I noticed this with every single attempt to go with alternative energy. We had the energy crisis of 1973, and there was talk about alternatives. Yet, every single one of them was shot down by anti-alternative groups. The Watchtower Clam Shell Alliance killed nuclear power, preventing the development of solutions to make them run more reliably and cleaner. Hydro is killed by specious arguments about fish needing to get up the waterfalls. Geothermal is also "unfeasible" because of similar specious arguments. Solar takes too much space and is inefficient, which is why they don't work on improving the technology. Wind power may disrupt birds (but probably will not), so that too is dead.
What is left is oil, natural gas, and coal. Each time someone tries to advance past this, they run into technical problems. This cannot be real--if they had that argument with light bulbs, we would still be running gas lamps today! Obviously, every time someone has a real breakthrough, the big oil companies will step in and protest it, arguing that it will ruin the environment (as oil isn't already). So they need some wimpy excuse to keep us depending on oil.
This is happening throughout the whole of technology. Medical research is deadlocked, bent on never finding cures for anything (just keeping people dependent on drugs that have to be taken for life). Food processors have no interest in advancing genetic modification past where it is now and using it to actually improve the total value of the food while still providing for our future. Nor do they have interest in providing us with real food that builds health. And, likewise, the big oil companies do not want to have me or anyone else find a way to fill your gas tank with [polluted or salty] water and drive on that alone, or find an energy source that allows you to never have to charge it (it would be always on and running, and free).
I say, we all need to just dump those honking SUVs and get bicycles. That might not always be practical. But, unless we demand vehicles that use little or no gas, we are going to let GM control us all. Unlike the medical/food industries, we can put a big dent in GM's profits by getting bicycles where possible. Walking and riding bicycles are extremely energy efficient, and quite green to boot. Plus, you may lose some weight and get into shape, putting a dent on your medical consumption in 20 years.
If that is impossible, we can all demand vehicles that, while having reasonable power, can get 100 MPG and more. If we buy the most fuel efficient vehicles we can, that will force the makers to focus on fuel economy. And, if GM starts inflating its economy numbers (putting 60 MPG claims on cars that really get the standard 18 GPM), not only those models get boycotted, but blogs and posts about those scams get plastered on the Internet like with the Watchtower Society. It won't take long before those little Hondas and Toyotas start outselling GM (look what happened to Ford when they took the lazy way out!).
