There will come a day, and I don't think its even far off, where the American mania for wrapping ourselves in that much metal and using up the natural resources we didn't waste in building the car to power it - is going to be seen for what it really was - stupid.
1. Back when I had a car and a wife (got rid of both, at about the same time, for pretty much the same reasons - too expensive, too much aggravation) I had a Dodge Daytona, she had a Honda - which was the "American Car"? The one built in Ohio, or the one built in Windsor Locks, Canada? Either way, the parts for both were made all over, that whole 'global economy' deal.
2. In not having a car, I pretty much can take an extra month of vacation every year, with the money I save (or the money I don't have to make in order to make payments, insurance, parking, repairs, maintenance, etc.). Not to mention the total lack of aggravation in my life from the car, driving and all that. Most people spend about two months a year working for that heap of metal out in the driveway, where public transit is half the cost, and a lot better for you (I have to walk a lot, ride my bike all over). At this point in my life, I want the time, not the car.
3. I prefer my coffee in a china cup or mug, sitting outside talking with friends.
