Okay, I own an old 1978 Ford F-250 truck.  It's a gas guzzling power house that rumbles along setting off car alarms.  I like it.  In fact I am currently fixing it up, and plan in the future to plop a 460 engine in there (400 now).  Here's my problems.  Gas, Government, and Environmentalists.  Gas is way too expensive.  In California there is a 18 cent state sales tax, and an 18 cent federal tax on each gallon of gas.  OPEC over in the middle east basically controls the price the sell the gas at, and no one can do anything about it.  This all results in mucho gas prices and me spending tons of money on 92 octane gas (the highest available here, and most expensive).  My truck gets about 10 miles per gallon (street, 12-15 highway).  It has a 26 gallon main tank, and a 19 gallon alternate tank.  That's 45 gallons of gas I need to put in, which is used up in about 4-5 days (because of my trip to school and back).  That's over $100 bucks a week on gas!  This is a rip off!  The Government is too greedy, demanding heavy taxes.  OPEC is too greedy, they charge too much money per drum of gas.  And the Gas Companies here are too greedy, making huge profits per gallon.  The gas prices need to go way down.  As for the environmentalists, they, in cooperation with the Government, cause problems for the likes of me.  What I'm referring to is smog laws.  They demand that my truck, and that all cars, conform to a certain level of cleanliness when it comes to air pollution.  They have no right to do this, and it's wrong.  Who gave the government the right to control the air we breathe?  They may take claim to the land, but since when did they own the air?  They tell people that we can't pollute the air, and that we have to have clean running cars.  What's next, them taxing the air if we breathe it?  Okay, that's a bit extreme, but I think you get what I'm aiming at.  I can understand the want for clean air, but not mandatory.  The Government forces all car owners to do smog tests and make their car run clean.  That's not fair or right.  That means that older cars which weren't made with the environment in mind, but power.  Older cars have big, powerful, polluting engines.  There are many people who love these old cars and their engines.  The smog tests require that you have ALL original parts and stock/standard engine components.  They don't allow modifications or improvements to the engine.  Then, they charge exorbitant amounts to either fix or replace your engine parts to conform to the required smog level.  Who is the Government to say that I can't modify my truck or supe it up just because it wasn't stock the year it was made.  That's just wrong.  Government needs to just back up outta my business.  Leave car owners alone.  Lower the taxes on gas.  And make life easier for people who own cars, especially older cars.  I thought this America, land of the free.  Not America, land of the people controlled in all aspects of their life by government and paying for it.  Hey, you may not feel the same way, but if you do or don't, write me and let me know what you think.   Peace out.