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Monday, July 20, 2015

"Why Trucks..?" 'James "Kimo" Rosen' (Kimo's world #80)

James "Kimo"Rosen is a retired Professional
 Photographer living on theGarden island
 of Kaua'i with his best friend Obama Da Dog.

This blog appeared as a guest column in the 
July 23,2015 edition of  The Garden Island News.
"All those trucks and nowhere to go"
http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/guest/all-those-trucks-and-nowhere-to-go/article_245e6e74-8b23-5d37-bd87-469ed68f1430.html


Kimo's World #80
Why Trucks..?

According to a recent article in The Kaua'i Garden Island News,7 out of 10 people drive trucks on Kaua'i?
http://thegardenisland.com/business/local/kauai-keeps-on-trucking/article_0eb880bf-2442-50f0-a551-c40af73fd7a4.html
Whenever I  drive my Hyundai Accent I am dwarfed by monster pickup trucks, usually tailgating me.

My observation is  that many people driving these huge monster trucks with 4 doors and a back seat are not in construction, landscaping or a handyman needing them for their profession but rather the average citizen just wanting something big to drive.
Psychology teaches us that those with big trucks may be compensating for something else, according to Sigmund Freud?

Many consider Kaua'i the alternative island with many environmentalists, yet 70% of the population is driving gas guzzling pickups and SUV's. Why?

It's ironic with only 416 miles of paved roads on Kaua'i that  huge powerful pickup trucks and SUV's make up the majority of  motor vehicles.  It gives little space to open throttle  with the average speed of 40 mph or less on most roads.  This is the reason why so many tailgate. No where to go with powerful vehicles.

My other theory is that with real estate being so out of sight for the average person with  fixer upper homes costing in access of 500,000 in many situations that  a good majority make their vehicle their pride and joy just as real estate once was for generations past.

Many young people are paying  $40,000- $60,000 on vehicles. How do they afford it? They finance it, their payments are  like a mortgage payment while many young people live 2-3 generations in the same home with aging relatives.

Real estate usually appreciates and is considered a wise investment whereas a $50,000 vehicle depreciates the second you drive it out of the showroom and to be making big payments on something that is rapidly depreciating is ludicrous.

All in all Kauai is a beautiful place, however if you choose to drive be prepared to be closely tailed by a monster pickup truck. I guess it's better than being tailed by an officer of the law with his flashing lights on, or is it?

http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/guest/all-those-trucks-and-nowhere-to-go/article_245e6e74-8b23-5d37-bd87-469ed68f1430.html  Blog also ran in the July 23,2015 edition of The Garden Island news!



 

P.S.
If you would like to submit a quote to be seen with one of my Kaua'i sunrise photos please leave the  quote on my Facebook comments. James "Kimo" Rosen


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