People can drive whatever car they can afford. There doesn't need to be any government restrictions. But maybe I would like to drive a Volkswagen Polo or Lupo that, for some reason, is not sold in America….build it and we will buy it!!!70-90mpg!

The oil companies should have to fund research into alternative energy sources? And that ought to be LAW? I'd laugh if it weren't so sad.

Oil companies are retail parasites? I guess Microsoft ought to have to give Apple some money, too. Oil companies are in business to make money, not for charity. Without the incentive of profit, who would go a drill for oil and spend Billions exploring for new sources of oil?

Alternative Energy will come about when some company can turn that technology into a profit, like every other revolution beforehand.

But you can't make a company do charity work, let's get real. Could we put pressure on the industry to increase refinery capacity, yes, if only the government would get out of the way, too. The energy 'crisis' isn't just about ugly big business but ugly big government, too.

There is huge global demand for energy and we will have to pay more to get our piece of the pie.

WITH BUSH IN POWER, THE FOX IS IN THE PROVERBIAL OIL COMPANY HEN HOUSE!

Here's how this dumb fuel efficiency plan will go: a hefty increase will be passed, leading to a few hundred or thousand more highway deaths per year. Then people will clamor for safer cars, and new laws will of course come along to accomplish that objective. The end result? Cars with an average price tag of 30,000 dollars.

Mandates such as these will only increase the price of cars. If you think driving is expensive now because you're paying another $200 per year in gas, wait until your fancy new car costs an extra 5K-10K to account for Washington's mandates.

Then again, Democrats would love this. It would be a short-term boon to auto unions, even if it would eventually bankrupt Detroit automakers. At that point, Democrats could sweep in and offer a few billion dollars in federal bailout money to "help the American working stiff."

In the end, we get cars that are more expensive and less safe.

how about passing a LAW that the oil companies have to create a superfund for Alternative Fuel Development out of the trillions in profits we are giving these retail parasites during the current gouging

every single person holding one or more terms should be voted out until these pocket stuffing theives (our congressmen, not to be confused with pocket stuffing oil executives) get the message

Any legislator who denies a good energy plan to the people of this country can kiss her/his career goodbuy within the next couple of elections. It's time to fix this problem NOW! This is my key issue the next time I vote. Thanks

Well said Bill!

hear hear bill w.

By all means – increase fuel efficiency. But this doesn't go far enough.

Why are people allowed to drive things that don't even fit into a parking space anywhere, besides hogging gas like it doesn't cost anything and always wanting to do 90 mph in them, making them even less fuel efficient?

Its one thing if a vehicle is farm equipment or needed for a construction site. But we really need to do away with all the un-necessary SUVs, Hummers, and monster trucks on the road, esecially all the ones that are never used for jobs, with one person in them carrying nothing. Put a $10,000 or $20,000 tax on these monsters that are such a nuisance. Make it really painful to buy these things without a real reason to have it.

I have been driving a hybrid for 3 years now – and I love it. If more people drove smaller and more fuel efficient cars instead of monster vehicles they don't even need, we'd all be better off.

And this is supposed to be news ? And posted on the front page of your website ?!