Are they born hating clean air, or is that an acquired trait? Do lungs develop a dependence upon pollution, or is it a learned emotional dependence? Can't we just trust the automakers to reduce pollution to a tolerable level?

Seriously, I have to admit to having gone through the angst you so ably describe. It seemed beyond belief that there could be those demands, those controls. You used to be able to see the engine when you lifted the hood, and change your own spark plugs with just a wrench and the elbows God gave you. No more! I can remember unrestricted backyard burning, too.

I have become a believer. Before pollution controls and vehicle inspections the air was definitely dirtier, and getting stuck behind some older cars seemed to be a threat to one's health. I shouldn't admit this, but once when I was learning to fly I got lost on a clear day at 3,000 feet over the industrial section of my city. Couldn't see the ground or any landmarks, that particular airplane didn't have an electrical system so no navigation aids, either. (Aeronca 7AC, cloth covered, tandem, stick. Cars used to pass me when I flew down a freeway.)

In many poorer countries, even those who produce oil to export, gas is much more expensive than it is in the US.

Now, I've owned a 4-wheel drive vehicle continuously since I was 19, except for a few years when my rich uncle provided transportation. And, I doubt that there are many SUVs which get off the road, or which are driven in rotten weather. There is a lot of superfluous iron being pushed around.

Long, long ago it was decided that driving was a privilege, and licenses could be required. It's been determined that it is in the public interest to have a minimum set of skills and an ongoing standard of behavior for drivers.

It's also understood that vehicles which can be operated safely are in the public interest.

Isn't it a logical progression to expect that as there become more and more and more of them, such as in California, vehicles should impact the environment as little as possible?

Seriously, those same people who want to drill in ANWR to reduce dependence upon foreign oil, don't seem to think that there are other ways to do that.

If driving is a privilege, then it's also an option. Opt out. Or find inexpensive ways to drive. Those exist. And people still get where they go.

I can understand your frustration, and I have to admit it's better now than it was.

Arf