That was so, well, dumb... On So many levels. My neurons are committing suicide like the apocryphal lemmings to the see. Hear them jumping out my ears? Commie sympathizers are responsible for the small car and the death of the US auto industry?

Cafe standards did not do in the auto industry (nor did 'commies'). A pathological lack of innovation, refusal to compete, refusal to re-invest in seed corn and an attitude that as long as they kept 'shitting' out cars, they were entitled to the dollars of the american consumer. Thats what killed the US auto industry. Foot, meet gun. Wash, rinse, repeat. An Audi can do in 2.0 liters what it takes America to do with a V8 and a blower. Cafe standards have nothing to do with the reason. US auto companies occasionally produce diamonds- probably due to the striving of young 20-something engineers who are dying to do something worthy.

Small cars are not unsafe, its not technologically impossible to build a small care that is safe. That is an empty assertion. There are plenty of amazingly safe and innovative compact and sub-compacts coming out of Europe and Japan.

And Ralph Naider didn't 'help' flood the US market with foreign cars. The US Auto makers practically conceded that market after releasing trash cars that were left rotting on the show-room floor.

Thats whats so funny to me. Out of one side of your mouth you blabber on about the ethical utopia that is the free market. Yet, when the free market goes in a way that you find offensive, you postulate hordes of ghoulish 'commies' and 'EEEEEeeeevil Liiiibrals' that screwed everything up for your god-fearing righteous American soul.

Good god, man. The market spoke. The US auto makers refused to get in the game. My family has been driving Ford since the model-T, and I've owned several myself. But I also know for a fact that the cars that can be had for the same money from Europe or Japan are in many ways nicer, safer and more durable. I may never buy Ford again, and after 2 GM rattletraps I learned my lesson there. I'd love to by union made american steel- but American Auto companies are making it more and more impossible to do so.

Yeti