"Then there’s the carbon cost associated with making some of the new alternative fuel vehicles, the much lauded Prius being a great example of true environmental cost being hidden by marketing and social blindness.

Take a look at the production process for the batteries alone on the Prius, a car with a manufacturer’s estimated life-span of 100,000 miles. Those of you out there with these cars are helping test a transitional technology, which is great, but in the process you’re contributing more to pollution and carbon release than many of the much maligned SUV drivers."

You saw this... http://www.reason.org/commentaries/dalmia_20060719.shtml

It's more like THIS... http://www.thecarconnection.com/article/1010861_prius-versus-hummer-exploding-the-myth

Read the whole article, please. Happy education. Ahh, another one saved. Today was not a waste.

Americans that think the demand for gasoline is dropping are seriously mistaken. Almost nobody is taking the steps necessary to reduce the need for petroleum. While China continues to demand more fuel, and at cheaper prices because of the lack of regulations and restrictions, OPEC continues maintain production. It is not that they are pumping less oil, or that there is some sort of shortage due to higher demand, but rather it is the prospect of a shortage due to increased demand from China. The oil market is based on futures. The price is set based on how those concerned view the future demand and price for the product, not the current demand.
This can be remedied by changing the way Americans think and the way they live. The fact that people are still buying the gas should begin to tell the tale of how we have been molded into slogan chanting morons. Remember 9/11? Greatest country in the world? Most free country on the planet? All examples of behavior modification tactics. The actors and actresses that chime in about having less freedom for the sake of gun control and safety are just a personification of a plague of nationwide ignorance.
The internal combustion engine is a technology that has been obsolete for nearly 75 years. We buy gas because we are sold gas. There is no profit in free energy. Can you tax air? Then you may not tax free energy. The fact is, we currently have the technology to subsist purely on solar and electrical energy. For crying out loud, the entire nation of Norway runs on human waste (I knew this before the Michael Moore film, so shut the fuck up), so we DO have the capability to achieve this. But who's going to make it happen? Not me, I'm American, and we don't protest. We just complain and ramble on about how it is worse everywhere else. Don't let those commies and soc's in here, right? Go U.S.A.! By the way, how is that economy holding up? Not well, you say? That's funny, because Exxon-Mobil just posted another record profit quarter. Worse yet, they are making a case for their profits being a necessity. Wow, America is awesome. I'm moving to Norway so I can crap my way to energy independence. Yeah poop!