Diesel: Greener and more Regulated: the WTF Files

I drive a diesel VW. It gets 43 city and 48-49 highway. That's pretty green, right? Yes, it is. That's nipping at the heels of the Prius and Insight without a huge battery that wears out in 5 years...that's made in China in some hell-hole factory that respects no environmental principles at all... By the way, my car is five years old. It's still sipping diesel and has absolutely no need for a new battery pack.

So, if it's so green, how come I have to shell out an extra 50-100 bucks at every registration to get an emissions test at some shop that usually does big trucks when some guy in an Expedition or a Hummer gets a free pass? My car is cleaner than nearly any gasoline burner. I get better mileage than just about any car in America that isn't a hybrid... and I'm not far behind the hybrids. The hybrids get a tax break. I get to pay extra money and waste morning in the diesel shop.

WTF?