It’s baaaack! The electric car is charging its way onto the freeways and Chris Paine, our guest tonight, documents the vehicle’s resurrection by GM (who killed off the EV1), Nissan and Tesla along with Reverend Gadget aka Greg Abbott’s retro-fitted electric cars which use the bodies of Boxters and other sports cars to house rechargeable batteries. In Revenge of the Electric Car, Paine takes us through the death of the EV1 to the return of the electric car, spurred as much by public demand as by rising gas costs, corporate rivalry, and in some cases the creators’ desire to redeem themselves or to be heroes.

Up with People was a non-profit corporation, a counter to the counterculture, the voice of Nixon’s Silent Majority and it’s well-publicized busload of kids traveling the world and staying with host families delivered an experiment in a new life style, a freshly scrubbed version of hippies. Whether singing “Freedom Isn’t Free” at a barbed wire Berlin Wall checkpoint, showcasing their talents at Richard Nixon’s Inaugural, or performing in later years before groups of auto workers–who unknowingly would soon be laid off by the tour sponsor General Motors–Up with People was on message for the Establishment, spreading the word that being nice was nice, and the nicer you were to people, the more niceness would spread. And the world would live happily ever after.

Their irresponsible position is that corporations and billionaires should not have to share the sacrifices needed to keep our economy on track for recovery. That is why they vehemently oppose efforts to cut corporate welfare and to eliminate subsidies for the oil companies. Unlike most Americans, who believe we should pull together to find real solutions, these politicians are intent on dividing Americans by destroying programs that have broad public support. At the same time, they have done all in their power to create instability in the economy and put more Americans out of work.

When Steven Rattner published this piece on the GM IPO in HuffPo, he had not yet been sued by NY’s Attorney General for allegedly being “willing to do whatever it took to get his hands on pension fund money including paying kickbacks, orchestrating a movie deal, and funneling campaign contributions,” nor had he yet settled–with no admission of guilt–the SEC investigation that alleges he, “delivered special favors and conducted sham transactions that corrupted the Retirement Fund’s investment process.” Thus, it would go too far to call the Steven Rattner that published that piece a fraudster, or even an alleged fraudster.

But a big part of this victory lap is fraudulent.

Our love affair with our cars has also been fueled by the devious actions of a few major corporations. The once ubiquitous electric streetcar was driven into the ground by colloboration of Big Oil and Big Auto. It wasn’t a fair fight.

At present we have an inefficient federal legislative branch with members chosen on the basis of geography and population. What is needed is a bold refashioning of government — a constitutional amendment to replace our present gridlocked mess with a far more elegant and effective system based on the proven efficiencies and priorities of The Market.

One of the biggest stories at the North American International Auto Show yesterday was not the cars, but the congressional delegation–led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer–that came to the show.

GM’s CEO wants to improve Congress’ impression of the corporation. He can do that by improving the overall brand through a streamlined dealer network and elimination of rebates.

The gift this country needs most this holiday season is an economy built on a solid foundation, one that will provide middle class, family-supporting jobs now and into the future. Not more fancy derivatives, this economy needs basic manufacturing.

General Motors is attempting to brand itself as the company of the automotive future with the plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) Chevy Volt. GM’s lead executive on this, Bob Lutz, has repeatedly stated his global warming denier beliefs while belittling the car in multiple ways. Message control?