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Health & Fitness

Smiling as I Drive By the Pump...

Electric cars could save this country...

I never thought I'd be so happy. As I drive around in my new toy, I'm grinning ear to ear... who would have thought it! I pass gas station after station in Fairfield County marveling at prices over four bucks a gallon and I grin. Yes, three months ago we took the plunge. We bought an electric car! And we've only bought gas once so far...

Fast as a rock shot from a slingshot and quiet as a mouse, we drive by the gas stations listening to XM radio and wondering why the rest of you are willing to put up with the never ending rise in gasoline pricing.

My car is beautiful, has all the creature comforts and has so many cool features. I'm still learning through the computer tutorials the many things it can do. Just last week I learned how to open the gas tank door... yes, we did feed the on-board gas powered generator for the first time last week. (after 3 months!) Now it's ready to go should I ever run the battery down enough to require it. I filled the six gallon tank. spending 15 dollars worth to top it off. My gauges say I can go another 276 miles if the battery goes down... shouldn't be an issue.

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Each night I plug the thing into my charger and I spend about $1.50 on electricity.

Have you considered getting out of the gasoline waiting line? Are you reluctant to give up the quick run into the gas selling convenience store for your morning joe and a lottery ticket? Would you have to find an alternate coffee shop instead in exchange for a the emission free glide into work on battery power?

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Have you heard about the one electric vehicle that caught fire after they smashed it in a collision testing, placed in a storage lot after the battery was crushed and it caught fire days later... I'm amazed at the airplay that one car has received. Why is it everyone knows about that and when Toyota was plagued with accelerators sticking and cars that wouldn't stop... they managed to remain the darling of the car business. My car had one early issue and immediately people were being told "Uh oh...these electric cars... better be careful."

Might there be a little profit loss being imagined by big oil if we all decided enough is enough?

I'll tell you, I believe the only way we are going to get away from our reliance on foriegn oil is through hybrid and electric cars. And I believe the only way to spark American manufacturing and encourage Americans returning to real jobs is to buy American products that are truly made in America by Americans.

Look at everything you purchase now... sadly it seems to all be manufactured, assembled and processed somewhere else. I believe our dependence on all these other countries just weakens our productivity and strengthens our vulnerability.

We really do have the technology to overcome this, as well as the common sense to understand that we are traveling down a road that may be a dead end...

Aren't we smart enough to realize our GPS' have led us down the wrong road?

So we spent a bunch of money buying a car to help America. I feel good about it.  It reduces my carbon footprint ... whatever that is... and supports American labor.  It makes me feel great as I drive, and maybe it will help spark some excitement in others when they see me going by...

"Hey honey... there's goes one of those electric vehicles... I hear they hardly cost anything to run..."  

"Yes, but they're so expensive... and the batteries are expensive..."

I'll tell you what's expensive... $4.19 a gallon, for something that's used up far too quickly, that we import from the Middle East, that we have to send our children to fight for... that we have to worry about security in the airports because though we've built up their economies, they all hate us.... but don't get me started...

So I was telling you, I've never been so happy...

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