The Commuter's Footprint................Gentrification has forced working class people, as a whole, into commutes from rural and (ick..) suburban environs. Getting to work in America is getting to be more and more uneconomical and contrary to the ideals many road warriors carry, regarding environmental footprint. I've readily undertaken 170mi. round trips on a daily basis to get to a job site- 100 miles is not considered that bizarre to someone in Central Cali., runners from Banning to San Berdoo, or Ellensburg WA. contactors scooting over to the Microsoft plant in Redmond.

Engineering funding streams (read: multinational automotive corporations...) appear to be dropping out of development and distribution of the hybrid car. Stockholder pressure is creating short-term thinking that bleeds innovation dry. The dominant Hybrid out there neither addresses gas mileage nor minimizes enviornmental impact. Period. When the electric motor kicks out in favor of the liquid fuel power source at speeds over 15mph, the notion of interstate highway-dependent commutes renders the Hybrid moot. Battery reliablility is suspect- Mayor Nichols, of Seattle, has gone through parts n' parts trying to do the right thing by City Hall. The expense for those of us on a real budget is simply a killer. The nominal MPG, batteries that are more expensive than a gently-used car and the prospect of resale value of such a vehicle at a hundred thousand miles...when those batteries are near their fail safe point....point to an early landfill addition. But......how can we continue to rethink the concept when R&D budgets are threatened?

Fingers continue to point towards liquid fuel alternatives--the more recycled the better.