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Yep, I agree. If America is "getting what it deserves" I would say it comes from giving environmentalists an undue say in our energy policy. They have convinced our spineless politicians to prevent us from using our own energy resources and now set up a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I have faith in American ingenuity, that is, if we don't put a regulatory roadblock at every turn.
As previously stated well and often - cars from the 70's generally sucked. I would take a modern vehicle any day over a 70's one.
Prefer the "old" ways- then would you prefer medicine from the 50's to today? I think not. Modern technology is great and solutions to current issues will be found.
I will say my dodge omni was a great little car, 1.8 Vw engine that i put 300,000 miles on. too bad it wouldnt haul my tractor and landscaping equipment.
I don't think the OP was saying that the fuel efficient cars of the '70s were built better than cars of today, just that they were more fuel efficient. And in the '70s, most people drove cars, vs. today when an awful lot of people drive 3-ton trucks and refer to them as cars.
I doubt that we'll be seeing many 2000 era cars still on the roads in 2035 or 2040, either.
I had, not one but two, '74 SAAB 99's. Between them they went over 400,000 miles before dissolving in the salt. My wife had a '65 VW Beetle that suffered the same fate with over 200,000 on the clock. We also had a '80 Chevy pick up that is still running on a farm in Maine because there are too many rust holes to pass inspection. It had well over 500,000 miles on its odometer. I'd say 60 & 70's cars were pretty good.
I now have a '92 Buick Roadmaster Wagon that is still running. I bought it even though it only gets 16 mpg around town because it only cost me $2,500. The difference between $2,500 and $20,000 for a Prius buys a lot of gasoline. Besides the old beast handles surprisingly well and comes off the stop line way quicker than the kids in the rice rockets ever expect.
I am planning on buying a low mileage Corolla built in this century because I still want to be able to travel and an extra 10 mpg will pay for the car fairly quickly when gas is over $4 per gallon.
OP - America did not deserve to be hammered by these gas prices but got just what the lobbysts wanted. Addiction to oil at any price.
What happened to the fuel efficient cars of the 70's?
Did people really believe the problems arising from being oil dependent disappeared? Why did they not want less pollution and more modern, efficient and smart energy alternatives? Kerosene went the way of the dinosaurs, why didn't fossil fuels, that is where it belongs anyway!
Average size cars were not good enough for really stupid people, they had to have Hummers and SUV's to make up for what they lacked mentally and physically. I guess it is true about cars being "extensions" of body parts. Brains got smaller and vehicles got bigger too.
Duh America! Now you are all scrambling around to alleviate the burden of rising fuel costs. This is what it has taken...your wallet. Didn't clean air and water matter at all to you? Where was your ecological concern and sense of responsibility? Where was your patriotism? Where was your integrity and self respect?
You have made billionaires out of individuals that do not give a crap about you and yours. Yep, you have gotten what you deserve. Just sad that the people that were into "Green" before it became in vogue have to pay the price for the other morons.
I'm just curious, what is it that America got that we deserved? Lets not pu$$y foot around it, just out with it.
Car manufacturers and the lobbyists pushed the large gas guzzling cars of today. Yes, some folks bought into the bigger is better and safer ideology, but that doesn't mean that all of America did. Unfortunately, we're all paying the higher prices. I think the OP is trying to be controversial, but any time you make vast generalizations you weaken your own argument.
I loved my 1973 Corolla that I bought new. It got great mileage and was all that I, as a single person, needed. The American cars weren't any good in those days, you are right about that -- that's why so many people bought foreign cars. Detroit didn't listen.
I go along with a lot of what the OP said -- whatever happened to solar and all the other new technologies that were all the rage in the '70s? Seriously.
and why the return to huge gas guzzling cars? We seemed to be on the right track in the '70s but what happened?
and why the return to huge gas guzzling cars? We seemed to be on the right track in the '70s but what happened?
The price of gas dropped for one. Green movement aside, it became simply more economical to continue on the track of gas, and those that had to pinch could relax.
On the R&D side of things, Boeing had plans to develop the 7J7 and MD was looking into producing the MD-94 with propfan power, constituting a 60 percent reduction in fuel use, but the economics of going gas became cheaper than all that R&D and teething of a whole new propulsion system. Would have been interesting to think of going to the airport now and seeing propfans everywhere though.
This time around, it was Boeing's intent to start making airliners faster... the effect of the price hike in gas, however, came in the form of the 787 over the faster, yet less efficient sonic cruiser.
I think that if gas prices would have dropped again ala the 1980's anytime sooner than now (maybe even now), economics may have dictated the same future in non-gas technologies. It's hard to argue over the bottom line... however, the hatred toward gas that is building, along with the concern over the environment may prove to be so strong that the mindset perseveres, even if the price of gas drops in the future.
What is....IS, wether we think we deserve it or not. Obviously, there is some power that has its way regardless of what we think we deserve. We can resist what is and say it shouldn't be happening, yet it happens anyway. One of the most helpful things we can do for ourselves is to accept what is, find ways to go with the flow, and learn to enjoy the ride.
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