Bob CollinsWhen it comes to human behavior and the economy, everything old is new again.
Gasoline is at its lowest price in years and we’re so done with fuel conservation. At $2.45 a gallon, they’re practically giving the stuff away.
Vox reports the U.S. sales of new SUVs and pick-up trucks rose 9.6 percent in November. Sales of Ford’s (Lincoln) Navigator SUV were up 91.5 percent over this time last year, according to the Financial Times. By contrast, sales of Ford’s smaller and popular Fusion were down 11.3 percent, Vox said.
It’s true that SUVs get better gas mileage than they once did, but the Lincoln Navigator is good for 16 mpg as advertised, which means its actual mileage is probably worse.
Not coincidentally, fuel economy is stagnating again.
And now that the economy has picked up, federal programs are encouraging people to buy homes with almost no downpayment.
This week Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae unveiled mortgages that require as little as 3-percent down.
Executives for the programs said there are safeguards now that should prevent people from buying houses who don’t have the means to afford them, something that contributed to the economic collapse in 2008.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were seized by the government because of bad mortgages in 2008. Taxpayers pumped in more than $185 billion to keep them afloat.
