an oily mess
Morgan Young 10.8.05
FIFs
(frequently ignored facts)
1. There was this "little known" event in the 1973 known as an energy crisis. It came back in 1979. From '73 to 1980's we struggled with gas and energy prices in America.
In the 70s, the rest of the world (generally speaking) was driving 4 cylinder fuel efficient cars. The U.S. was driving 8 cylinder gas-guzzlers; no one in America talked about "miles per gallon," only horsepower. Gas was dirt cheap.
This energy crisis was the wake-up call for the Detroit auto makers and for the U.S. political leaders. We quickly realized that these little Japanese cars we had been laughing at were not so funny after all. This is when foreign cars really stole a big chunk of the American auto market and explains why they are where they are today. It took the American auto industry years to catch up when it came to making quality, fuel-efficient, smaller cars. As we tried to transition from V8s to 4 cylinders , the foreign automakers were capturing more market share.
Highway speed limits were reduced from 65 mph to 55 mph to slow fuel consumption; it worked. The government aggressively supported alternative fuel sources and gave tax breaks for solar panels on homes to help alleviate our dependence on oil.
2. The U.S. is dependant on foreign oil. Oil is not an infinite fuel source.
We cannot produce enough oil to sustain ourselves, period. Our desire to drive is made possible by other countries. Without them and their oil, we're in trouble. It has been this way for decades. It seems that we too often make decisions and behave as if we have all the oil we need. We don't. We have to buy it IF countries will sell to us and at the price they ask. Having all the oil we want is not our right. Given enough time and consumption, it is possible to exhaust the earth's oil supply.
3. Giving people what they want is not always the right thing.
Through the late 1980's and '90s our economy grew and became stronger. People forgot the energy crisis of the 70s. American automakers realized that Americans wanted and could afford bigger cars. We had enough oil (although still coming from other countries) and people's pocketbooks could afford less fuel-efficiency. We went back to business as usual. Gas-guzzling SUVs sold like hotcakes, just to transport mom and the kids over the rough terrain of the mall parking lot. Political leaders raised highway speed limits because we want to go fast. Consumer tax breaks for solar power went by the wayside.
Now gas hovers around $3 per gallon. American car sales are nearly dead in the water. Just because Americans are willing to buy gas-guzzling cars doesn't mean that we should produce them. I would suggest that moderate profits made consistently over the long haul are more important than big profits(SUV sales) in short term runs.
Our nations political leaders never cautioned us, never reminded us of points #1 & #2. And now, we are reliving our mistakes. And too, I think there is a mindset in this country of, "It doesn't make any difference what I doI'm just one person." If millions of us thought the fuel economy of our vehicle was important, it indeed would make a difference.
It feels like we American people are like spoiled kids to our poor-parenting political and business leaders.
This is not that complicated:
people: Stop buying poor fuel efficient cars.
automakers: Stop pushing gas-hogging vehicles. A very small percentage of the US needs them, the rest are buying for status. It is not all about profits. Lead the globe in fuel efficiency; we can if we want to. Making money is not about big ticket vehicles, it's about creativity, marketing and doing the environmentally responsible thing.
political leaders: Lead the country--don't simply give us what we want, lead us in doing the right responsible things. Show & tell us how to be energy conscious in press conferences and public service announcements. Keep reinforcing the concept of energy-conscious Americans. Lead automakers. Aggressively seek solar and alternative fuel sources---we are Americans; we can do anything we set our will to. And stop talking about drilling in Alaska until we start trying to change our behaviors.
2006 Top 10 best mpg vehicles overall (Oct 15, '05 CNN)
(City/Highway)
1. Honda Insight (hybrid) -- 60/66
2. Toyota Prius (hybrid) -- 60/51
3.Volkswagen New Beetle and Golf (diesel, manual) -- 37/44
4. Volkswagen Jetta (diesel) -- 36/41
5. Ford Escape Hybrid FWD -- 36/31
6. Volkswagen New Beetle and Jetta(diesel, automatic) -- 35/42
7. Volkswagen Golf (diesel, automatic) -- 33/44
8. Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD (Also Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner 4WD hybrids) -- 33/29
9. Lexus RX 400h 2WD and Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2WD -- 33/28
10. Toyota Corolla (manual) -- 32/41
