alot of the new v-8's have a flexfuel or similar capability where the car runs on 4 cylinders until you activate the other 4 by hitting the gas. many of these v-8's get the 30 - 32mpg that these new standards are going to be looking for.


lol this topic went way off track lol

My apologies to King, the last few posts I made have less to do with the original questions than they should.
Love to chat about cars and the automotive world in general but I gotta go.
I'll be back before Christmas.

take care kid

Ive owned many 350's that lasted over 350,000 miles.
Your right that the Pinto and Vega were garbage though, but so were the Datsuns and the earlier Toyota's. No one cared though, because they would go forever on a gallon of gas. I'm a little older than you and probably remember the times better since I was just starting to drive at the time. Datsuns were junk, sometimes you had to get out and push them. LOL, seriously, and I lived in New Mexico at the time, in the desert!
But yeah this is isolating the topic to one industry. The problems with outsourcing and the loss of jobs with benefits, resulting in a lower quality of lifestyle in this country can be attributed to tariffs. The fixes in our political system can be solved, if you change the political donation system. Then and only then will you get politicians in office that will listen to the people instead of the corporations.

Fanta...shugar i am betting those roads in New Mexico are in no better shape right now as they were a few years ago when i drove to reno. GOD AMIGHTY DAM! THAT WAS RUFF!!! i remember the gas crisis in the 70's. You bet i do! the quality of cars has gone right into the crapper. I doubt any person making minimum wage can afford a new car payment, shoot! i just had my car break down again. so its back to the old pickup truck i have owned used for the last 14yrs. I say its high time our congressmen get the big FOUR YEAR LIMIT in office. Then send em on their happy way. Pay them MINIMUM WAGES, and SEE how they like living like so many of us americans do. On a hope and a prayer. I worked my lil AMERICAN ASS OFF from age 13 and worked 25 years b4 becoming disabled. I have NEVER gotten welfare or state aid. I dont expect anyone to raise my youngin BUT i do expect CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT to do that dam job since the JUDGE ORDERED ME TO TAKE IT. Yeah...i know...dream a little dream but actually having them ENFORCE the support owed would be a help. I sit back watching all the factorys here being closed down and moving to sunny mexico. Illegals packing into my town in an obscene amount which of course will be taking jobs by employers at below minimum wage. For a single parent to accept minimum wage even at the increase of 5.00 per hour once you buy gas to get to work, pay daycare for that youngin your BROKE. I wont even scan my items at walmart. I make a HUMAN CASHIER DO THEIR JOB!!!! Save a job. Just say NO to the self-cashier scanners!!!!

i'll tell ya the way people execute customer service nowadays they deserve a machine doing their job.I say hi to the door greeter at Walmart and at least the machine doesnt ***** about their job while ringing me out.I only use the machine when i have one item and the lines are long.god forbid they open another register.

The whole notion of "saving a job" by using a human cashier is rediculous...it's only a job that you "see"..but in reality it creates more jobs in electronic industry, Programmers, and repair technicians. So you lose one low paying job...but create more higher paying jobs....works for me.

I agree, Searchin4, the more advancements we make, the MORE good jobs come available, not LESS. Sure we lose one minimum-wage cashier, but we gain so much more in the higher-paying tech industry. I use self-check out lines as much as possible. Not only are they faster, but you don't have to put up with cashiers griping about their lives,or worse, on their cell phones. No wonder they screw up the order. With "automated" cash registers, it's amazing that human cashiers can STILL screw up time after time. And forget about asking an employee in a "big-box store" where something is, that is, if you can even find an employee. Computer automation is taking over the way we shop. And, sadly, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

So you lose one low paying job...but create more higher paying jobs....works for me.

I am sorry guys but I can not agree. Yes it is sound in principole but stop ad think for a secod about that minimum wage cashier. Where are they going to work now? They are there because that is all they are trained to do and NO ONE wants to hire a new employee that i sstarting from the bottom of the pole any more. Perfect example: A local buffet resteraunt where I live had an advertisement on their billboard offerring a dishwashing position. Immediately under that ofer it stated you had to have five years experience in washing dishes AND an associates degree in order to apply. I am sorry but we NEED the low income beginner jobs. And we NEED to start kicking emp[loyers in the head (yes I mean that literally) and get them to start accepting people that are just starting out.

It is also getting extremely hard for someone coming out of college with their MASTERS degree to get a job because places want not only the degree but so many years experience. Now, how the hell are you going to get the experience if not hired in somewhere? huh?

Now, do nt get me wrong either. The low pay cashier needs to keep their mouth shut and provide proper service or get bumped to the curb, I agree one hundred percent there. But do not take that job away completely.

An Associate's Degree to be a dishwasher?

Not doubting you for a second, Daniel. Matter of fact, this just shows that pretty soon, a college degree will be the new "high-school diploma". Every once in a while, I look thru the want ads in my Sunday paper. It's amazing the requirements needed for even the most menial of jobs.Isn't it weird that while requirements for civilian jobs are rising by the minute, that requirements for military service are dropping like a rock?

yesit is and the real sad thing is because I am currently fifty pounds over weight I can nto get BACK into service unti lI lose it. You can be overweight when you first enl;ist cause you have to go through basic and ait etc. but if prior service you have to be at current standards event hgouh in my case I have to go through ait again no matter what as my job does not exist anymore and that fifty pouinds would be gone within weeks. As it is being a single parent I can not get out and run as much as I need to to lose the weight. And that is because I am stuck to low paying jobs to where I can nto afford to pay for the child care in order to get out.