[After the Arab oil embargo in 1974] European governments imposed very high gasoline taxes and taxes on engine size - and kept imposing them - and guess what?  Europeans demanded smaller and smaller cars.  America wouldn't impose more stringent gasoline and engine taxes, so American consumers kept wanting bigger and bigger cars.  Big Oil and Big Auto used their leverage in Washington to shape the market so people would ask for those cars that consumed the most oil and earned their companies the most profits - and our Congress never got in the way.  It was bought off.

• europe
• government
• lobbyists
• taxes
• usa
• america
• market
• shape