The Boondocks blog, No. 51 for the week starting January 6, 2008.
Ford to Release More Efficient Engine
Energy looks at high energy prices and our future.
Enviroman looks at man and the environment.
Hayseeds looks at politics and life in our nation.
Individual looks at myself and how I'm changing
Outblog is all about my outdoor experiences.
Transit looks at the changing ways we get around.
Truck gives you stories and trips in my Ford Ranger.
The market numbers for last year suggested that with higher gas prices that pickup truck sales are significantly down from last year, including being far below the expectations of even the Japanese which usually underestimated.
In some ways, I'm not surprised with the high cost of gasoline. But as the article notes, most pickup drivers aren't moving away from trucks—they just aren't buying new. They're sticking with their existing models and try to get a few more years out of them with high gas prices.
People who drive cars and SUVs are more likely to be changing models and brands—particularly downwards. High gas prices and a new sense of environmental conscience have made the Toyota Prisus particularly a hot sale this year, limited only by production. Still, the whole market is depressed as people can't afford new vehicles to the extent they could before the market slowdown.
Through a combination of turbo charging and direct injection, it looks like Ford has unveiled a new engine that will consume around 20% less fuel then previous models and cut greenhouse gases by 15%.
The thing about this engine is it doesn't require anything unique compared to other engines, and is in a stand in replacement for existing engines. It's powerful enough that a 4-banger can replace a 6-banger, and so forth, and that's a big part of the savings.
As soon as Spitzer got through his speech and didn't mention the agricultural community we knew he would get a little hell from farmers who felt that they had been left off the map.
In his 7,604-word speech, Spitzer mentioned "agribusiness" once. He never said the word "agriculture."
"That's the number one industry in New York state. It strikes me as a little strange he didn't mention anything about it. Maybe it just wasn't in his mindset when he was preparing his speech." said Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-Pulaski. Assemblyman Bill MaGee, D-Nelson, echoed the same sentiment.
Thursday, Spitzer seemed to make up for the omission by stopping by the state Agricultural Society's annual meeting at the Holiday Inn in Salina.
Spitzer was the first governor in 20 years to attend.
"It is a joy to be here . . . to pay deference to one of the great economic engines of New York state," Spitzer said.
In a short speech, Spitzer highlighted policies implemented during his first year in office that helped farmers, including giving $30 million in aid to dairy operations, instituting middle-class property tax rebates and winning workers compensation reforms.
A few things that Spitzer promised for next year:
