Perhaps, my friend, perhaps.

I totally agree about the alternatives, etc. Hell, that dovetails into "What Were the Big 3 Thinking?" I have a unique perspective on the Big-3, I used to work for EDS at the GM headquarters in beautiful downtown Detroit, as a software engineer, and my sister, brother-in-law, ad brother all work for different factions of the Big 3. I love my family, needless to say, but the brainwashing is strong! I'm driving around in my '07 Honda Civic Hybrid getting 42 mpg on average, mostly highway, and my family, back in Michigan, are all telling my that alternatives are not "ready for primetime" and that the US manufacturers are years away from having true alternatives in the consumer line-up. Oh well, chalk another one up to lily white fat asses worrying more about who to stroke for their next Cuban cigar rather than what constitutes a great American automobile (sorry all you truck owners).

Oh, man, I can't believe I went down that road :-)

Good nigh and good luck!