Here's an idea: Let all the Hollywood big mouths and other leftys set an example by getting rid of the limos, towncars, their suvs, their private jets, and actually drive the prius they have stored in the garage? Oh, and this includes Kerry who has how many suvs? Seven? Nine? I forgot. Or is it nine houses? How about getting rid of these extra houses? And why have them so large. Kerry and his wife are only two people but they have how many mansions? What a fucking waste of energy.

All that's true, but let's face it, if only the super-rich could afford these road yachts, it wouldn't have much of an impact on fuel use.

The fact is that more efficient manufacturing and increased prosperity has made them available to the middle class, and even the lower middle class.

Which is, in itself, a good thing. (Something the ultrarich resent, because it's increasingly difficult for them to demonstrate their superior status with vehicle purchases.)

But all those gas-guzzling highway behemoths have a nontrivial effect on fuel consumption.

Tell me about it. Almost everyone on my street has an suv. In fact, families have two suvs -- mom's and dad's.

I still what to see the Hollywood crowd/Leftist politicians put their money where their mouth is. I want an active campaign to shame them. Confront them and catch them in lies. I do get a kick out of Streisand driving a little eco-car to her private hanger to fly off in her private jet.

Arianna is another one. Lecturing us about tax cuts when she pays no taxes and fuel consumption when there are rolling blackouts and she has a $7 million dollar mansion with central air.

Babs, the environmentalist, couldn't unload her old mansion because it was priced too high and took too much money to keep up ($30k amonth for water). She gives it to a state environmental agency (another bunch of crooks) and writes off the inflated price as a charitable donation.

Anyway, a bit tangential to your point, so I'll stop now.

Congress has already done something about those behemoth SUVs. Congress closed the small truck loophole in the tax code that allowed people to deduct the tax on certain sized trucks (the really big ones). I think you will see that the sales of Hummers, Escalades, and Porche Cayennes will plummet as the public goes back to the good ole' family sedan.

If I have to buy an 8500 lb. SUV, then that's what I'll do.

Sod off, swampy.

Yo Phinn -- you're needed over here to straighten Ace out again.

Ace, you have a point. Perhaps government intervention into blogs would be good too. Get rid of all the loose shit that goes on around here. Just sayin'.

Ace;

I'm currently driving a GMC safari conversion. (You may know it in it's Chvy Astro form). This was and remains, to my mind, the king of the Mini-vans... not really a mini. Has 5000lb towcap.

A full description and pics can be found at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/713892

I'm getting the 21 you spec. But the problem here for MPG is one of weight, and available power to do the job it's designed to do.

Look, the very reason Americans are buying trucks instead of cars is because of the milage restrictions placed on cars. They've gotten to the point where you need a shoehorn to get in the stupid things, and when you do, you stand no chance whatever in any kind of accident.

Government regulation caused this problem... it's not a solution. You can't use the power of government to change the laws of physics. CAFE is a bad idea.

Just as I flush my 1.6 gallon toilet two or three times to rid my bathroom of loose sh*t, so shall I drive my Prius to the ends of the earth 'cause it gets such great gas mileage. As marginal costs fall, so shall the demand for that product rise, thus saith the Lord Adam Smith.

Ace,

Single Malt Pundit does a good job explaining today why this isn't a very good idea.

Sorry forgot the address.
http://www.singlemaltpundit.com/archives/2005/08/30/why-that-lincoln-navigator-is-saving-the-planet/