This is a photo of the Newell Motor Coach towing a Hummer2 that was parked almost outside my house on Saturday. Tiny, isn't it? The damn thing took up over a quarter of the block.
This motor coach holds over 200 gallons of diesel and burns fuel at a rate of 7.0 to 4.9 MPG (miles per gallon). The miles per gallon drop if you are towing something and that decrease in MPG is based on the weight of what you are towing at the time.
The Hummer2 (vehicle plus gas) weights in at 6,614 pounds and has a fuel rating of 10 MPG. The Hummer MPG rating is not listed at the Hummer website, this MPG is based on customer experience.
It is not surprising that the USA is the number one oil consumer of the world gulping down 20,697.53 billion barrels of petroleum in 2007. Our closest competitor was China who used about two-thirds less than we did during that same time period. They consumed 7,201 billion barrels.
We are oil pigs and misguided souls who think our "right" to travel anywhere in our own personal cocoons of steel and rubber is more important than any damage we are doing to our planet. It's time to bite the bullet and admit that the only way this is going to get better is if we reallocate a larger percentage of our taxes toward this problem and invest in clean, energy efficient, public transportation along with renewable energy sources. This may also mean a increase in our taxes but it is time to realize that when it comes to government services you get what you do or don't pay for.
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