wrote in message
oups.com...
"But, it's just plain stupid that soccer mommies are driving around in
SUVs which, by design, get
hideous gas mileage. You know full well that the vast majority of
people who
own them will never EVER need the mechanical advantages of those power
trains. NEVER. No towing, no off-road, nothing. "


Who are you to decide what others need
or want? I go snowboarding at Killington, VT frequently. I go with a
buddy and we always take his SUV because it has room for our gear and 4
wheel drive is very desirable in that environment. And it gets about
21MPG. That's right, 21MPG.

And that's a good use for such a vehicle, but you know full well that that
the majority of SUV owners do NOT use their vehicles that way. I don't know
how old you are, but 25 years ago, if you looked around a crowded parking
lot, you ***NEVER*** saw that 75% of the cars there were actually trucks,
unless perhaps the parking lot belonged to a sportsman's club. But, that's
the case now. No way that many more people are driving off-road, skiing,
towing boats or hauling a half ton of cinder blocks. No way. You know that.

Ranting about personal choice is silly. You can't open your mouth at all
about our energy problems if you're not willing to do what's patriotic. I'm
not saying that you should try and tow a boat with a hybrid vehicle. I *am*
saying that if all you ever do is shop and haul 3 kids around, the patriotic
thing to do is not waste gasoline just so you can drive what your neighbors
are driving because you think it's cool.