I notice many discussions based upon the economic viability of the hybrids vs conventional cars.
There is often a statement to the effect that environmental issues are created/fabricated to support funding of other less wealthy countries. ie. "a conspiracy to move vast sums of money from us "the have's" to the "have not's".

What seems to be missing from the equation is less fuel consumption means less money being exported from our home country to buy oil. We have to remember that the "have nots" actually have the oil.

So if the anti hybrid lobby in Nth America want to keep buying 14,000,000 barrels of oil every day (1 trillion USD/day), then, they can attempt to proceed. But would it not be better to reduce that to 7,000,000 barrels a day, save the cash and reduce the footprint, thereby giving themselves a chance to prove environmental change is not related to emmissions.

We get very good mileage (150% more miles) from our Prius compared to our 1999 VW Jetta which is already a good economic car. We use both cars in the same area and we both work within one block of each other. We enjoy reducing consumption and testing the hybrid, reducing our emmissions just in case emmissions are affecting climate change.

Shaun