"Safety" isn't exactly a fair tire requirement, as it is mostly the same as grip and performance.
Ken, nobody "enlightened" you because you implied that unless one of us had some kind of degree in tire engineering, you were just going to plug your ears and scream "na na na na" the whole time.
Tires, like anything else, vary rather broadly in quality. Automobile tires are not exempt from the old adage "You get what you pay for", and you seem to be ignoring that. There's absolutely no reason that tires for a commuter car like a Protege should cost any less than tires for a more expensive sedan, ignoring any obvious difference in size. You're effectively throwing logic entirely out the window and you just keep muttering "cheap car...cheap tires".