And when asked if he owned a Chevy Volt, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said he didn't even own a car. At the moment.
This administration seems to have a very theoretical connection with reality.
If you've ever wondered what Government By Hippies might look like, now you know.What sort of American doesn't even own a car? If you are very poor, okay, that's unfortunate, but a Nobel Laureate who is Secretary of Energy doesn't own a car? Not because of poverty.
There are college students who don't own cars because they live on campus, or nearby, and don't particularly need the expense of maintenance, parking, and insurance. But that doesn't describe Chu.
There are people who because of either advanced age or serious disabilities do not own cars, because they can't safely drive them. But this does not seem to describe Secretary Chu.
There are people who live in extremely dense cities with good mass transportation systems, such as New York, who don't own a car, partly because parking is so expensive, and they aren't wealthy enough to own a car. But D.C. is not in that category, and neither is Secretary Chu.
I'm guessing that he is such a serious eco-nutcase that he does not own a car for that reason. (In this respect, he is certainly better than the Hollyweird eco-nutcases preaching the green gospel from their own personal jets.) But talk about out of touch with average Americans. No wonder he doesn't seem worried about rising gas prices.
Lemme brainstorm some possibilities here...when you are chauffeured to work in a government leased luxury car, you don't need to buy a Chevy Volt to commute.
ReplyDelete'nother brainstorm: let's prop up GM some more with taxpayer money by requiring all cabinet level officials and staff to carpool using only Chevy Volts...
Since the Zero likes executive orders and not waiting on Congress, this should be a cinch to implement
You missed one very big one, which I think is the likely explanation.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't own a car, because the government pays for a car, driver, and bodyguard(s) to drive him everywhere.
There was a comedienne in the 80's who said she didn't want a male gynecologist because that was like having an auto mechanic who didn't use or own a car.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same reason I insist on a male urologist.
With people like Secretary Chu, how do the comedians create the absurdities for their jokes?
While Chu doesn't own a car, his wife has a BMW SUV.....
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteFollowup courtesy of the Instapundit and Don Surber:
"[...] The[Daily Caller] has obtained motor vehicle registration records showing that Jean Chu (née Fetter) is the owner of a 2002 BMW 325i, a sports sedan with a gas-guzzling 6-cylinder engine.
"And its engine requires premium gasoline. [Which the AAA pegs at $4.03/gallon right now.]
[...] according to FuelEconomy.gov, a website run by Secretary Chu’s own Department of Energy ... the car’s average fuel economy was 21 mpg — back when it had zero miles on its odometer.
"[...] The average for light-duty passenger vehicles for the 2002 model year was 29.0 mpg."
The article includes a Google Maps street view of it.
As the Instapundit likes to say, "I’ll believe it’s a crisis when the people who tell me it’s a crisis start acting like it’s a crisis."
Echoing the first two commentators, as he's not only a Cabinet member but a national security one (last time I checked, which was a long while ago, 1/4 of the DoE's budget was spent on nuclear weapons), he of course is getting chauffeured around, hopefully with a protective detail.