Mileage Quest

(republished from The Lincvolt Gazette)

An open letter to all of the LincVolt followers, technology freaks, gear heads, environmentalists and patriots...

Let's assume that 'Detroit' is a media term that is synonymous with the American automotive industry in total - just for speaking purposes. Because, let's face it - it is not just Detroit that is threatened currently by the precarious state that the automotive industry finds itself in. It's all of North America. Many statistics and facts are thrown around loosely but in real terms, the threat that the industry faces currently - extinction really, will affect all of us.

Don't think so? Go to a bar in Janesville, Wisconsin or a restaurant in Lordstown, Ohio or an appliance store in Shreveport, Louisiana. Many of the faces that you will encounter are those of you and me; consumed with worry and despair, full of uncertainty. We may live in pockets seemingly insulated from the reality, but in fact, we are not insulated nor removed. We are amongst it; we live it or will live it.

These are the times we live in, but, these are also the times that we, as an American mass, can redirect and redesign the moment to fit a new era of economics, technology and need. It may be one of the biggest opportunities any of us have to truly make a difference within our lifetimes!

Write your legislators, demand support of the industry that was once a model for the world - it can be again. But it will take ingenuity (as we see endeavors like the LincVolt effort), it will take diligence and, most importantly, it will take action on the part of all of us. Nancy Pelosi will be pushing the issue next week; your input to the decision makers in this effort will be a critical push but it must come NOW. Congresswoman Pelosi's goal is to include a specific and defined set of bail-out parameters under the provisions of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (or TARP) which is currently being utilized within the financial market sector of banks and Wall Street brokerages.

The recent Presidential election and the changes that will result was only the first step; your job, my job, is not complete yet by any stretch of the imagination.

We must let Washington know that we are pissed off, that we do want a thriving economy once again within a sustainable environmental platform and that we recognize that the U.S. auto industry must be a major driving force within that new economy.

Let the Congress and the Senate know that you are aware that revised 'The Detroit Three' term used for the current trio of Ford, GM and Chrysler is no longer acceptable, and in many ways, blasphemous to the memories of those that so fully committed themselves to making it what it once was - the incredibly smart, creative and hardworking people that gave us legacies like the '59 Lincoln that is the basis for LincVolt. Machines steeped in elegance, creativity and innovation. And profitability.

Let them know that we must regain a position of prominence once again in the global automotive community for our combined futures as well as the futures of our kids and grand kids and, of course, our planet.

Not that long ago, the American automotive scene was known as 'The Big Three', before the diluted 'Detroit Three' tag now referred to; it was an unintentional acknowledgement of that very world prominence; not only by Americans but by all around the world.

It was unquestioned and undeniable. We must return to this leadership role through technology, intelligence and action.

Write and demand support but, with it, also demand change through defined requirements and advancements in technology, requirements for energy independence in the long-term and sound financial governing of an American taxpayer - funded, re-born industry!

We are here, waiting, with skills and creativity that is unsurpassed. We can do it and we will do it. But, we need your support - we are 'The Big Three.'

- - Disheveled in D-town

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