I could give a rat's ass what people spend their money on. My problem is that these people are not making their own decisions. Advertising is all about influencing how people think and behave - in a word, psychologically manipulating their desires and their spending habits. Many dollars are spent by advertising companies figuring out how to convince you and I to desire and buy products we don't necessarily need, and that aren't necessarily good for us. Giant SUVs are right up there with cigarettes, as far as public health impacts go.
Where I do have a problem is that the impact of filling our public streets with these sorts of vehicles does not stop at the vehicle owner, it affects all of us. I am less safe riding my bicycle amongst these vehicles, we are all breathing more air pollution because of these vehicles, our soldiers are dying on foreign soil to provide oil and gas for these vehicles, and my tax dollars are paying for all the government subsidies these vehicles receive, including (1) the direct income tax deductions their owners receive, (2) funding for our military misadventures necessary to support the fuel consumption of these vehicles, and (3) building all the new unnecessary roads to accomodate all of these unnecessary vehicles.
I for one am not looking for a "rat's ass" and I make my own decisions, I don't let advertizing do it.
What is your take on airliners? How many thousands gallons of fuel do they consume carry 50 to a couple hundred people? Do they pollute? Let's all stop flying too.
A machine is only as safe as the person behind the wheel.
I thought we were wasting all these billions in Iraq because George Bush decided that. We had SUV's before Bush came to town.
I could go on all day long about things done with my taxes I don't like, including people getting their children subsidized in an obvious ploy for endearment. What about people who buy gigantic houses that are gross displays of wealth? Can we tell them they can't have it because they don't "need" it?
Volkswagon makes a three cylinder diesel that is available in Europe and gets 70mpg, I would buy one if I could.
No hokey new technology needed.
How many people use leafblowers when they could get the job done with a rake and possibly quicker? I can't control what other people spend their money on, and never will. If you or I consume anything at all we are just as guilty as anyone for tractor trailers filling up roads, belching smoke, to fill up the stores. A puny motor will never pull those loads.
FXjohn