Monday, July 20, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 15 Not buying it It wan a sad day last Sunday when I got rid of my '97 Buick Ultra. My dad and older brotherhadboth driven it before me. The breaks always squeaked no matter how often I replaced the pads, and the right mir- ror hung off the JEREMY side from whenL I accidentally LEVY hit the garage. Every time I brought the car to the shop for an oil change, the mechanics informed me that there were several things wrong with it. I had dealt with these problems for four years, and it was finally time to let go. So my parents and I became car buyers during a recession, when the auto industry has been the focal point of many discussions about economic recovery. This raised a tough question. Were we in some way obligated to buy a car manufactured in America? This question would be absurd to an economist. In a competitive mar- ket, consumers are expected to act in their own interest. But with so much talk about the need to fix the auto industry, someone has to buy those American-made cars, right? Perhaps. But it's not the con- sumer's problem to worry about. The economy just doesn't work the way human reasoning does. In single producer-to-consumer transactions, our sense of social responsibility shouldn't matter. Even if I have the intention to help the economy, my single transac- tion will hardly make a difference. The best thingI can do is buy acar that fits my own needs, and the aggregate demand of all the con- sumers in the market will signal to manufacturers what kind of car to make. After all, an economy's fun- damental purpose is to serve its consumers. Consumers shouldn't have to focus on how to serve the economy. And if American car companies reallywantconsumerstostartbuy- ing their cars, they need to offer more eco-friendly options. Eco- friendly vehicles are the cars that are selling. The Toyota dealers in my area actually had a waitlist to test drive the Prius, a hybrid that gets about 51 miles to the gallon. Of course, this isn't news to any of the car companies. Last year, all the major auto manufacturers scaled back their production of pickups and SUVs. And even after filing for bankruptcy, it seems that General Motors still considers the production of the Chevrolet Volt its most important project. GM hopes that the completely electric car, due out in Nov. 2010, will give the hybrids a run for their money. Until then, the Prius will continue to be in high demand. But it makes sense that some- one without much of a background in economics (i.e. me) could think otherwise. Media discussions sur- rounding General Motors's busi- ness decisions - its assets, loans and investments - usually make no sense to me. Such confusion, fueled by constant reminders that consumer confidence is low, causes me to feel absentmindedly guilty. For that reason, the thought of buying a car from a foreign manu- facturer seemed wasteful. You shouldn't feel compelled to buy American. But it wasn't wasteful. The best choice for my family was to buy a foreign car - the Honda Insight. The new hybrid isn't quite as fuel-efficient as the Toyota Prius (which is actually manufactured in the United States), but it was about $10,000 cheaper at the dealership I bought it from. The Insight was also more pleasant to drive than the Ford Fusion. The only thing I remember from that test drive was the loud turn blink- er and engine. I understand that the Ameri- can car companies are in trouble, but it's their responsibility to cater to the market demand - not the other way around. After four years of the Buick, I was ready for a car that fit my interests and I needed a compelling reason to go against them. Unless I knew it would directly benefit the econo- my, I wasn't going to buy another "old-man-mobile." --Jeremy Levy can be reached at jeremleveumich.edu. I could honestly say to all of my colleagues, 'I was in television long before you were."' - Reporter Walter Cronkite, in an interview with CBS News in 1996, as reported Friday by the New York Times. Cronkite passed away Friday at the age of 92. A vice's virtues P erhaps no political fig- ure since Richard Nixon has been as universally despised as former Vice President Dick Cheney. Malevolent puppet mas- ter to some, the spawn of Satan to others, ; Cheney's strong will, conserva- tive mind and CHRIS terrific scowl KOSLOWSKI sealed the Bush administra- tion as the worst eight years in many liberals' lives. Despite being plagued by health problems and political attacks from the Left, Cheney still refuses to ride off into the sunset. He was recently found to be involved in the cover-up of a secret CIA counter-terrorism pro- gram while he was vice president. Cheney's been a hero of mine for years. Here are the top six reasons why you should love him, too. 6. He knows how tofight. During George H.W. Bush's presidency, Cheney served as Secretary of Defense. Along with General Norman Schwarzkopf, he was the mastermind behind Oper- ation Desert Storm, the military strike that removed invadingIraqi forces from Kuwait faster than you can say, "Elite Republican Guard." Less than four days after U.S. forces led a ground assault supported by the United Nations, Saddam Hussein's troops were high-tailing it back to Baghdad. 5. He might be immortal. It's fitting that Cheney has thwarted every one of his heart's attempts to kill him - the man has survived four heart attacks. After several surgeries, including qua- druple bypass and angioplasty, Cheney received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator - or ICD - in 2001. The device is meant to shock Cheney's heart back into normal rhythm if he suffers a sudden arrhythmia. 4. He is Darth Vader. As Obi-Wan Kenobi said of Darth Vader in the "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi," "He's more machine now than man; twisted and evil." The association between Cheney and the treacherous Sith Lord began soon after his ICD surgery. Like Vader, Cheney was a right-hand man that struck fear into the hearts of enemies of Bush's Evil Galactic Empire. Cheney even joked about being Lord Vader at the Washington Radio and Tele- vision Correspondents' Dinner in 2008. He had asked his wife if the comparison bothered her, to which she responded, "No. It humanizes you." Now compare Cheney to Joe Biden - President Barack Obama's bumbling, gaffing vice president who somehow got elected to the U.S. Senate. If Cheney is Darth Vader, then Biden is Jar Jar Binks. 3. He's got a soft side. Conquering the galaxy hasn't gotten in the way of Cheney's family life. He's been married to his high school sweetheart, Lynne, for almost 45 years. They have two daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, and six grandchildren. When Mary's homosexuality became an issue in the 2004 pres- idential campaign, Cheney stood by his daughter despite pressure to denounce her lifestyle. He continues to support the right of state governments to legalize gay marriage to this day. 2. He shot hisfriend in theface - and got an apologyfor it. In Feb. 2006, Cheney made his most infamous headline after he accidentally shot Harry Whitting- ton, a friend and campaign con- tributor, while quail hunting. The 78-year-old Whittington recovered quickly, buthe surprised many dur- ing his first address to the media after being discharged from the hospital. Whittington said, "My family and Iare deeply sorry for all that Vice President Cheney has had to go through this past week. We send our love and respect to them as they deal with situations that are much more serious than what we've had this week." Whittington actually admitted that the media assault Cheney suffered after the incident was more difficult than enduring a barrage of birdshot. Most impressive. 1. He's still relevant. Continuing the trend of recent vice presidents, Cheney's influence has grown since he left office. He's one of the most vocal critics of the Obama administration. He's spo- ken out against Obama's economic policies and his handling of the war on terrorism. He has been out of the White House for months, but many people still ,consider Cheney public enemy number one. The latest accusation against him recently made the news. It involves the potential illegality of Cheney not informing Congress of a mys- terious, recently terminated CIA counter-terrorism program that began eight years ago. Dick Cheney is Darth Vader. And I like it. Even if you hate Dick Cheney, admit it - you actually love to hate Dick Cheney. He's either the perfect hero or the perfect villain. From his wise-ass smirk in his official White House photo to the black fedora he sported at Obama's inauguration, he's impossible to forget. Like Lord Vader, he'll go down in history as one of our most beloved antagonists. - Chris Koslowski can be reached at cskoslow umnich.edu. ULIKE WHAT YOU SEE HERE? WANT MORE? Read more from Daily columnists and see new viewpoints online on Wednesday and Friday at michigandaily.com/section/opinion.