Drew Dowdell

In more than a few states, costs are indeed shrinking. Off the top of my head, Virginia is showing 10%+ insurance cost reductions. There are others showing reductions as well.

And within context--which you know since you read that far--attributing that to Obamacare is dubious at best. That article is a year old. Healthcare cost growth continues to be low and the economy is growing again and has been for most the the past few years.... so can't still be attributing it to the great recession.

That doesn't change the fact that trains v. cars v. planes is not zero sum.

Seriously??? ? Wait.. to test or buy..? lol as a test. There are two journalist events I go to each spring and the MKX will most likely be there. NICE! So far I think it looks fantastic. If I had the money I'd be in an MKC instead of an Escape(albeit a Titanium). From your professional opinion, how much better is a Lincoln over a Titanium trimmed Ford? The Titanium doesn't seem to be much of an upgrade at all over a standard trim Ford. The MKC is an upgrade over the Escape, but I'm not sure it is worth the price tag Lincoln is asking. That is as much a reflection on how good the Escape is as it is how the Lincoln's interior isn't where I think it should be for a luxury marque.

This just baffles me. I've never not set my destination or itinerary when in Europe. One of the great things my partner and I love about our home-away-from-home of Cologne, Germany is that we can get anywhere we want, anytime we want and never need a car to do it. The only time we use a car is if we're going out to one of the rural castles, and even then there is only a minority of them that can't be reached by transit. I hope you get to experience the additional freedom of a robust rail network someday. You'll see how it compliments the car rather than detracts from it.

The interior "refresh" consisted of the removal of the CD player.

Much of the US east of the Mississippi and west of the Rockies has a population density equal to Europe. Getting between cities should not be the process it is today. For any trip at least 400 miles or less, flying is actually not the fastest process if you count the total door to door travel. European style HSR could get me from Pittsburgh to Columbus in 100 minutes door to door. I can't even get from my house to my seat on the plane in 100 minutes. Perhaps the difference is that I've traveled Europe frequently and know what that kind of rail network can do. I've used the system and know how well it really works... and its far better than anything we have in the US or Canada. Perhaps. But Canada's population density is different from either Europe's or the U.S. Freedom of movement trumps all other concerns for me, from a personal liberties POV. Again... how is another option for that movement limiting your freedom in any way? If anything it expands your freedom. Rail doesn't take away cars... and riding a train isn't mandatory. You can get on/off a train between its origin and destination which can't be done in an airplane. I wish I could take you to Germany and show you how much more free you would be with the kind of system they have there. I rarely ever rent a car while I'm there and I can get almost anywhere in the country.. and even other countries. My guess is that you only have experience with our pitiful North American public transit networks and since you haven't experienced what a real rail network can do, you expect them to perform as poorly as the ones here. Even if you never set foot on a train, the highways would be less congested, fuel costs would be lower, and insurance costs would be lower.

From your link "There is no dispute that health care spending is growing at its lowest level since the 1960s"

Seriously??? ? Wait.. to test or buy..? lol as a test. There are two journalist events I go to each spring and the MKX will most likely be there.

Much of the US east of the Mississippi and west of the Rockies has a population density equal to Europe. Getting between cities should not be the process it is today. For any trip at least 400 miles or less, flying is actually not the fastest process if you count the total door to door travel. European style HSR could get me from Pittsburgh to Columbus in 100 minutes door to door. I can't even get from my house to my seat on the plane in 100 minutes. Perhaps the difference is that I've traveled Europe frequently and know what that kind of rail network can do. I've used the system and know how well it really works... and its far better than anything we have in the US or Canada.

Obamacare was touted as giving everyone healthcare, costing no extra money, not being a tax, and not affecting anyone's existing coverage. That was 100% utopian BS. -The online infrastructure to get people on the healthcare plan was a complete failure for the first 6 months -It cost EVERYONE more money -It WAS a tax penalty for everyone not enrolled -Millions lost their existing coverage - The online system has been fixed - It hasn't and you need a link to back up your statement. Healthcare cost growth has slowed to its lowest rate in 35+ years. Many states have seen double digit shrinkage in insurance costs. - If you think about it that way, then there is a tax penalty for not owning a house... but we don't think about it that way in housing so why would we with healthcare? - That was the insurance industry doing that. The insurance companies could have re-written existing policies to meet the new requirements. They chose to just cancel everyone instead. Get new insurance. We as a country need to stop going crazy about who our health insurance carriers are and which plan we have. People switch car insurance at the drop of a hat. We shop around, compare plans, and then buy the coverage that suits us best. Start treating heath insurance (and healthcare in general) like car insurance and auto repair... and we'll all be better off.

Question - How is getting on a train any different than getting on a bus or airplane? Don't give me the subsidy bit because highways and airlines are heavily subsidized. The entire Amtrak subsidy costs less than a 14 mile toll-way extension being proposed here in Pittsburgh that will see little use because it doesn't go anywhere people want to go. Sorry man - solar and wind are the future. They will not bankrupt you. Ontario is no more an indicator of the future of that technology than Studebaker or Packard is an indication of the future of the car. Note: I work for an energy company that one part of our business is installing solar panels for residential customers..... business is booming (part of why I'm not around much the last few weeks). The new style nukes are a completely different reactor design. Much more compact, much safer, and self-scramming.

Buick is the brand that is surprising people. The ad campaign is a success if your brand doesn't die. Oldsmobile died. Buick won't, if for no other reason than China. Beyond that, I see the logic behind the ads but I won't lie about being leery about the self-depreciation behind them. Buick's sales have been on a strong upswing for the past few years with strong conquest sales. It's leveled off this year as most of their models are starting to get old. But they have a new Verano, Lacrosse, Cascada, Envision coming in the next 12 months, a refreshed Enclave and Encore in the next 18 months, and at least one possibly two cars for the top end of the line-up. I think Buick is in a very safe spot.

Being an liberal-socialist-capitalist means that I believe in the government providing the ladder, either directly or indirectly, and leave it to individuals to climb it one their own. That means: Strong infrastructure including very strong public transportation. The more people can move at ease, the better for commerce. People who don't want to pay taxes to support public transit "because I don't use it" end up paying in lost time due to traffic, higher insurance costs, and higher fuel prices. Employers should want strong public transit because it means they have a broader pool of employees to pick from. Our high speed rail network would be second to none. While I'm more in favor of a single payer healthcare system that provides a baseline. The raw mechanics of Obamacare are sound and have been in use for over 140 years. Nothing utopian about it. The problem areas of Obamacare will need to be sorted out going forward, but that does not include scrapping the whole system. A strong education system that does not emphasize college degrees over other tracks. Trades programs should be emphasized with equal enthusiasm. Not everyone needs or should go to 4 year college. Public school teachers should not be treated as pariahs. We require them to have multiple masters degrees and then want them to start at $36k a year with paltry raises? We won't stock the school with pencils or chalk so we can save $100 a year in property taxes? A strong emphasis on alternative energy - I view this as an issue of national security. I would blanket the country in solar panels, wind turbines, geo-thermal HVAC systems, and solar HVAC systems. I would give large incentives to homeowners to install them on their houses and to landlords to install them on their properties. Yes it would cost taxpayer money initially, but the long term savings would be well worth the up front cost. For base-line energy, I would remove the ban on new-technology nuclear reactors (where we are falling behind China and South Africa because of that stupid 1970s ban) Energy - Education - Transportation - Health: The government gets you that far and the rest is up to you.

get the patch

It's even more insane than that. It's the have-not states that generally vote against such things as universal healthcare. We live in a country of temporarily embarrassed millionaires who don't realize that nearly all of the lower rungs have been cut off the ladder for upward mobility. There have been a few articles I've wanted to write on here regarding this and it's relationship to cars, but I hesitate because of the politics. I'm a strange combo of liberal-socialist-capitalist... or what used to be known as an Eisenhower Republican.

I wish the VQ was an option.

I think we have bigger issues than that. We (us Americans) have become so insanely selfish, I think we're doomed to failure in short order. This clip really resonates with me whenever I hear some yokle talking about how great America is. America's problem (and, to be fair, many place's problem these days) is that far too many Americans equate "the pursuit of happiness" with individual liberty. They have produced a nation of micro tyrants. It's the "I should never have to pay for anything" mentality. Not getting political here, but it blows my mind that Bernie Sanders is considered a Socialist because he wants the roadways to be properly funded and wants a minimum wage that reflects the increases in the cost of living...... that's not even socialism.

I didn't realize they were separate in the first place.

I think we have bigger issues than that. We (us Americans) have become so insanely selfish, I think we're doomed to failure in short order. This clip really resonates with me whenever I hear some yokle talking about how great America is.

While what you are saying may or may not be true (I'm not verifying either way).... there are posts that he has made that really are news to be discussed. *I* noticed the downvotes on a thread he started (the F-150 incentive thread)... and really, what is the point of downvoting a post like that, that is sharing news? I am specifically talking about stuff like that. I can solve the voting war by turning off negative voting or turning off the reputation system entirely, but I would rather leave the system in place.

I think it was Ford, not the Edge, that lost this comparison. By sending a vehicle so out of line with what was being requested, they set themselves up for failure. Had they sent a Titanium AWD with the 302A Equipment group it would have been just slightly cheaper than the Murano. Performance would have been the same and they wouldn't have been complaining about all the "sport" stuff in the seats and springs. I've driven the Murano and the Edge Titanium back to back and there isn't much effective difference between the two. It would come down to aesthetics mostly.

I was about to do my own brakes on the CR-V, but it needs calipers too and I didn't want to have to deal with bleeding them.... so I just dropped it at Monroe. I don't have the time to be messing with it.

I'll probably get in one in September.

Incoming folks from MT, please go easy with the negative voting. Don't downvote someone just because you don't like the messenger.