I don’t think that will matter all that much. With everyone pledging to go carbon neutral, which I am of course a fan of, they basically said they are going to voluntarily increase their balance sheet in the sense of more operational cost.

I can see where you are coming from, but what’s different this time is that we are in the middle of an entire paradigm shift in everything automotive with the forced switch to EV. They are neat cars and better (at least in theory) for the environment and all, but it was a hasty move in the sense it was an early cash…

3rd: “Pricing discipline” is absolutely one of the reasons involved in why I replied the other day that prices are not coming back down again, ever. The new baseline has been set. Getting used to that notion is probably a good idea. 

“One small example would be to see where they do business, or hell even where their cruise ships port at, where some of these countries punish homosexuality with some serious penalties.”

Look here, I’m not out to friggin’ go on a tirade about Disney. I’m just saying to be cautious about defending corporations. They stream those topics you mention for money, not to advance a cause, whatever that may be.

“I myself don’t agree with their positions on everything, but even if you disagree with every opinion they express, their right to express it without fear of governmental retribution is a fundamental tenant of the United States of America.”

“Disney Cruise Lines, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company, offers Southern Caribbean cruises starting at $3,870 per person. The cruises sail this summer to Antigua, Dominica and St. Maarten.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_Act_of_1996

Also, look at the Telecom Act of 1996. That’s a good place to begin on why we are at where we are now.

Ahh, but therein lies the dilemma. Who decides who is the arbiter of what is acceptable? The reality is that there is no true standard for morality in America, so yeah...that’s a big topic to tackle on Jalopnik.

This has been the case for a very long time, though. It used to be Ted Turner, Les Moonves, Eisner, Murdoch, Sumner Redstone, and one or two others like Geffen.

Since I’m here today, I’m not so sure it’s wise to defend Disney. They are pretty hypocritical. One small example would be to see where they do business, or hell even where their cruise ships port at, where some of these countries punish homosexuality with some serious penalties. Even up to death sentences.

I understand what you are saying and all, but I disagree. It’s not a public forum at all. The “blue check” people that post everyday are paid to do so one way or another. There was a story that came out a few months ago about some guy who has a crazy amount of followers. He posts stuff everyday that is very one-sided.…

I don’t understand any of this uproar/backlash/protesting/whining about Musk buying Twit (for the record I am ambivalent towards the guy).

Just some everyday back-scratching going on. Nothing to make a to-do about, really. This is how all successful businesses become that way.

I agree with you on the chip thing. The point is that by the time it gets sorted, current pricing will be normalized. The chip manufacturers are gonna price in it’s costs to “Made In The USA” down to the actual cost of the chip to maximize profits, making them more expensive regardless of convenience vs. shipping…

In some respects you are correct. However, I never said that I was only referring to Manufacturers. There is margin to be had in every aspect of the sale of any car for all involved. This includes the dealers, finance folks etc. Which, as an aside, some of those channels are vertically owned by the Manufacturer anyway.

That’s the thing though. There is no need to “normalize supply” when there is so much more profit in keeping it constrained, even artificially. Not even necessarily for profit, but to pay for rising labor costs. Right or wrong, receiving higher wages doesn’t occur in a vacuum. No company “in their right mind” is gonna…

I am probably in the minority (definitely, on this site) on this, but I am of the belief that prices are never coming back down. At least not any noticeable amount. A new baseline has been set.

I flew out of LGA yesterday. Still had the PA announcements in the terminal saying masks were required. There were VERY few people wearing them. It was basically just the TSA people, the employees at the bar I had lunch at, and a few folks in wheelchairs and such that would be wearing them 10 years ago.