ALT-1 Should Hummers be outlawed for road travel? – No
Should Hummers be outlawed for road travel? Seriously, I feel like someone brings up something like this way too often these days. There are definitely hard things going on right now with fuel prices and food prices, but why do people panic and want to start banning everything and telling everyone else how to drive and what to drive? If I can afford to drive and put gas in a Hummer, why should I not be allowed to? Because someone else thinks it is a waste of money? That is fine for them to think that, but it is my money that I am wasting remember. Why do we need the government to come in and hold our precious little hands and tell us what to do?
When did we stop having freedoms in this land? We are a people who panic and this is one of those moments. We have no sense of patience in this great nation and are freaking out because things are bad right now. Things were bad in the early 90s, the late 70s, and for sure in the late 20s and early 30s. The market is on a cycle and will correct itself. We all should be doing what we can to cut some corners and tighten up, but that should be a personal decision, not one for the government to make. Last time I checked, the government does not do a very good job with most things they put their hands on.
Banning one specific vehicle is not going to do anything to curb our oil and gas problems. There are sports cars out there that get much worse gas mileage than the Hummers and no one is calling for their removal. How about this for an idea. Let's ban all aircraft owned by private individuals. Those things out of the air would do much more to better the environment than getting a few thousand Hummers off the road. Unfortunately, we are in panic mode and no one is thinking clearly now. I know we want to protect the environment and the emissions, but there are many more constructive ways to do that. My airplane idea for example.
I propose we all take a deep breath and think like the rational adults we are. Telling someone else what they can drive is not only beyond the scope of anything the government should be able to do, but it would not solve much. If we were that concerned about the environment, why not look at ways we can personally take steps instead of focusing on what everyone else is doing and driving. Freedoms go both ways in this country, not just when you like and agree with what is being said and done. If your next door neighbor wants to drive a Hummer, then he should be able to do so. If John Travolta can fly his own plane around, then I should be able to drive to Wal-Mart in a Hummer.
