SUVs have been and will remain essential for some families and climates.
I was intrigued by this argument from the start. Jason Thomas begins his defense of SUVs with a quote from Edmund Burke's "Refelections on the Revolution in France". Odd, I thought; I don't recall SUVs being much of an issue during the French Revolution. Apparently, I have much to learn.
Texas is not exactly a bully pulpit when it comes to demonizing the SUV. After all, the Chevy Suburban is practically the national vehicle of Texas. I'm not exactly a shining example of environmental responsibility myself. I drive a Ford F-150 pickup truck. Yeah, I know; I haul stuff maybe twice a year. Leave me alone. I'm a guy, I live in Texas, and I wanted a truck. So there....
Each of us have choices to make about vehicular transportation. Personally, I think the hue and cry over SUVs is much ado about nothing. No, they're not the most ecologically sensible vehicles. But does that give environmentalists the right to slap "I'm changing the climate" stickers on the windows of SUVs, decrying the fuel inefficiency and damage to the atmosphere? Try that in Texas, and it just might be your last mortal act.
While I will not argue with the assertion that SUVs are the worst polluters, I would offer this rejoinder: the place to start a protest movement might not be with SUV owners, but with the guy who's driving the '83 AMC Pacer with 375,000 miles on it. I may be off-base here, but I suspect that there are a large number of older vehicles on the road that are worse polluters than your average SUV. How 'bout we try getting them off the road before we begin harrassing SUV owners? In Texas, it just might save you from having to take a bullet for the cause....
