No, not joking. Your comments were considered.

1. Yes, it would of course be a long-term solution. There is no short-term solution to our gross energy consumption. People needn't move from their current houses to reduce congestion (and consumption); a conventional sedan uses less than half the road space of an SUV when vehicle size and peripheral distances are considered.

2. Actually, the truly poor live in urban areas of most major US cities. The middle class, however, do live in the suburbs to better afford spacious houses for their 2.5 (or whatever it is nowadays) kids, and would be greatly affected. However, it is their decision to have those 2.5 kids and all that they feel is necessary to go with them.

3. There is no defense for a body-on-frame 6,000lb SUV when it comes to transporting families. The 4.5 person family can easily (and arguably more safely) fit in a conventional sedan. Even worse are 5,000lb pick-up trucks with no passenger space that's never used to haul cargo...you and I both know that as the best selling vehicles in the country year after year, the majority of these trucks are used as daily transportation and nothing more. Overall gross consumption costs us all...billions per day as we will continue to fight for oil in the middle east.

4. Once we open preserved parts of Alaska to drilling, our remaining coastlines are next.

5. If gas rises to $6/gallon due to taxes (like in Europe) or simply supply/demand, eventually Americans will stop buying full-sized trucks, which are the ONLY vehicles keeping the Big 3 in business.

6. The Big 3 have no cash reserves for anything, let alone alternative energy exploration. They can't even build a proper diesel or hybrid, which are both existing technologies.

7. Weak argument. We need to use as much fuel as possible so we can cure cancer? European nations aren't exactly in the Stone Age because of their high gasoline taxes. They do drive smaller cars as a result, though...and they still manage to raise families and take road trips (more often than Americans, in fact).

 

Remember Don’t Go To The Pumps Tomorrow May 5th, 2007, Please Fill Up Today If You Can And Tell Everyone You Know As Well. We Are Trying To Get Them To Drop Gas Prices!

I Think People Who Cap Every First Letter In A Word Are Probably Not To Bright In The First Place.

 

That would be "Not Too Bright"

 

My bad. Putting in all of those caps fatigued my fingers...and my brain.