Toyota recalls 437,000 Priuses and other hybrids

Toyota has announced the recall of some 437,000 Priuses and other hybrids due to faulty brakes, and they are taking a lot of heat for it. It would seem to many that the reason for this probably has something to do with the rush to produce them because they are seen by so many as a way to “save the planet.”

Hybrid automobile technology has been touted as the answer to global warming and the over-consumption of gasoline, and this is has always been an absurdity. Many people question whether or not global warming is in fact taking place on the planet at all, and though there are those who are willing to accept that it is all a vast left wing conspiracy, the jury is out. There are many scientists who stand by the assertion that global warming is a reality and that it is caused by humans, and there are many who present data to contest this. This debate, however, diverts attention from the fact that the planet’s ecosystem is indeed under siege on a number of levels, and a consumptive economy without regard to sustainability is irresponsible and shortsighted.

That having been said, the Prius and other hybrids being offered as a way to green the planet is asinine. These cars are largely a status symbol for liberals who can afford them through their earnings working for corporations who pollute the planet in very large ways. Obviously there are exceptions to this analysis, but there is a lot of truth in it as well.

The new Prius gets nearly 50 miles on a gallon of gas. That’s great. The Honda Civic Hybrid gets between 40 and 45 mpg. My plain old 2006 Nissan Sentra gets 30 mpg. Hybrids do save some fuel on the surface, but more and more people are driving globally every day. Toyota has stated that they expect an 6% rise in auto sales in 2010. Nobody at Toyota is suggesting curtailing driving or the purchase of cars and gasoline in favor of other forms of transportation.

Plus you have to consider how much driving you do with commuting with your Prius, and how much driving your uncle may do occasionally driving his Cadillac. The point is that the relatively modest impact that the hybrids are having on the consumption of oil emission of greenhouse gases is kind of an “opiate of the liberals.” You can’t have your cake and eat it too. The small percentage of drivers who can afford to go out and buy a hybrid (with faulty brakes) is not going to do a thing to clean up the environment in the big picture.