Want to help bail out Detroit?

By which I mean do you want some of your tax money to guarantee loans for GM, Ford and Chrysler? After all they are having so much trouble selling their metal these days. And their ability to get credit seems to be eroding for some reason.

As I set and ponder the meaning of the fact that we seem to have a genuine gas shortage here in the land of Wilkes and the High Country (not to mention the great metropolis of Charlotte), I read this little story about a hybrid Smart Car.

The Smart MHD is rated at 71hp and is a particularly economical variant. The car features a stop/go function to lower emissions and increased gas mileage. The new model consumes 8 percent less fuel in the combined cycle, and 19 percent less fuel in urban traffic.

Yep, you can go to Germany and buy this little gas sipping honey right now. But you won't be able to buy it in America. Since Americans don't want that kind of economy, it won't be imported.

Well, I'm sure the captains of the American automobile industry know what is best for us.

just like the Ford Fiesta diesel.