LBB hit it on the head. The US auto industry has been in trouble for decades...but overall there are more (many more) cars on the road today than there were in the 80s. People are still in love with the cars and see them as an essential part of life in the US. If GM, Ford and Chrysler go down, the other manufacturers will just increase their market share and the percentage of those who use a bike as a mode of transportation will remain tiny.
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey