[Moneyguy1]

Don:

There were those screaming and yelling about what finally is happening, but they were drowned out, (I hate to use such a hackneyed term) by "Special Interests." People at the top decision making levels do not pump their own gas, they do not pay their own utility bills. Others do those tasks for them, and the cost is inconsequential. Back a few decades one City I consulted for, got rid of their "full size" police fleet and purchased Chevy Novas with police packages, and the staff cars were Plymouth Horizons.

The old comedy movie "Mad Mad World" had a line in their theme song back in 1964:

"Our traffic is so congested, mass confusion on wheels

But Detroit is adroit, what they'll do in Detroit

Is build bigger automobiles..."

So came the 70s, birth of the true compact, influx of foreign competition and within 10 years the entire episode was forgotten, the higher prices of the day were accepted, and the industry went back to its old formula of bigger is better. Lessons learned? NADA.

Fast forward to present day. 3 and 4 ton behemoths, people willing to sacrifice their first born to fuel these monsters, claiming "We need our big vehicles!! We have two kids and three dogs, and have to tow a motor home, two ATVs, a boat, the Subaru, and our emergency cache of bicycles."

I made an observation in another thread. In 1943, the Allies realized that the war could be shortened if they deprived Germany of oil and oil products, so they started a campaign of blowing up refineries and iol fields. So, even the last gasp of the bulge saw many, many German fighting vehicles left 'in situ' because they had no fuel. I find the parallel chilling.

Moses, the options are many and varied. Is the amount spent in the ME the most effective use of those funds? In the long run, will the events of the past fopur years really change anything? I hope the cost is justified in the long run, but I, personally, would have opted for an Apollo or Manhattan type project.

I just pray it is not too late.