2011. A new year. A time for all those awesome new technologies we were promised when we were kids. Like flying cars! No, but we have electric ones. And they are selling like hot cakes! Or not. Pat and Stu tackled the issue:

PAT:  So this Nissan leaf sold, get this, are you ready?

STU:  Give me the drumroll.  I can't --

PAT:  The Nissan leaf just in the last two weeks.

STU:  Oh, my gosh.

PAT:  Sold... ten vehicles!

Not too bad, right? As Stu pointed out, that’s one for every five states!

But not everyone was so eager to criticize the latest, government subsidized technology. One caller decided to rant against Stu and Pat for daring to question the Chevy Volt. Eric called in and said, “Most people use their cars as a commuter vehicle.  Spend five days a week driving to work.  Got a 40-mile commute.  You drive 40 miles on electric, you drive your other 40 miles on gas. So do the math.  It's a very good vehicle.”

But Stu had done the math, and still felt like the car was overpriced and the free market was showing that people do not want the vehicle. Stu said:

“I actually have been and said on this program, excited about the Volt.  I think it's a good idea.  I think it's a good concept for an electric car because the problem with them as this guy found out when he was 37 miles away from home and only 35 miles of charge left, it's a very limiting thing when it's all electric.  I think there's a good -- there's a lot of good technology there and really smart people at GM backed the car and they developed the car.  That is not a piece of crap.  But for 42,000, I think it's overpriced.  And I don't want to spend that for a car like that.”

Pat was quick to add that the cars can cost the American people $80,000 per vehicle.

Stu finally had enough of Eric, and laid out why no citizen, conservative or liberal, should be supporting the way the government is subsidizing the Volt:

"They are giving thousands of dollars per car!  They are paying citizens, paying citizens to buy the car, Eric.  How can you possibly say they have nothing to do with it?  They are paying citizens to buy it!  They are paying people who make an average of $113,000 a year to buy this car.  How any liberal could support a policy like that is beyond me.  It's ridiculous because of the government's involvement.  Not because the Volt isn't a good idea.  It is a good idea.  But it should not be funded by me."