Poll: What Is The Best Long-Term Investment?

The poll this week is an exact duplicate of a recent Gallop Poll. Note, the headline differs slightly from the exact poll question:

Which of the following do you think is the best long-term investment?

• Bonds
• Gold
• Mutual funds
• Real Estate
• Savings Accounts/CDs
• Stocks

The six answers above are listed in alphabetical order here, but will be randomized in the poll, see top of right sidebar. As usual, I have some points that I’ll make when I present the final results next week.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: How Should Auto Dealerships Sell New Vehicles?

Electric auto manufacturer Tesla has been having trouble selling the model S in many states, but not due to lack of interest from potential customers:

Tesla’s fight with dealers across the country has increased scrutiny of U.S. auto franchise rules that go back decades. Already, Texas and Arizona have barred Tesla from selling cars directly to customers. New York auto dealer lobbying groups last week reached an agreement with Tesla to maintain its five company-owned stores, and Ohio lawmakers approved a similar measure. (NJ.com)

This month a bill in the Missouri legislature would’ve added Missouri to the list of states prohibiting Tesla from selling direct to customers, bypassing the usual franchised dealer arrangement.

Last week, with only a week remaining in the legislative session, the Missouri Senate made an amendment to alter a run of the mill, non-controversial House bill to prevent the sale of vehicles direct from a manufacturer. Tesla snapped into action and called a press conference Monday, trying to get word out about the amendment.

Tesla’s executives say few people actually support the auto dealers’ position. Tesla’s game plan is to get the word out fast, and count on public pressure to derail anti-Tesla legislation. In other states, like New Jersey, where dealers were successful in ending Tesla’s direct sales, public sentiment was decidedly against the dealers’ position. (WSJ)

For now Tesla can continue to sell vehicles directly to customers in Missouri, the change didn’t pass.  But should it have? Do independently-owned dealerships protect consumers from auto manufacturers? The poll this week asks how auto manufactures should sell cars, the three main choices are:

• via franchised dealerships only
• option of direct to consumer
• low volume manufacturers should have option to sell direct

The poll is at the top of the right sidebar in desktop view. Full disclosure: we have shares in General Motors (GM).

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Next Time You Need To Get From ‘A’ To ‘B’ (not in your own car), Which Type of Service Would You Use?

The poll this week is about car sharing for hire services like traditional taxicabs and new app-based services like Uber, CARmil, Lyft, etc.  I have some personal thoughts but I’ll hold those for later, I don’t want to persuade anyone before the poll.  The question this week is: “Next time you need to get from A to B (not in your own car), which type service would you use?” The list includes the three apps listed above, local taxicab, and unsure.

The poll, as always, is at the top of the right sidebar.  Mobile users need to switch to the desktop layout to see the sidebar.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Current Thoughts on the Environment

St. Louis is celebrating Earth Day in Forest Park today:

25 Years of Earth Day in 2014

Join us in Forest Park on Sunday, April 27 for the St. Louis Earth Day Festival from 11am to 6pm, rain or shine.

Don’t miss the Recycling Extravaganza at STLCC on the same day as the Festival (10am-4pm).

I was wondering how readers felt about the environment, and efforts such as Earth Day. The poll this week has six answers representing a wide range plus an unsure answer. The poll is in the right sidebar.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: View on the Origin and Development of Human Beings

Millions have been tuning in Sunday evenings to see COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey on Fox, Mondays on National Geographic. Since the March 9th debut the show some have been upset by the presentation of evolution rather than creation.

The Cosmos reboot was fairly generous as far as leaving room for religious interpretation goes. But apparently, one Fox affiliate station in Oklahoma City decided there was still just a little too much science talk for their liking, so they cut out the 15-second mention of evolution. (Gizmodo)  

That Fox station says the 15-second cut of evolution from the first episode was an “accident.” Right. The poll this week is from a 2012 Gallop poll, here’s a look at the question and answers:

Which of the following comes closest to your view on the origin and development of human beings?

• Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process
• Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process
• God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time in the last 10,000 years or so

The poll is in the right sidebar, the answers will be presented in a random order to each viewer.

— Steve Patterson