Free Market
I am not understanding why so many citizens are calling upon the federal government to institute policies that will, as they say, reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
No member of the federal government (or anyone else, for that matter) put a gun to my head and told me to buy a sport utility vehicle. One can’t blame Ford for coming out with the Explorer, the SUV that was so incredibly popular that every other carmaker had to emulate it.
If you want change, then do it — don’t wait for the federal government. Stop driving your car, and use TriMet. Walk to the store instead of driving, and buy a cart for your shopping bags. On longer trips, consider Greyhound or Amtrak. If you currently own an SUV, trade it in for a smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicle, such as a hybrid.
- more here
May 2nd, 2005 at 6:47 am
I think many people want to prevent others from having choices.
May 2nd, 2005 at 7:27 am
But we do want to prevent other people from having choices … I don’t think anyone is ready to send the Highway Patrol home. It is just where to set the line between legal and illegal.
People generally agree (right now) that something like street racing is dangerous to us all, and so we agree to make it illegal. On the other hand, a lot of people are behind the curve on oil depletion and global warming.
I fully expect consensus to move, and for society to see those as risks (or harm), and to regulate them.
And even as a gear-head, I support that. There are plenty of (take your choice) practical, fun to drive, and stylish cars to choose from, which also get 30 mpg highway and beyond. This isn’t a choice beteen fun and no-fun. It is the choice between a Maserati (17 mpg) and a Lotus (43 US mpg?):
http://www.elises.co.uk/models/s2/111/
May 2nd, 2005 at 7:30 am
I found a spec on the US version … 0-60 in 4.9 seconds and 38 mpg highway:
http://www.puresportscar.com/specs.php
Yeah, like we’d be depriving ourselves with 30 mpg CAFE …
May 4th, 2005 at 7:59 am
Free Market Travel
Global warming has arrived and you can do something about it. Really! Carpool, take the train, walk. It won’t kill you….