I don't get it. With all of the ways American companies can effect the world around us, why is it that we would rather see a war on television then fight one? With so much happening in terms of energy consumption on our own soil, why is nobody
starting a revolution!? Stictly the amount of oil our country consumes is grotesque. I undertand that most of Americans don't make enough money to just go out and buy a new hybrid car, but the auto makers aren't making it any easier on us (domestic). Now that chevrolet is offering flex-fuel engines (only on thier largest SUV's), why aren' they offering any type of insentives to buy one? If General motors put out a nation wide add that says "if you trade in your gas buring car on a flex fuel car, we will give you ____ in dicounts" many more would be intested in buying one. Or, offer flex fuel platforma on cheaper cars (the Aveo, the Impala, etc..) and offer some sort of rediculous tax break for buying one. This is only one of the many problems facing us as americans and the time to stop accepting this kind of mediocraty is NOW! We have always led the way in progressing mankind, why not now on our own soil? I want to know what you think. Any feedback is appreciated. I'm gonna go get naked and start the revolution. Laters.

:clap: Can we join you?

But seriously, the answer to your question is, at least partly, BIG OIL. And the other part of it is that America in general, and the automotive industry in particular, moves like a big ole dinosaur. We're extremely set in our ways, and we don't like change. That's why so many people are conservatives. Change is threatening. Change feels insecure. Change might . . . well, change something.

I have a very close friend who's an automotive writer. He is himself part of the problem because he buys into the whole industry thing that change of this sort might hurt the economy or something. I'm really not sure what the huge resisistance is. I think it's at least in part a resistance to the idea because it's a liberal idea. Clean up the environment? Make fuel-efficient cars? Do whatever we can to stop global warming? LIBERAL! LIBERAL! LIBERAL! And god forbid you should ever give a liberal or his ideas credence, especially when that liberal is Al Gore. They'd rather starve to death first.

But slowly, slowly, I think things are beginning to swing our way. If there's a demand for hybrids and other more fuel-efficient vehicles, Detroit will make them. And if they see that people are buying foreign cars rather than American because they get better mpg, they will do what they have to do to compete. Eventually.

As I said, it all moves like a dinosaur. But Gore has addressed this, too, and he believes we're coming to a point soon where things will suddenly take off. He may be right. It does appear to be happening. It's just hard to see from this vantage point.

yes yes and yup. I understand that Americans are afraid of change. We live very comfortable lives. We live in comfortable suburbs (at least middle americas do), we drive comfy SUVs, we have an overall attitude of abundance. But that abundance is quickly running out. The thing that scares me is not that we will never change, it's that we will change too late. Our time and right to exist on this planet is running out faster than we are reacting to it. I understand also that we are a reactive society, but my generation needs now more than ever to be proactive. Our parents messed this whole thing up and if we don't fix it, some very terrible things will happen in our life time. Most people say "well as long as these effects don't take hold during my life time, I don't have to worry about it'. But the effects of mankind's residence on earth ARE GOING TO TAKE EFFECT IN OUR LIFE TIME! This age of procrastination is over, we must act or, mother nature will act for us. (I am 24 years old) laters.

You're right that we have to act now, and I'm optimistic that Gore is getting that message out. I think he's done an incredible job. Think about how many people he's reached just since last spring when the movie came out? It's incredible. Of course, many more need to be enlightened, but with this new initiative to have house parties where people show the DVD, and also with the DVD being shown in schools (some, anyway, my daughter's school being one of them :good: ), I think the message will take. And now we've got Dems. in Congress who accept that global warming is real. It's amazing what one man has accomplished in such a short time. Now if we could just get him in the White House.