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Unfortunately, in the US,such grants are not available. I think one thing that has to be realized is the diffence between the grant structure of the US, and the UK. I have to confess that I don't know what it is like in your country, but in ours, medical care is considered a privelage and not a human right, (we do not have universal healthcare). We have only just begun to provide prescription medicine coverage for our elderly. You have to jump through a lot of hoops here even to get a wheel-chair.
The reason that I was snarky, was that I've grown tired of the argument, "Look at what those nasty people are doing there, we should force them to stop", when no one seems to want to look at the issue of raising kids to be socially responsible. If I get the money to purchase a hybrid, I would do so. As far as myself, since I'm a city rat, (that is stuck in the country, damn....), I would not consider buying an SUV. Still, there are people in my area that could not do without SUV's. I live in the northern portion of the United Staes, and snows that are measured in feet rather than inches are not uncommon here. The solution is to instill in children a sense of caring about how their actions effect others. Bans and restrictions help nothing, and only increase governmental control at a time when governmental control has become almost frighteningly over-bearing as it is. Again, this may have to do with my living in the states. I would be in favor of a ban on non-hybrid cars. An SUV that is hybrid has just come out in the states, and I can see no logical reason to keep non-hybrid vehicles. Hopefully, hydrogen fuel cell technology will reach a point where we can abandon the hybrids. Asking people to walk or cycle wherever they go is unreasonable, as governments, (at least where I live), are and would be unwilling to pay for transportation alternatives. In the place that I live, conservatives are successfully getting rid of mass transit. This will necessitate my moving, if it occurs. (Although that's not heart-breaking, see my post in the "Miserable Thread"). And before anyone tells me that I should get active with that, trust me, I have been, and will be. Unfortunately, the majority of people are in favor of removing mass transit, as it costs them in taxes. The bottomline is that people are unwilling to do the "right thing" on this. That may seem to support a ban, but think about it. No politician will do this. It's telling that presidential challenger John Kerry is successfully getting bashed simply for having proposed a gasoline tax. Of course, in the states, the high price of gas is going to get some people thinking about hybrid vehicles, and transportation alternatives as well. My point is, the problem isn't law, it's people. |
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