The thing is, I'm not suggesting government mandated anything. What I *am*
suggesting is that the government might be able to lose its unwillingness
to offend the auto industry, and present the public with information would
help them change their preferences. Why not? It's no different than the
advertising which makes people buy things, right? People don't just buy
based on their own preferences. They also do so because humans are
"clubby" - they want to be members of a group, no matter how stupid the
group may be. Sometimes they choose the wrong group, sometimes not. But,
effect one customer, and he/she may effect others. Actually, that's a
virtual certainty.

Wanting to belong is nothing more than a facet of personal preference. The
government can disseminate all the information it wants to, but it is
unlikely that it is telling anything to anyone that they don't already know.
Not terribly effective.

A good parallel here is the Surgeon's General warning on every pack of
cigarettes. Is there an American alive today that doesn't already know the
health risks of smoking? And yet it continues. But in reduced numbers.
However, I think the reduced numbers have much more to do with the financial
cost of a pack of cigs, versus any governmental educational program. If you
want to get an American's attention, speak to him through his wallet.