Rasta Rants

I know that America is clearly divided by brand when it comes to trucks. There are Ford guys; Chevy guys and some Dodge guys. I also know that this loyalty is much deeper than any car loyalty and is even passed down generation to generation. I have actually seen grown men go toe to toe over their truck brand. So I know I am wading into some very troubled waters by doing a blog on trucks. I recognize that I could end up with death threats on this one but I hope at least it will be an interesting read. So here goes. When we look at the full size truck field we have the big three American brands - Ford. Chevy (GMC) and Dodge (now just RAM). Then we have the "foreign manufacturers" - Toyota and Nissan( I have left out Honda because their truck is not really full size.) I say foreign manufacturers but in actuality their trucks are made here in the US. Actually more F150 Fords are assembled outside the US than both Toyota and Nissan trucks. So the field is small in comparison t...

It has been over a week since I posted anything and a great deal has happened. So I will try to catch up with a series of posts in the next few days. For today here are a few the big issues: Gay Marriage Yesterday and today the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for about 80 minutes on two cases -Prop 8 from California and DOMA - the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996. Being a Cali resident (for now) I know a bit about Prop 8. The citizens passed it denouncing gay marriage then an Appellate Court over turned it. Now it is in front of the Supremes. This is such a tough issue. The current polls say Americans for the most part now approve of gay marriage by a slim margin (49% to 46%). Three years ago the numbers were very different with about 63% against gay marriage. So what has changed? I think a number of things. First and foremost is all the main stream media attention on gay marriage. Hell it is hard to find a current sitcom that does not have a gay couple or relationship. Eve...

For 1.2 billion Catholics around the world this is a big week. For the first time in nearly 600 years a Pope resigned his position. For all my non Catholic readers Popes usually die on the job. So currently we Catholics are Pope less. Not to worry we sent 115 voting Cardinals to Rome and they are going to elect a new Pope (hopefully this week). It is a fascinating process really and I never cease to be mesmerized by it. Here is how it works: All the eligible Cardinals (now 115) get locked in the Vatican and debate and vote for the new Pope. No Cardinal 80 or over can be in the conclave. Since each Cardinal is technically eligible to elected Pope himself I presume the age limit is set so that we are not electing Popes every 8 to 10 years. I say assume because no one really knows why age 80 was selected. It takes a 2/3 majority to vote in a new Pope. There are no limits on how many votes (only one per day) or how long they can remain in conclave. It took nearly t...

You know the saying" I'd give my left ---- to"? Well I would to be at the Geneva Auto Show today. Why you might ask? Well this spectacular Euro show happens to often be where new super cars get unveiled. This year is a literal gold mine as not one but three new super cars were introduced. Amazing. In case you are asking why this should matter to any normal car enthusiast or purchaser let me explain. These pinnacles of automotive innovation and perfection are packed with technology and capabilities that over time will make it to plebeian cars that you can I can buy. Also as a gear head seeing these amazing cars unveiled is akin to a new Sports Illustrated Swim Suit edition without any guilt. Yes you ca lust over these beauties and not have your wife or girlfriend get angry that you are drooling over a scantily clad model. And as fantasies go these are just as unattainable as the girls in the swim suit edition. So lets review these new best of breed. Ferrari has not...

Well it appears that my blogs about cars are as popular as my ramblings about the economy and politics. Who knew? Today I want to focus on New Cars but specifically on Audi. For those that are old like me you remember that Audi had some issues in the mid 1980's with "unintended acceleration". While they were producing fine cars with fair value they were no where near the power and strength of either BMW or Benz. However prior to 1986 they were trucking along pretty well and gaining some market share. I was one of their buyers, taking home a brand new 5000S. This was a nice 4 door sedan with Quattro (all wheel drive) and a unique 5 cylinder engine. It was by no means fast but it was solid and spacious. I liked its look and my wife liked the space for two young kids plus the safety features. It was priced below the other two big German luxury car makers and so we had our first Audi. Then the big scare came with the "unintended acceleration" scandal. This sin...