. . . arrived at 4:01 am Eastern time, and it was from a fellow named Tony, reacting to today's column. It reflects skepticism, cynicism, negativism and the smug unwillingness to change that will work against progress on the energy front. But that's OK. Progress isn't for everyone. The cost of oil, the growing world population, the new emissions and fuel efficiency standards are going to force this to happen anyway. A new generation -- the kids who grew up inside SUVs and minivans -- are going to demand a new way of traveling through the world. The other day I heard a college sophomore, 19 years old, declare she planned to live in a way that allowed her to avoid owning a car altogether for as long as possible. The future is going to be an interesting place. Anyway, here's Tony's blast from the past, unedited because it has a wonderfully dismissive nature in its raw form. I love this guy. (No, really):

"The car you bought 30 years ago didnt get 30 mpg it might have been EPA rated 30 mpg but it probably got 20-24-The54Mpg VW you cite was a tinny slow 5speed diesel rabbit that no body bought-didnt have power windows or air bags or any of the convenience or safety features we insist on today.  The stupid 3cylinder Smart car which is a death trap only gets about 30mpg and the Hybrids dont do much better in the real world and in less than 10 years need a $5000 battery pack- what a bargain.People in the US travel long distances -haul things and want and need space and power - this is not Europe.If you want MPG buy a scooter or small motorcycle --even small bikes get only about 50mpg -70 mpg on dinky scooter-try powering a car with a 650cc or smaller  engine- you could beat it on a bicycle.