makfu

Now folks, don't take this the wrong way... but... WHAT THE F IS THIS WHINEY-ASS NONSENSE?!!? You ask for the return of the Camaro – GM gives you the Camaro. I expect you f’ers to get the hell over to your nearest Chevy shop and buy one, because for 6 years all I have read on C&G is how badly everyone wanted the mulletmobile back (I, by the way, full intend to get one). Now you guys are complaining about how long the car will last BEFORE IT HAS EVEN HIT SHOWROOM FLOORS?! You could at LEAST wait to start complaining until AFTER the car is officially introduced! You ask for affordable RWD, V8 powered performance sedan – GM gives you the G8, a really fabulous car that is far better than almost any of you realize and vastly superior to almost anything in its price class (including Chrysler’s LX’s- and yeah, I have driven the ME market Lumina SS, so I know). Ohhh, it’s not a “true” ribbed for her pleasure $h!-box Pontiac –well boohoo let me cry an f’in river, I mean it’s not like it came from the country that gave us Mad Max and AC/DC. Sweet Jesus, GM, for the first time in 35 years is actually producing excellent products on a consistent basis, including truly amazing performance metal, and you guys are STILL bitching about the company. The V8 is most certainly NOT dead and Peter Delorenzo is wrong as often as he is right, and just because Cadillac (correctly) killed the N*’s replacement does not mean you won’t see continued V8 development at GM. Yes, the Impala as a RWD car is likely dead due to volume considerations, but I would still count on a new RWD Buick flagship and a new RWD Cadillac (complete with V12) both based of Zeta in some form. GM will continue to produce high performance automobiles, mainly because they are profitable and (shock) they have little impact on CAFE. The real problem is mid-range, high volume sedans and light trucks and that is where you will see the biggest impact from the CAFE regulations. The Camaro, the G8, the Corvettes, various Cadillac’s, etc., are (like most performance cars) relatively low volume and, provided people buy them, safe from cancellation. This is NOT 1973. The real 70’s performance killer of smog equipment is not part of the equation. There will be no return to 170HP Corvette’s and, most importantly, GM understands that it simply must produce a wide range of appealing vehicles. Yeah, not everything will be rosey under the new mileage regulations, but stop worrying about things that haven’t happened yet and start worrying about how you'll make your new Z28 payments.

Wait, what? The Camaro and the G8 are for only the rich?!

Skip it... really. Your future is more important than making it to a funeral for a family member of someone you describe as just an acquaintance. If the person in question was a close friend of yours, going to their parent’s funeral would be the right thing to do. However, in this instance, you can have your mother deliver your condolences; though I would make sure you put together a hand written note expressing your sympathies. Might be cold, but it's the right thing to do.

ZR-1, CTS-V, CTS Coupe, Camaro, G6 - yeah, GM hasn't introduced anything interesting lately. Guys, relax. The sky is NOT falling and this is NOT 1973.

Mid 90's and later Jag's were reasonably reliable, far more so than the vast majority of the crap GM flushed on the market during mid 70's and 80's. That they were more problematic than other 90's luxomobiles doesn't mean they were in a state of constant failure.

Well, I certainly won't disagree with you on GM 80's crap, but GM didn't produce anything I would buy after 73 (new or otherwise) until the 92 Seville, which admittedly was riddled with problems - but is STILL a great looking piece of design work and actually had a decent ride/handling setup for a big front-driver. As for the 77, my problem is the acres of really nasty plastic wood, lousy fit'n finish and just generally silly late 70's design. I mean, look at your 67, which is simply beautiful and then look at the 77 and ask yourself how Cadillac could have fallen so fast. The 67 actually looks MORE modern and contemporary today than the 77. As for the 425, I am sure that even all detuned and choked with smog equipment, it was still a good torquey motor (and I am sure the THM400 still shifts nicely). That doesn't change the fact that your 77 is a rolling cliché of really bad taste and substandard quality. I might add, that the Jag Fly wants to buy is a car I have driven, and it is a lovely car. Great English style (e.g. butter smooth) ride quality, luscious sounding and powerful 6 and a gorgeous interior that is everything your 77 isn’t, ergo tasteful and beautifully finished with acres of REAL hand-polished burled walnut and really beautiful leather. So, if he wants to sink the money into the car, as long as he knows what he is getting into, I wouldn’t go calling it a piece of $h!. It might not offer Lexus like reliability, but it is far less a piece of $h! than your 77 Eldo.

Not to be rude, but for someone who drives just about one of the worst malaise era Cadillac’s ever made, you are someone to talk. I mean could you have chosen a tackier, more abysmal example of everything that was wrong with General Motors and Cadillac than a 77 Coupe Deville?! It’s a good thing you have that stunning 67 or I would start making jokes about you being a pimp.

The concept doesn't have the b-pillar, but (and Lutz has a history of doing this) the concept is just a (very) mildly disguised version of the production car. They cut out the b-pillar, put fancy calipers and tires on, probably did a little sprucing up of the interior and called it a day. The on-road car features in the press photos is almost certainly the production vehicle. It has (what looks like) production spec calipers, it DOES have a b-pillar and a higher ride-height. It also has the silly little GM badge. This is a real car and is in fact the car that Bob had under the tarp during the 60-minutes "sneak peak" from a year or so ago (go back and look at it).

Wrong way around . The one in the very first post is the real car (with the B pillar). It does have calipers - they are gray - the front ones are at the bottom of the rotor (you have to look very closely) and the rears are mounted at the left top of the rotor. The mockup/concept has yellow calipers mounted differently and they cut out the B pillars.

That is a rendering / mockup. The picture above is a production ready vehicle (right down to the little GM badge). This is pure Lutz theater right here - he did this with the LHS back in 92 - put a production car he knows people will plotz over on the stand as a "concept".

DAMN YOU Bob Lutz. DAMN YOU! I am going to have to trade in my 08 for this. If you were to reach into my head and pull out of my subconscious exactly what the perfect modern Cadillac (or any car) would look like, it would be this. Simply stunning beyond description.

First, for 4 grand, I would probably buy it. However, you do need to know that Jags, even those of the late Ford era, are still prone to lots of problems, especially electrical. If ANYTHING breaks (and given the cars age and mileage, something will break sooner rather than later), it will be extremely expensive to fix. I am not just talking the occasional $500-1000 service; I am talking about repair work that could cost you more than what you paid for the car.

First, I would love to hear about your GM problems (I think it would be interesting to know). Second, why are you on a GM board if you have been bitten by GM in the past? Given my Chrysler experiences, I sure wouldn’t spend any time on a Mopar board, even if it was in the “other guys” threads. Frankly, every Chrysler my family has ever owned has been an absolute pile of $h!, including: 76 Dodge Aspen - Parents (incredibly awful - seared into my head as a child are the frightening incidents with that car, like stalling in the middle of an intersection while making a left turn and a terrifying brake failure incident while coming down a hill) 87 LeBaron GTS Turbo - My second used car (total crap, died at ~45k when the 2.2’s head gasket blew and the aluminum head warped) 94 Chrysler Concord LX 3.5 – New car (Gave Chrysler yet another chance - disposed of after only 7,000 miles due to massive problems and a Lemon Law suit) 97 Neon – Acquired via marriage (litany of problems to numerous to list, starting from when it was new – brakes issues alone, all of which were “non-covered” problems, cost me thousands in repairs over the span of ownership) Now that is just my experience, but I have a coworker whose 92 Acclaim burst into flames on i684 in Purchase NY back in 2001. My best friend’s mother has a previous generation Jeep Grand Cherokee that is on its third transmission (and it’s under 100k last I spoke to her). One of my other colleagues has a 1 year old Grand Caravan that he absolutely hates because of “all the little stuff, like interior bits falling apart”. Then there are my recent Mopar rentals, which is all I seem to get today because Chrysler is flooding the rental market. I had a brand new PT Cruiser for several months, which, amoung other things, had a trans shudder and smelled of gas (both likely a result of rich fuel mixture due to a faulty O2 sensor). Last month, in Chicago, I had to endure a Dodge Nitro with hood flutter and the nastiest interior I have ever seen (flash lines are totally unacceptable today). In my experience, Chrysler historically vacillates between beautiful cars, interesting cars and boring cars, all with subpar quality. I only know ONE Chrysler customer IRL who actually thinks they build good vehicles and admittedly he had no problems with his Dodge Intrepid or his Durango and, as a result, he just bought one of the new Mopar minivans. However, I don’t know of any other car company that has produced products that have pissed off so many people I actually know. Sure, I know people who have had a bad experience with Ford and GM, but it’s not every GM or Ford customer I know (sans one)!

For profit corporations do not, and never will, exist to provide help or charity. They exist for one all consuming and singular purpose – to make money for their shareholders by providing products and services to customers in a profitable fashion. Everything else, no matter how generous, warm or comforting to employees, customers or the public, is done for the sole purpose of enabling and enhancing the company’s one real function, which is as it should be. With that in mind, neither Chrysler nor the UAW “helped” you. Chrysler didn’t provide any of those benefits (via your father) out of kindness; it did it because it was part of the compensation and benefits package negotiated by the UAW on behalf of its PAYING members. Your FATHER helped you pay for your education by holding down a good job and (probably) working very hard for Chrysler, which in turn provided benefits to help pay for your education. Furthermore, the UAW is an organization your father PAID to be a member of, and thus, was providing benefits and protections as a result (just as surely as I pay for my AAA membership). Credit your father alone, not Chrysler or the UAW because Chrysler was just doing what it was required to do in order to keep talent and the UAW was providing a service paid for by your father.

Wait... what?! Are you saying the guy in the Civic was gay? I would think gay dudes would find that very insulting.

The only thing that could have made it better is if Darth Douche's girlfriend had been in his car. Even so, it was the worst case of pure automotive FAIL I have seen in a long, long time. While watching the scene unfold, I was, in fact, LOL.

Well, that certainly is one hell of a good looking truck. And I don't even like trucks. If the pictures reflect the real product, this may be a badly needed hit for Chrysler LLC.

Sorry, but all this is just so much drama. First, the motor was cancelled primarily because it simply does not make sense in this era for GM to maintain two different V8 architectures. Second, I like DeLerenzo, but he hasn’t seen or driven a vehicle with this motor so he has no idea if it was really top-notch or not. Three, I am an actual Cadillac customer who is a former BMW brand owner. I AM their desired demographic moving forward – so let’s be clear on what ACTUALLY matters: 1. Does the car have the RWD chassis sophistication and ride-handling setup that I am looking for? 2. Is the car interesting in its styling and does it offer solid fit & finish and materials? 3. Does it go fast? 4. Does it meet my NVH expectations? How GM actually delivers the above doesn’t matter one damn bit. People who buy a car based solely on engine architecture are likely NEVER going to give Cadillac a serious look, so it doesn’t matter. For the rest of us who take our cars very seriously, whether Cadillac employs a DOHC V8, a twin-turbo DI 3.6 or a super-charged OHV V8, doesn’t matter. What does matter is that they meet items 1 through 4. Period. A great example is the Escalade – the OHV V8 in the ‘slade is a fantastic engine in every respect – from NVH to pure grunt. That it’s an OHV motor doesn’t matter one bit, even though ALL its contemporary competition are using supposedly more modern OHC engine architectures. Another example is the new CTS-V; 550BHP and an earth shattering 550ft/lbs of torque from a supercharged small block OHV V8 – who needs a DOHC motor?! In this day and age, DOHC V8’s have really become engine marchitectures; they may sound great on paper, but what really matters is product execution. I love the old N* 32 valvers, so much so I bought a brand new tweaked L47 to slap in my Aurora, but provided GM can deliver the goods with a small block V8, or an exotic V6, DOHC V8's really aren't necessary. That said, if GM tries to shovel $h! with a Cadillac badge, I will march right back over to my BMW dealer. Until I see that happen though, I am not losing any sleep over this news.

Want a Chevy FTW story? So yesterday I am on the Garden State Parkway, driving up from my office in Iselin and what appears next to me? A really, REALLY riced-out Civic. I am talking 100lb competition spec adjustable (and totally unnecessary) spoiler, stupid looking body kit, fake over-blue HIDS, fire extinguisher on the passenger A-pillar, all “riden on rimz” with about 1 inch of ground clearance. As I look over at the douche driving this mobile abomination, passing me in the far left lane, I see he has his seat practically reclined into the trunk and has all the necessary trappings of true douchbaggery, including 34 air fresheners, NOS pressure gauges and neon blacklights. So, as we approach the Essex toll-plaza, he cuts over three lanes (directly in front of me) to get to the far-right EasyPass lanes. But he makes one very serious mistake – he cuts off an otherwise mild-mannered driver in the far right lane right before the lanes fan out for the toll booths. What his royal doucheness is completely oblivious too is that he has cutoff a jet-black C6 Corvette Z06. At that moment, I could sense that the driver of the Z06 was seriously pissed and had decided to make it his personal mission to punish Mr. Rice and his Civic. I decided to keep up and watch the drama unfold The Vette, at this point, chooses the adjacent toll lane and as both the Z06 and douchebag Civic exit the booths, the Vette begins running side by side with the Civic. As the lanes merge back to the normal five lanes, the Z06 slides over to the fast lane, all the while keeping perfect pace with the Civic, which now sounds like a seal being flogged to death, as it whales and drones through its idiotic oversized muffler. 70, 80, 90… the Civic runs out of room and has to slot behind the Vette. Now is when it gets interesting, the Vette starts deliberately slowing down, to a more reasonable 75 (it is about 4pm, after all), and the Civic’s driver becomes livid, darting from one edge of the lane to the other to try and see around the Vette. As soon as he sees an opening in the adjacent lane, he cuts over, and floors it. BWAAAAAHHHH, BWAAAAAHHHHH… he gets maybe half a car length in front of the Vette (the Z06’s driver letting them both get back up to near triple digits at the leisurely pace of acceleration the Civic is capable of) and then the Vette hits the throttle, wickedly shooting forward two car lengths in front of the Civic right as the Civic is running up on traffic in his lane, forcing him back behind the Vette. This happens SEVEN times over a 10 minute period before Douchemaster-flex in his ricearony Civic realizes that it’s totally hopeless and that he had, in fact, been made a full-fledged member of the bitch-squad. Having finally resigned himself to his proper role in the automotive world, he moved to the second lane from the right and proceeded to draw no further attention to himself until he exited the parkway at Bloomfield. So what’s the moral of this story? First, don’t be a douche and cut people off. Second, don’t be a douche and pick a fight with a Corvette Z06 when you are driving a ridiculous looking riced out Civic.

I just don’t understand this mentality. Chrysler, like GM, is a company owned by shareholders and operated by people. It is not a living entity – it doesn’t have feelings or reward your loyalty. If a car company builds a great car, then celebrate that product. If a car company produces numerous excellent cars over time, you can celebrate the lineage and excellence of those products and respect the organization that built them. However, the day that company starts building crap, stop buying their product, because there is absolutely NO point in rewarding a company for building garbage. I have bought a number of BMW products because they have always proven to be fun and durable products that I enjoyed owning. I am now on my second Cadillac because I think Cadillac makes unique, fun and surprisingly good cars, nowadays. That said, I think GM is an interesting company, as much for its history as for its spectacular failures of the last 35 years. Let’s be honest, GM mostly built bland and poorly assembled crap during the 90’s, though occasionally had moments of brilliance (93-2002 F-Body, the 95-99 Aurora, C5 Vette, 92-97 Cadillac STS). If BMW started building bland, boring, or otherwise crap cars, I would say f-them. If GM returns to their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s malaise, then f-them too. I might still be interested in both companies, but I sure as hell am not going to continue buying their products out of loyalty – that’s doesn’t help me and, long term, it really doesn’t help the company. Chrysler of this decade has shown moments of genius (the LX cars), but the Sebring, Avenger, Nitro, Compass and Caliber are, reliability aside, simply dreadful. Outside of getting one of these vehicles at some ridiculously low transaction price, NOBODY should buy these things. You are MUCH better off buying the infinity better GM, Ford and import options. If Chrysler LLC can’t be fixed, well that’s Cerberus’ (and its employees) problem, but there is no reason anyone should follow a brand or a company into the ground – they wouldn’t do the same for you.

Well, I don't want a gas tax either, but I'd take it over this CAFE BS. But, and this is just my opinion, I think both CAFE and taxes will prove academic as prices at the pump are going to keep going up. Unfortunately it will impact a lot of people who drive big low-mileage vehicles negatively, which sucks, but I think is just a reality of the times. I suppose my final summation of my point would be that given the CAFE regs, it would be best if prices went up to encourage people to WANT to drive more efficient vehicles because that would allow GM to make money on smaller more efficient vehicles and not force them to try and make every full size, full-frame truck an unprofitable 25MPG vehicle. If that were to happen, well then they will go the same route as the full-frame, full size American car - eventually downsized and decontented to try and gain additional mileage and to restore profitability taken away by the extraordinarily expensive technology needed to meet CAFE mandates. At that point they might limp along in time stasis like the full-frame "full size" (junk) cars of the mid 70's through today (with now just the Panthers remaining), but they will bear little resemblance to the trucks and SUV's of the glory days. I don't want that and I firmly believe if you can afford the gas for it, you should be able to buy the truck or SUV you want. I know it seems counterintuitive, but rising prices have the best chances of preventing CAFÉ from ending trucks, and other low-MPG vehicles, as we know (and love) them.

Your pocketbook versus requirements. It's that simple. If you need the functionality of a full-frame SUV/Truck (towing, business, etc.) then you will have to pay to keep it fed, which will prove a deal breaker in the era of $4.50+ per gallon for the soccer moms I see tooling around in Yukon's and Escalades. Look, I think it sucks that gas is expensive, I wish we could return to the days of 99 cents a gallon, but the reality is that this is not a temporary situation and I am willing to be real money (and I have) that prices will continue to go up, probably indefinitely (since we are quickly exhausting new sources of additional production capacity yet demand, especially outside the US, is skyrocketing). Regardless, either via CAFE or market economics, things are going to change. At least if the market drives up the cost of gas, GM will be able to sell larger numbers of fuel efficient vehicles at a profit, which will offset the CAFE risk of a lot of the low mileage vehicle programs. If things go strictly the CAFE route, while gas prices stay low, GM will be forced to artificially rework the product mix in favor of CAFE, likely having to add expensive drivetrain options to low-mileage vehicles that will hurt profitability and still massively drive up the cost of said vehicles (and all the while still losing money on econobox's they'd have to give away - the historic plight of small cars in the US throughout the 70's, 80's, 90's and today). No matter what, low mileage vehicles, especially full-frame trucks and SUV's will become more expensive to own. However, if GM doesn't have to artificially rework its product mix to meet CAFE, chances are better that a lot of the low mileage vehicle programs will survive in recognizable form (not to mention GM might actually be able to turn reasonable profits across their entire product line).

Actually, you should pray that prices do rise because that will actually save a lot of low-volume low-MPG projects as it will drive general consumers to smaller more fuel efficient vehicles that GM will be able to sell at a profit while improving their CAFE mix. This is why Lutz keeps pushing for a gas tax as GM needs to be able to sell small cars here in the US for a profit, as they do in other countries. This will allow GM and Ford to sell proper high-content small and medium sized vehicles (such as the Astra and the Malibu) without steep discounts and will prevent automotive travesties like Ford's poorly warmed over US market Focus. Meanwhile, because the CAFE mix will be better (especially as ultra-high MPG vehicles like the Volt enter the mix) it will protect vehicles like the Corvette ZR-1, the upcoming (and totally awesome, I might add) G8, a likely RWD Lucerne replacement along with a host of other vehicles. That said, there are some vehicles that are simply not going to happen with CAFE, the most obvious one is a RWD Impala due to its potential volume. I would also expect some pretty negative impact to the pickup truck market - but again, lowering the large truck and SUV market by eliminating those who don't really need to purchase these vehicles (and moving those customers to profitable CAFE friendly alternatives) will actually protect the long-term viability of those products. By the way, Congress, and a lot of other people, need to remember what the original CAFE program was really about - it was to force automakers to deliver high-MPG products, thus helping the consumer as the original CAFE was drafted in an era of actual gas shortages and rationing, where the difference between 10MPG and 15MPG meant getting to work or not. It was a panic solution to a bad situation and has been woefully misapplied in this modern incarnation. In short, I really hope that gas prices (e.g. the market economy) actually do the work that CAFE is supposed to do because if we fall back on CAFE idiocy to make it happen, then you really will see a lot of chopping of low-MPG options to force people into vehicles that help GM meet CAFE numbers.

The writer isn’t a “dumb$h!”. Far from it, he is a very good propagandist who is producing content designed for consumption by those who already share the writer’s views. The content is designed to reinforce already held opinions and not to actually change anyone else’s. Let’s look at how this “report” is structured to appeal to the ideological left: 1. The entire conversation is framed as a discussion about corporate “welfare” and how the current administration is “propping up” GM with this deal. 2. Specifically attempts to equate US Military land with “public land”, as in they are giving away and asset that should be returned to the people. 3. The writer then proceeds to state his left-wing assumptions (that are plausible) about how GM and the military will use the land for testing “global warming vehicles”. 4. He then breaks out how much money GM is saving from this deal though he has no real figures carefully using the word “suppose” in perfect weasel word fashion. 5. But just to soften the tone at the end, and show that the writer is in good keeping with his worker brethren in the American auto industry, he throws in that he is from Lansing Michigan. This is pretty much a picture perfect example of left-wing propaganda intended to reinforce the indoctrination of those who are already sitting in left field. This is no different than the right-wing opinion blurbs you will see from similarly far-right sources. Now, the following is what I believe to be the likely truth about the events described in this article, though obviously, I am just applying my own logical and reasonable assumptions: 1. GM’s existing proving ground was likely not extensive enough to create all the conditions needed for testing vehicles per the specifications the DOD gave them. 2. The military likely didn’t want testing of their future vehicle platforms performed at a location they can’t directly supervise (and secure). 3. GM worked out a deal whereby they got use of the land for commercial vehicle testing in exchange for outfitting the proving ground. 4. GM decided it wasn’t prudent to pay the operating costs for two proving grounds, so they closed mesa. Pretty simple and when interpreted in this fashion and it certainly doesn’t appear to be “Corporate Welfare” in the real EU+Airbus sense of the phrase, now does it? Again, not dumb, just twisted.

The world is not ending and the country is not falling off a cliff. I have lived in and visited some of the worst places on earth (think Saudi Arabia and Pakistan). I have been to every country in Europe, and have visited every continent on earth with the exception of Antarctica. Let me be 100% clear on this – we live in one of the best places on earth with one of the most dynamic economies the world has ever seen. I have seen what the rest of the world offers and I can tell you that we have it so much better than the vast majority of the world that frankly, most of the people on this board simply can’t comprehend it. I have seen political and religious repression that is so institutionalized that the people who suffer under said regimes have NO possibility of improving their situation. I have seen nations where economic stagnation and permanent unemployment is the de facto standard for the majority of citizens. I have seen poverty on a scale that, even when witnessed firsthand, is completely stupefying. You worry because of a correction in the housing market and its impact on badly mismanaged equity markets? Folks, this country has seen far, far worse than what, today, really amounts to a fairly minor set of crisis. This country has survived the Great Depression, a Civil War, two World Wars and sat on the brink of nuclear annihilation for 40 years. The problems of today are neither particularly serious nor insurmountable. However, there is one real danger that I see a lot of people succumbing to, and that is fear. Silly, irrational and largely fabricated fear. While fear politics have been used since the inception of this country, in the last five years, the psychology of fear has been hyped to such an extent that is now THE real problem. We are told to fear terrorists and are bombarded with the fear tactics of those who wish to leverage this particular bit of fear mongering for continued political gain. We are told to fear Climate Change and commit to self flagellation to repent for our grievous sins lest we be buried under 20 feet of water. We are told to fear being outsourced, mall shootings and fleshing eating bacteria. We are inundated with the politics and business of fear because it sells advertising time and promotes power without substance or merit. This has all happened before and returning public discourse to more rational terms is the great challenge of the present. Here is how you fight back: 1. Turn off the TV, especially Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and all the rest of that garbage (and it is ALL garbage) masquerading as news. Current events, politics and information of value does not need slick graphical intro’s, theme music or “Memo’s”. You don’t need it, and it most certainly won’t help you understand the world at large or the real problems and possible solutions we are faced with. 2. Read and uncover the truth. Read newspapers online, read them in good old print. Read CNN.com, BBC news and go to the AP and Reuter’s websites, etc. Read the story from MULTIPLE sources as everyone is biased, including you. Reading information from multiple sources helps to give you a more balanced view, but most importantly, helps you understand how others view the same information. Only after reading about something should you watch CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, etc. 3. Study history. This is a really valuable thing to do as it really helps to provide perspective (and again, apply the same diligence of vetting sources to historical information as you do to current events). Looking at current events through the lens of history can really provide the continuity that makes understanding the where and why of our current situations a lot clearer. 4. Understand that the politicians and the Media (including Hollywood) are not smarter or better educated than you are. Most politicians, actors and “journalists” are sides of the same coin. Often, it is said that if you can’t do it, you teach it – well that’s really not the case as many teachers are actually pretty competent people. The truth is, if you can’t do it, then you act. If you can’t act, then you write about it. Finally, if you can’t act or write, then you run for office. Always keep this in mind because, by and large, the media, Hollywood and our politicians are some of the least genuinely intelligent and most poorly educated people in this country. So take everything they say with a grain of salt, as half the time they can’t even articulate their own positions properly. 5. Have confidence in your fellow Americans. Most people in this country really are not stupid or lazy, despite what politicians, the media and Hollywood would like you to believe. Your fellow Americans, by and large, are a generally hard working, introspective and will try and make the best decisions they can. Most importantly, help the people around you understand your point of view, but always be willing to listen to theirs. 6. Do what you think is right, and keep doing it (provided it doesn’t involve blowing up public buildings). Run for public office, even if it’s just for your town council or similar small office. Start a blog and respectfully present your opinions. Don’t underestimate your ability to make a difference – this ability is very real and it’s something I have seen oppressive governments of this world work extremely hard to subdue. These are my thoughts; take them for what they are worth. That said, don’t let despair, apathy and fear shape your view of this country as it deserves better than that (and so do you).