*Before you read this, I should point out that this is the only time in my career I plan on getting political. You’re either going to agree with me or hate me after you read this OpEd. So if you’re sick of politics please read about something slightly less controversial here. 

As an automotive corespondent, I’m required to speak to my readers about cars and my personal opinion about them. In open editorials such as this one, I’m supposed to go on about the fundamentals of drag racing, why I hate the EPA, and why beige is the wrong color for your car.

But as an American, I’m at liberty to have an opinion on everything from cars to politics, to music and the type of foods that I like. I’m an American, and it’s my right as a citizen. At least until Washington passes a bill saying otherwise.

About Me

So I’ll just get this out of the way now; I’m a Democrat, and technically that makes me a ‘liberal.’ Contrary to popular belief it is possible to be a Democrat and a gearhead at the same time. Unlike most stereotypes, I don’t drive a Prius, eat organic tofu, kiss trees, or listen to Bluegrass music. I’m not even entirely sure what Bluegrass music is.

My daily driver is a first-generation (i.e, pre-bailout) CTS-V with nitrous. I own a catalytic converter-less, “heads and cam” WS6 that only runs on occasion, and I have an ’87 Buick GN in my garage that would make the perfect resto-mod car.

I eat red meat as much as possible. I love guns, beautiful girls in bikinis, rock n’ roll, and tire smoke. I don’t particularly care for trees, although they do have a wonderful habit of inhaling all of my CO2 emissions.

I’m also a huge fan of Clint Eastwood. Well, at least I was before he lost his mind and started speaking to empty chairs. But that won’t keep me from popping in one of my cherished Dirty Harry DVD’s on any given weeknight after a ten hour shift.

Why Am I ‘Lefty’?

So why am I Democrat? I clearly display many characteristics of a Conservative just from my aforementioned short list of interests and personality traits. My answer is this; Conservatives are very traditional with an apparent fear of change and evolution. At least that’s my perceived point of view based on all previous conversations and past experiences. I tend to be a little flexible on most issues.

Our incumbent president is Barack Obama. Say what you want about the guy, but his administration has done a lot for the automotive industry. It hits close to home for me – literally. My brother, my Dad, two of my great uncles, and yours truly have worked for GM at some capacity at one point or another.

Yes, it was mismanagement on General Motors’ part that got them into the mess they were in. Yes, they built a lot of crap cars with shoddy build quality during the course of the late ’70s to early ’00s. But they, like other American car companies, had helped the country in building everything from rifles to tanks to fighter planes during the 1939-45 war effort. For that, we as Americans do owe them a debt of gratitude.

 

Besides, if GM and Chrysler would have failed (along with Ford who did get bailout money), over 1,000,000 jobs would have been lost – not just with these three companies, but with parts suppliers, aftermarket companies, and even engine shops. Frankly, we couldn’t afford to lose anymore – then, or now.

I’m for the “little guy.” The blue-collar workers, the entrepreneurs, and the family man working hard just to put food on the table. I believe that everyone deserves the same freedoms, opportunities, and rights. I believe that no one is “entitled” to anything, other than personal happiness and good health.

We Need To Plan For Tomorrow

I also believe that we need to invest in other forms of energy. Gasoline is what our cars run on, but there’s no denying that it’s going to be gone eventually. It’s also getting too expensive. Furthermore, with places like NYC experiencing hurricanes at the end of last October, and our polar ice caps melting at an accelerating rate it’s not doing us any favors ecologically.

There have been advances in science with E15, E85, and hybrid/electric vehicles over the past decade or so, but I don’t think these solutions are really the answer. I don’t want my cars to run on corn, and hybrid/electric vehicles only band-aid the problem. They’re not a cure since they still rely on polluting nuclear powerplants for energy.

I’d like to think the cure is hydrogen. Hydrogen powered cars are currently being developed by GM and Honda as I type this, and with them only emitting nothing but water vapor, it will help keep silly sci-fi movies like The Day After Tomorrow from becoming a reality.

New technology will bring new manufacturing, which in turn, will bring new jobs to America. Simply put, China is growing at a geometric rate, and with them having so much of our old industry and the cash to buy just about anything, we need to seriously step up our game. We need to invest in technology and education.

I think it’s great that we have all of these high-powered cars now. If it weren’t for the bailout, the fifth-gen Camaro would have never seen production, and the current CTS-V and ZR1 would have only existed briefly, for one model year. 

Plus as an automotive journalist, there wouldn’t be any fifth-gen Camaro articles to even write about or new parts to promote. You don’t want that, and obviously, neither do I.

For you Ford fans out there, the Shelby GT500 would still probably only have 500 HP or so, since there would have been no direct competition to spur investing into the platform any further than necessary. The blown 5.8L is a tremendous engine, however. So are GM’s LS-Series V8’s, and Chrysler’s HEMI V8 and Viper V10 platforms.

But I think we’re at a point where we need to be looking at fuel efficiency as well as performance. The current pony cars are larger than their ’60s counterparts, and are much heavier than the midsize musclecars of the era, like Chevelles, Torinos, and Chargers.

Trim the fat with downsizing, use lightweight body panels and mechanical components, and let’s see how quick we can reach that 600 horsepower mark while achieving 45-50 MPG on the highway. Now that’s worth bragging about.