Originally posted by Sultan Bhargash
Bush could reverse pollution this year with fuel mileage legislation, but he gives us instead a plan for "hydrogen cars fifteen years from now". Who is resisting change in that equation?
There is alot more resistence to change when you can make money with the status quo versus say, saving the world for future generations.
It is amazing that you fellow have absolutely no long term vision. We have already removed over 90% of the pollutants that used to be spewed from cars and smole stacks. There are new alternatives available for consumers to use (such as hybrid-electric) that overcome the short comings of electric only or gasoline only cars. The CAFE was raised, it just wasn't raised as much as the environmentalist wanted. They also didn't get the reclassification of SUVs and Mini-Vans from light trucks to cars.
The hybris electrics are starting to catch on and they make a very good bridge between gasoline and hygrogen. I am personnally waiting for Ford to put out its hybrid electric SUV this year, as that will be my next vehicle.
The resistance to change comes not from the lack of elctric vehicles, but from the consumers themselves. Electric vehicles lack the ability to go n long trips, must be recharged (at what maybe bad times), and are a lot smaller and less confortable than a tradition car. The poeple voted against them with their dollars, even though the US was giving tax breaks to buy one.
The hybrids have none of those negatives. Although they can power really large vehicles, they can get into the mid-range (hence Ford using it in a small SUV and Toyota using it in a smaller 4-door sedan). People are voting for these in spite of the fact that there is no government subsidy for them, by actually buying them.
Just because he didn't do as much as you wanted doesn't mean he didn't do anything. It kinda reminds me of the time they accused the Republicans of cutting medicare payments just because they only wanted a 4% increase instead of the 7% increase that had been put in the year before. By increasing it less, you actually cut it! (BTW, 4% was above inflation at the time, just to head that one off).
America has changed a lot of things in the last 30 years. Better cars, less emmissions from factories, recycling, better packaging to elimate more things flowing into landfills and less dependance on trees for essential items. Instead of laminting the fact that you didn't get everything you desired, praise the progress that has been made and accept the victory (no matter how small you my think it). We don't disagree on the fact that we need to do things better, what we do disagree on is the time table and how mush of our current economy we are willing to wreck to get there quicker.
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