As an aside, did you notice that Bush is meeting with Al-Maliki in Jordan? I suppose Iraq is far too dangerous for the man who made it that way to have a meeting there.
How many lives have been saved by air bags? Damned few. Maybe 50? I know that many ears have been ruined by exploding air bags, and a lot of children have been killed by them. Now we have side air bags? How much does an air bag cost? To have one replaced is over $1500, so is it safe to assume that each air bag costs $1,000 on a new car? $2,000 added cost for a new car with two? $4,000 extra cost for a new car with four? $6,000 extra for a new car with four on both doors of a four door sedan, plus two in front? Let’s assume that air bags have saved even a hundred lives, and figure out how much it has cost to save each life. Is that fair? Air bags have been around for quite a few years and millions of them have been forcibly installed on new cars for almost a decade, thanks to laws which require them. Has each life saved, cost $10 million or maybe a lot more? Is that really an absurd figure or assumption? Are air bags a federally forced life insurance insurance policy, costing thousands of dollars for each new car purchased? Insurance which will never be used? Would more new cars have been purchased if they were less expensive by a couple of thousand dollars? Would more auto workers still be working if more cars had been sold?
I have four old Mercedes Benz cars. 1973 450 SL, 1974 230, 1985 190 diesel, and 1985 300 diesel, which just turned 283,000 miles with no engine work and still uses no oil. None of them have a computer in them, and of course none have air bags. One can lift the hoods of them and see what is going on, they are so simple. Tags are $21 per year each, and repairs are cheap when needed. I’ll keep them forever probably, as they only become more valuable as each year passes. Last weekend we went to Pueblo Colorado for a look see, and it is a marvelous city of 105,000. We took the 300 diesel, drove it fast, and it got 29 MPG for the 900 mile trip. The 190 diesel will get close to 40 MPG on highway. All have automatic transmissions, air, power windows, brakes, steering, etc, and ride wonderfully. Why get saddled with new cars with expensive tags, complex workings, computers, and air bags? I think the new Mercedes look like Pontiacs, whereas the old ones have a classic, dignified look about them, and will last forever. Just a thought, but you can get older ones pretty cheaply.