Reply #43: I tend to think that the real culprit here was and still is the OIL COMPANIES [View All]

[BrklynLiberal]

They were the ones that used all their influence to keep efficiency down and usage up. They made sure that Detroit did not make cars for the US like they made for Europe, and once the guzzling cars were made, the auto companies were compelled to advertise them and convince the public that THEY were the cars they needed.

The countries in Europe who had utilized small, efficient cars for years did not have a huge oil industry trying to make sure that as much oil was used as was possible.

When Jimmy Carter tried to show us what could be done to end our dependency on foreign oil, he was laughed at, and the first thing that Raygun did was take down the solar panels from the White House roof.

The oil companies have been making record breaking profits for years..and they continue to increase!!! Their influence is overwhelming, and penetrates into every part of the govt.

If we had listened to Jimmy Carter there would be less pollution, a lot more sources of alternative energy, and we probably would never have gotten into the conflicts in the Middle East that involved oil and protecting the interests of private oil companies.

Consumers were stupid and were duped. The auto companies were somewhat willing accomplices. But the real villain, the "Dick Cheney" of this situation, both literally and figuratively, was the OIL COMPANIES!