Well, I not sure where your points are headed?
Humans love being in motion, there is no question about that. From the horse to horsepower, this has cativated our attention for centuries.
Yes, I see no end to our love affair with mobility. In the long run, that love will drive us beyond petroleum products and to who knows what.
While I might think an SUV is a dumb thing, the great thing is that I do not have to buy one. I am free to spend my money on other things. Shoot, I can eschew driving altogether if I want. I love not having anyone else tell me how I should move around or if I should move around.
The key point here is that price IS the mechanism that makes supply and demand intersect. Mess with that mechanism and you are head for trouble. Just ask Jimmy Carter!
Specific to your comments on clean air, I suggest that you look at the modern auto in the US. For example, my wife's Subaru is so clean that the air coming out of the tailpipe is cleaner than the air coming into the intake (if you are driving in LA). IIt actually functions as an air cleaner.
The rap on autos and pollution is outdated at best.
Lastly, if you want to see environmental devastation, I suggest you research the history of floods, earthquakes, typhoons, forest fires, glaciers, ice ages, etc. I think our "fragile" plant has plenty of destruction "built in" and it has survived just fine. The doom and gloom of the 1970s forecasted our end by 1999 but here we are, just doing fine!
Now, if we can only survive the world that the "greens" have in store for us. We would all be riding bikes and wearing Birkenstocks!
IMHO!
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Originally Posted by Perfectlap
I was just kidding about the Iraq oil. Yet I'm not so sure that it wasn't floated as a justification for a premptive (read NOT an iminent threat) in Washington. Did our oil intelligence fail as well? 
We can drill every hole in the world and our fixation with cars and travel will rise with it. Ever go for a drive on the highway and count the number of SUV's, Luxury gas guzzlers, PORSCHES, and pick ups? and once in a blue moon you'll seen one of those hybrid cars.
This country doesn't take well to being told "do you really need a 4 ton automobile?"
Its easier to feed the beast than to get it on a diet. A diet that would make our dollars go longer and perhaps give our children some clean air to breathe.
Humans have been on this planet for Millions of years yet we've done more harm to this little blue planet in the last 100 years than the previous 1000. |