The United States Department of Health and Human Services sent an e-mail to 67,000 federal employees promoting foreign-made vehicles.  The e-mail offered advice to employees about purchasing new vehicles and told them they should buy “fuel efficient” cars.  It said fuel efficiency should be a “top priority,” and said they should not buy SUVs, claiming such vehicles produce excessive CO2 emissions that threaten the climate.  (This is, of course, the Al Gore climate warming mantra.  Recent reports say that a majority of scientists do not believe man-made emissions are responsible for any climate change.)
   
The e-mail overtly recommended the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid.
   
Detroit automakers are livid.  Chrysler’s spokesman, Jason Vines, said the message showed “clear bias against American manufacturers.”  He also suggested it showed a callous disregard for the safety of federal employees: "What about the safety of SUVs and about the fact that people have the right to choose what they want to drive?" Vines said. "Can you imagine the Japanese government sending out an e-mail encouraging employees to buy American cars?"
   
Jennifer Moore, spokeswoman for Ford, said that it is “puzzling that a government agency such as Health and Human Services is advising its employees on what they should choose as a personal vehicle," Moore said. "Car and truck buyers, including government employees, already have a wealth of unbiased and factual information available from consumer groups, government agencies and carmakers for their personal vehicle purchase decisions."
   
Called on this clear bias, the federal agency’s spokesman simply denied the plain meaning of the English language, saying it was not the intent of the agency to recommend specific models.  “If people are taking this as an endorsement of vehicles, that's unfortunate."  Of course, had the e-mail not endorsed two foreign hybrids, people wouldn’t be taking it that way.
   
GM spokesperson Greg Martin indicated that the e-mail was probably sent by an earnest but ill-informed staffer relying simply on fuel-economy statistics.  "Unfortunately, those sites are simply based on fuel efficiency and don't take into account fuel efficiency with other attributes that are important to consumers like performance, utility and affordability."
   
But what business is it of the Department of Health and Human Services to be telling its employees what to buy?
   
And why should taxpayers be paying someone at that agency to be nagging them about their automotive choice?
   
The entire scenario reveals a deep and entrenched attitude within the federal government bureaucracy that is anti-American manufacturer, anti-American autoworker and, basically, against allowing Americans to chose the vehicles they wish to drive.
   
No wonder foreign nameplate automakers are doing so well.
   
They are being subsidized by the federal government’s PR campaign.