For the Netflix Subscribers Among Us

On 12/1/2016 5:08 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per PAS:
I don't like to stereotype but I've noticed that pickup truck drivers
around here are the most obnoxious, inconsiderate, and aggressive
drivers.

Maybe it's a false sense of security - sitting so high off the road.

I certainly had that false sense in my 1998 Suburban and now I have it
in my 2005 F-150.

"False" because, IMHO, neither vehicle handles very well. Somebody
should have gone to jail over the Suburban's brakes. Both are way
top-heavy, and the F-150 has less rear wheel traction than anything I
have ever driven.

WHen I have to pull into the hammer lane, I'll do whatever the lane is
moving at, but I really don't feel safe doing anything over 70 in the
F-150... and the right lanes around here move mostly at 65 for
uncontrolled highways and about 70 for controlled-access highways.....so
that's where I tend to stay until I encounter the relatively-rare
slower-moving vehicle.

Here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, they did something with the traffic
lights a few years back. All lights red for a certain amount of time
and ungodly-long red lights at some intersections.

Immediately afterwards, I have no doubt there was a decrease in
intersection accidents.

But over time people have learned to discount the light timing and a lot
of people *really* don't want to hit those long reds.

Combine that with an un-timed traffic light system (this is one of the
richest areas in the nation, but the traffic management is like some
third-world country) and you get a lot of people running red lights
pedal-to-the-metal.

Before, you'd see the occasional person furtively slipping through...
but now it's totally different: they see the yellow and they floor it...
and a noticeable number seem to be running the red even so they had
plenty time to stop.

I ride a bike a lot for local transportation, and the change in motor
vehicle operator behavior is very obvious from a cyclist's perspective.


I've heard that the difference between a BMW and a porcupine is that a
porcupine's pricks are on the outside.



--
PeterN

"J. Clarke" wrote

| So in your mind the alternatives are bad
| government and no government?
|
| No.
|
| Then why do you answer every criticism of
| government with some crap about "Mogadishu"?

Someone said the purpose of gov't is to take your
money. He's pointing out that such a view is cynical,
bitter and lazy -- by pointing out what can happen
with no gov't. Very simple. What's the problem?

Are you perhaps a Trump sucker who's getting
nervous because The Donald hasn't yet begun
dropping coupons for free stuff and tax breaks,
from his helicopter into your neighborhood?

Per Mayayana:
Someone said the purpose of gov't is to take your
money. He's pointing out that such a view is cynical,
bitter and lazy -- by pointing out what can happen
with no gov't. Very simple. What's the problem?

Could not have said it as well myself.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 12/1/2016 9:46 PM, Mayayana wrote:
"J. Clarke" wrote

| So in your mind the alternatives are bad
| government and no government?
|
| No.
|
| Then why do you answer every criticism of
| government with some crap about "Mogadishu"?

Someone said the purpose of gov't is to take your
money. He's pointing out that such a view is cynical,
bitter and lazy -- by pointing out what can happen
with no gov't. Very simple. What's the problem?

The problem is that you are mistaken. I suggest you read my post
again. I said that our government's "main concern" is how to separate
citizens from their money, it is not their sole concern. It is certainly
not their purpose. Therefore, no one said that the purpose of
government is to take your money.


Are you perhaps a Trump sucker who's getting
nervous because The Donald hasn't yet begun
dropping coupons for free stuff and tax breaks,
from his helicopter into your neighborhood?

On 12/1/2016 5:08 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per PAS:
I don't like to stereotype but I've noticed that pickup truck drivers
around here are the most obnoxious, inconsiderate, and aggressive
drivers.
Maybe it's a false sense of security - sitting so high off the road.

I certainly had that false sense in my 1998 Suburban and now I have it
in my 2005 F-150.

"False" because, IMHO, neither vehicle handles very well. Somebody
should have gone to jail over the Suburban's brakes. Both are way
top-heavy, and the F-150 has less rear wheel traction than anything I
have ever driven.

WHen I have to pull into the hammer lane, I'll do whatever the lane is
moving at, but I really don't feel safe doing anything over 70 in the
F-150... and the right lanes around here move mostly at 65 for
uncontrolled highways and about 70 for controlled-access highways.....so
that's where I tend to stay until I encounter the relatively-rare
slower-moving vehicle.

I'm surprised to hear you say you don't feel safe going over 70 in the
F-150. It's not a more recent model but I would have thought it was
still stable at high speeds. I've been in some recent model pickups and
the ride at high speeds was very smooth.


Here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, they did something with the traffic
lights a few years back. All lights red for a certain amount of time
and ungodly-long red lights at some intersections.

Immediately afterwards, I have no doubt there was a decrease in
intersection accidents.

But over time people have learned to discount the light timing and a lot
of people *really* don't want to hit those long reds.

Combine that with an un-timed traffic light system (this is one of the
richest areas in the nation, but the traffic management is like some
third-world country) and you get a lot of people running red lights
pedal-to-the-metal.

Before, you'd see the occasional person furtively slipping through...
but now it's totally different: they see the yellow and they floor it...
and a noticeable number seem to be running the red even so they had
plenty time to stop.

I ride a bike a lot for local transportation, and the change in motor
vehicle operator behavior is very obvious from a cyclist's perspective.

I agree. When my wife and I ride our bikes, you cannot even assume that
people will stop behind the white line and not go into the crosswalk
before stopping. I've come close to being run down by drivers making a
right-turn on a red light without actually stopping as they go right
through the crosswalk I'm riding in.

On 12/1/16 PDT 5:09 PM, PeterN wrote:

My fave is the A-hole who honked, impatiently as I am making a right
turn into a parking lot, and I am stopped because of the car in front of
me. Of course the A-hole couldn't pass because he was right on my tail.
I must admit that I gave the car in front of me a lot of room.

Golly gee! You being inconsiderate of traffic behind you and you
complain?! Really?

"PAS" wrote

| You have no grasp as to what happened in this election. It's an
| attitude like yours that got Trump elected. A large segment of the
| country got tired of being told by people like yourself that their
| opinions are inferior and that they are ignorant and not thinking
| clearly if they don't think like you do.

Okey doke. I see there's no point talking
further about this. Good luck with all the
great stuff that Trump is going to do for you.
Maybe he'll "fire" the gov't and you can get
your tax money back.

"PAS" wrote

| I'm surprised to hear you say you don't feel safe going over 70 in the
| F-150. It's not a more recent model but I would have thought it was
| still stable at high speeds. I've been in some recent model pickups and
| the ride at high speeds was very smooth.
|

I felt the same way about my Toyota Tacoma.
Over 70 felt like I might float off the road. Now I
have a Nissan Frontier and I have to be careful
not to let it get up to 85. It feels very stable,
even in rain. I don't know what the difference is,
but I wonder if it might just be that the Tacoma
had a narrower wheel base. It was basically a
compact car with storage. The F-150 seems to
be similar -- smaller than most other pickups.

On 2016-12-02 18:13:54 +0000, "Mayayana" said:

"PAS" wrote

| You have no grasp as to what happened in this election. It's an
| attitude like yours that got Trump elected. A large segment of the
| country got tired of being told by people like yourself that their
| opinions are inferior and that they are ignorant and not thinking
| clearly if they don't think like you do.

Okey doke. I see there's no point talking
further about this. Good luck with all the
great stuff that Trump is going to do for you.
Maybe he'll "fire" the gov't and you can get
your tax money back.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1295663/FileChute/nq161201.gif
--
Regards,

Savageduck

On 12/2/2016 12:53 PM, John McWilliams wrote:
On 12/1/16 PDT 5:09 PM, PeterN wrote:

My fave is the A-hole who honked, impatiently as I am making a right
turn into a parking lot, and I am stopped because of the car in front of
me. Of course the A-hole couldn't pass because he was right on my tail.
I must admit that I gave the car in front of me a lot of room.

Golly gee! You being inconsiderate of traffic behind you and you
complain?! Really?


I wasn't clear. I didn't unnecessarily slow down until well after the
A-hole crawled up my tail and started honking, incessantly. In my
younger days when that happened I would pop open my hood, and get out
and stare, while scratching my head. I have also been known to get out
and innocently ask why is he honking.


--
PeterN