fuel to live their lifestyle. I have had the conversation, numerous times, with predictable results. I mean this seriously, go get some ground truth if your circumstances permit. You don’t need a pickup truck to live in a rural area, even in the winter, and if you do need it (frequent towing/bed hauling), there is a cost that should not be subsidized by others. I stand by my broad assertions based on too much reading and too many greasy spoon diner conversations from the East Coast to the Rockies. We could get off of oil much, much faster, but most folks would rather hold on to the bitter end. Edit: I appreciate the data point even when it contradicts my thesis. Thanks for asking them! (I live in the South, not California fwiw) I owe you a beer for the trouble.

jimmygrapes 5y ago
Well, I'm at a bar right now in "flyover" country, and the bar is packed but quiet, everyone is having conversations about what they did last week and what they're up to next week, along with news and sports and general bullshit. I asked the man next to me your question after hearing him talk about how he finally had to get a new set of tires after 5 years of pulling stumps and hauling equipment. I actually asked him, "Do you really need a truck?" He told me, direct quote, "Every day I haul saws, chains, oil, gas, drills, a generator. You don't want that shit in your back seat or trunk." I then asked him what he does for a living and why he needed to haul all that. He works for Amazon, just like many of you. He also does self sustaining farming, just like many of you claim to support and praise. He also clears trees from roads after storms, free of charge. He also helps when his friends and family need to move. He also carries de-icing salt to distribute to his family when it snows. He just asked me if I'm talking to "one of those California know-nothings". He didn't use any slurs.
- pasabagi 5y ago
  I grew up in farming country and nobody I knew had an american-style truck. Some farmers had old military-style jeeps, but none of them were particularly large, and if they wanted to carry stuff, they could put it in a trailer. Guys who haul stuff like scrap around typically have a flatbed van. I get that a van isn't sexy, but it's a great value proposition if you want to haul stuff about.
nickd2001 5y ago
Given that rural areas have more land, on which one could put solar panels and/or small wind turbines and thus have some electricity for free, I wonder if electric pickup trucks would ultimately be cheaper for people to run overall? In which case people who are apparently surgically attached to pickups, might at least be motivated to switch to EV version? ;)