Long post….You are right that this is the Emira forum, so perhaps on the surface, some might think that politically infused comments are unwelcome. But don’t think for a minute that politics has no bearing on our enjoyment of Emira. To make it Emira-centric, the fact that we are seeing Emira as the last ICE car for Lotus reflects a 30-40 year assault on fossil fuels, which just recently we had been able to turn around. But today you are hard pressed to find a young person who doesn’t think climate change caused specifically by fossil fuels is some existential threat to their lives. Elected officials are even predicting the apocalypse because of this. Such arrogance. The original fear when I was a kid was we were going to run out of fossil fuel, but two generations later there is plenty of fuel to go around. So now it’s that the world will come to an end if we use it. My goodness, we are electing people who use this fear and giving Nobel prizes to children swayed by these fears. Yet, it only seems to be the responsibility of western society to address the problem and other nations get a pass. And newsflash, all that electricity is not coming from the sun and the wind. And where do you think all the metals are coming from to make the batteries that store the electricity? There are studies that show our electrified future is not nearly as environmentally friendly as is being foretold, and even more harmful than combustibles. But it sure sounds good. I’m all for a clean environment, but this level of fear mongering would be silly we’re it not so destructive. Moreover, Biden’s administration is printing money (in political speak, “monetizing the debt”) to support financially unsustainable energy policies and to enable continued dependency of government. Consequently they are devaluing that which I and many others have been saving a lifetime to amass to be in a position to buy this car. Then his administration’s policies have unnecessarily driven up the cost of putting fuel in the tank of that car. And it doesn’t seem to be that there’s a problem with the fuel itself since we are imploring other countries to produce it for our consumption. He just needed to make these overtures to the people who voted for him. No core values, just that which is politically expedient. It’s kind of pathetic. I don’t know how any objective person can look at the work product or performance of this president and his administration and see anything that has been substantively good for the American people. That’s not politics, that’s reality. Trump was bombastic and often insulting to people’s sensibilities. But honestly, I care far more about substance than style. Just do things that help our country rather than harm it. Don’t let your faith in an ideology blind you to reason. So I’ll apologize for the personalized comment about the man, but also point out that calling out bad decisions or calling someone an idiot isn’t necessarily political…it might just be true-just ask many remorseful Biden voters right now. But I won’t apologize for my belief that his administration, for which he is responsible, has so far been characterized by unbelievable arrogance, hubris, and a steady stream of illogical and short-sighted decisions that show little regard for the wellness of the nation. He’s simply not a good president. And that makes me sad and scared. We went from one extreme to another in the US because politics is viewed as a game to win rather than a means of protecting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for the people (I.e., freedom, with as few restrictions as possible to enable, but not necessarily guarantee, these things for everyone). And if we don’t get some reasonable people back in the majority in all our halls of government (democrat, republican or independent….I don’t care) then I fear for our people, our children who are being strapped with the consequences of irresponsible decision making, and ultimately for the future of our nation and for western civilization. Apologies to the OP. My moment of weakness (it’s been a tough week) was not intended to hijack the thread. I too can be guilty of not foreseeing unintended consequences. I’ll get back to emphasizing the car.
