I agree that the deck is stacked heavily against us, politically, financially. ..which makes an extra good case, then, for personal responsiblity. In this mild climate, when I see an SUV being driven by a single person, not a spot of dust on it, sporting an American flag on the antenna, my assumption is that a bad choice has been made for the planet by an unthinking, uncaring consumer.

My husband was 6'5, I am 5'2, we both fit very nicely in the '88 Camry station wagon I still drive. In it I have carried luggage and bulky instrument cases plus 3 dogs, enough pottery plus display modules for a 3 daiy show, hay and feed sacks...and it gets over 30 mpg.

SUV's have nearly driven the stationwagon out of existence. SUV buyers have bought into market hype, trendiness, and image. Drivers, especially those who can afford the astronomical initial cost and remain indifferent to the use of fuel, like the higher profile-- being bigger, higher, more bulky. They dwarf my roomy stationwagon...sandwiched between 2 in a parking lot my car virtually disappears, yet I can haul just as much stuff.

It seems to me that buyers without a specific need for such a vehicle, do bear responsibility for sustaining, if not creating, the market for these gas guzzlers.