The summer 2008 fundraising drive is off to a good start. I want to thank you for your generosity. It has really lifted my spirits, especially after my mechanic called Thursday to tell me the reason the MAINT idiot light on my '98 Accord dashboard is on is because the catalytic converter is busted, so I have to get that fixed before the next annual smog check. I presume a catalytic converter can't be as expensive as a transmission ...
By the way, despite all the talk about "energy independence," which Obama says he'll conjure up in 10 years (and McCain is for it too), I never hear about a simple way to reduce oil consumption: get more miles per gallon by going back to the old system where the federal air pollution standards for cars were less stringent than the standards for California and a few other states where smog is a major problem.
You used to look at the EPA's MPG sticker on a new car and it would say, maybe, "20 city / 30 highway" in big letters, then in small type you'd see the California rating, which might be "18 / 27." Polluting less burns more fuel, but I gather that the federal government has raised everybody to California's standards. It's worth it here in Southern California, where the smog problem has virtually disappeared compared to the 1970s. But, perhaps it's overkill in, say, half the country. If the windy-rainy-empty half of the country could get 10% better mileage, that would be an eventual national savings of 5% (your mileage may vary), which is not insignificant. But nobody seems interested.
Anyway, I'm getting off track. The point of this post is to ask more readers to give me money. Think of it this way: giving me money will not only make me happy and allow me to continue with a career I love, but it will really annoy a lot of people who don't want me to continue. And those are exactly the people it's soul-satisfyingly fun to annoy.
There are four ways to give me money. (All four appear to be working, for once.)
You can make tax deductible credit card contributions to me here (click on the first "Make a Donation" button you come to on the screen); or fax credit card details here (please put my name on the fax); or you can snail mail checks made out to "VDARE Foundation" and marked on the memo line (lower left corner) “Steve Sailer” to:
VDARE Foundation
Second: You can send me an email and I'll send you my P.O. Box address.
Third: You can use Amazon. Just click here.
Fourth: You can use Paypal, either by just using any credit card or if you have a specific Paypal account. Just click here.
Fill in your your Paypal ID on the right or click "Continue" on the center-left to fill in your credit card info. on the left (scroll down to bottom left-center to go on).My published articles are archived at iSteve.com -- Steve Sailer
Keep in mind your money is probably better spent at places like iSteve and VDare that at any other so-called "charity."
ReplyDeleteI just saw this new/old definition of charity on another blog and it rang true:
Old definition of charity: "a private organization staffed by volunteers using private money to perform good works for needy people."
New definition of charity: "a private organization staffed by well-paid professionals using a small amount of private money to lobby the government to get them to forcibly extract large amounts of money from the taxpayer wallet to perform what are arguably good works for non-white people."
Catholic Charities receives over 80% of its funding from government sources. Many United Way locals regularly appear at their state legislatures lobbying for various political causes. Walk past/into any "charity clinic" and I can guarantee you that the clientele will be over 80% Hispanic and/or black - in many cases, it will be 100% Hispanic and black. Even churches are often heavily involved in political activities. The age of the classic charity is dead.
Since charities have turned ideological, it's important that the ideology you support financially be one you agree with.
Saving gas is the one thing politicians and green people hardly ever talk about. You hear how biofuels, tar sands, methane, and drill - drill - drill are going to save us. The word "technology" is always thrown around too, like "market forces will create technology and that will save us!" What about driving less? If peole would drive less and make less trips, it would go a lot toward breaking our dependance on foriegn oil.
ReplyDeleteJust donated $50. Now, don't spend it all on candy!
ReplyDeleteThis:
ReplyDeleteIf Steve wrote books, you would buy them, right?
He blogs more than a book's worth per year, so I think he deserves at least a book's worth of monetary reward.
Steve, what ever happened to the book idea?
ReplyDeletePity, but the "windy, rainy, empty" part of the country isn't going ot be so for much longer.
ReplyDeleteWith the new 135 million of (largely) Hispanic immigrants moving here in the next 25-35 years, things are going to smog-up pretty badly.
My understanding is that we have been waiving our pollution and safety standards regarding Mexican vehicles in the USA as well. As a result, we have an added pollution burden from Mexico to absorb.
A San Diego friend told me that polluting Mexican-titled and -registered vehicles are already ignored in Southern California (as in "this is my cousin Fernando's truck").
My comment above was supposed to appear under the "The Smart Car" entry.
ReplyDeleteWell, I left $35.00.
ReplyDeleteSorry for not leaving more. I guess you can blame Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin for that (their campaigns have managed to suck away some of my extra money). I'll try to donate more in the future.