This topic is a little touchy, IMHO, because we love our big cars, trucks, SUVs we always have, YES myself included. We also know that our dependence on foreign oil has become an Achilles heel for the U.S. Personally I would love it if we could thumb our noses at the OPEC nations when they threaten to cutback on oil production. It would be great if we didn't have to police them so much to protect the flow of oil to our country. If we look at our trucks, the big gas and diesel trucks we know and love so well, they were designed to haul heavy loads, which they do admirably . They really weren't meant to be commuter vechicles and many use them for this purpose only. I didn't use my Expedition for commuting back when, I did my research and bought a cheaper Sub. Impreza.
What's wrong with coming up with fossil fuel alternatives, why not work to make our cars more efficient? In the long run, what will be more important driving big inefficient vehicles thereby creating more dependency on foreign oil (and quite possibly fattening terrorist coffers) or driving smaller more efficient cars and being able to stick it to those who harbor and support terrorists. Stick to 'em where it hurts, in the pocket book.
It's not a matter of what we deserve, whether we've earned the 'right' to drive a large expensive vehicle but the direct cost of operating the vehicle and the intangible costs too.... Kind of like wanting to have our cake and eat too....
This is not meant as a slam for or against anyone here, just trying to look at this from a different angle.