GLUT(tony)

In light of rising gas prices, the New York Times (May 2) reports that consumers are opting to purchase smaller cars. This sudden turn of events (not really so sudden) have caught the big automakers of Detroit with their carburetors down.  American auto makers have been behind European automakers for years when it came to producing fuel efficient cars.  They have been loth to build smaller and lighter cars. Nor have they been concerned about the impact of the larger passenger cars, SUVs and trucks not only on the economy but on clumsy and intimidating traffic.

After World War II our country opted not for public transportation but for a highway system that has glutted every small town, village, and city in America.  Such a system was a boon to Detroit automakers, as well as creating a tourist industry from coast to coast.  Formerly served by railroads, the political powers authorized the slow death of railroad tracks in favor of paved roads.  Mass transportation yielded to the automobile on the road, but not in the air.  Plane travel lifted millions of passengers above the earth and ultimately brought about the slow death of ocean liners.

Everyone complains about gas and gas prices, but no one talks about the glut of automobiles on this planet.  It boggles the mind to think of India and China heading towards the making and purchasing of automobiles.  That there are just too many cars and trucks and millions of tons of metal recycled or buried in the earth every year, is not a concern at the moment.  Let people buy cars.  

The selling of the automobile as a popular conveyance was, like cigarette smoking, romanticized in film:  the father packing his fishing gear in the trunk, along with mother's picnic basket and things for the children to amuse themselves with;  a weekend break or a vacation.   Next to their pets, people love their cars and care for them fiercely, warding off dull finish and rust;  they depend on them for quick, and hopefully, safe travel to work;  they are are willing to bear traffic jams and smaller, available parking spaces;  and are willing to accept (or ignore) noxious gases which help  make them nervous wrecks  as they face slower and slower traffic and stalled highways.  

No matter what the country, the adoration of the Magi pales in comparison to the adoration of the Automobile.  Is it possible to induce people to public transportation?  Nah.  You can't pack fishing gear or a picnic basket on a bus or train, just ain't the same.   So be it.