Professor Walter Williams, an economics professor from George Mason Univeristy and a well known op-ed columnist, has written many times on how government screws up the free market with laws just like this one. These types of laws always have unintended consequences and ends up making life worse for everybody (except the politicians and bureaucrats.)
They can have my SUV when they pry it from my cold dead fingers!
Yes, now that the SF leftists have congress watch out. Here comes Robbin Hood and his merry men a taxing. They say they take from the rich and give to the poor, but don’t forget their on the take and their buddies get a good share of the loot.
Just raise gas taxes there. Same effect but you’d encourage all sorts of high mileage cars, not just hybrids.
Not long before this is applead to steaks and alfalfa sprouts as well.
When this passes the politicians will be astounded when dealers in Nevada and Arizona suddenly start selling more large SUVs to Californians.
“If only this were a Federal law”, they will sternly announce.
Sound familiar?
Here is a very recent and most excellent column by Professor Walter Williams on this EXACT topic:
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56026
“The immorality of government theft”
This is a MUST READ!
And that's exactly what is happening at the pump, except that the leftards can't figure it out.
Lets destroy what is left of California and keep electing Democrats. How much longer should we tolerate these nut cases. Since when did we elect this nitwits to be behavior police with my choice of what I want to drive.
Interesting. I’m most likely going to drive my Hummer to Malibu sometime in the next few weeks with a friend to pick up a ‘Spider’ sportscar replica (James Dean’s death car two seater).
I’ll be sure to wave at the envirowackos while driving the hummer and pulling a large trailer with the other car....(chuckle)
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Doesn’t the mileage count for anything?
We have a Suburban that we put only about 5,000 miles a year on. Compare that to someone with an economy car who puts 25,000+ miles a year. Which one pollutes more?
DANGER!!!!
Severe, radical, out-of-control and unrestrained COMMUNISM at work!!!!
I don't think the stinking filthy idiot democrat liberals would argue with that. This is what they want, a penalty for having families that work and earn their own way through life. Illegals will probably get a waiver so they don't have to pay the "surcharge."
The high cost of fuel is enough of a tax for the yuppies who think they need an off-road vehicle to go to starbucks everyday. For those who need the hauling and off-road capabilities of an SUV, I understand the purchase. For 90% of SUV owners I don’t. I don’t understand spending more money to get a slower, thirster, worse handling, poorer braking, and poorer riding vehicle. It makes no sense whatsover. Home Depot rents trucks for next to nothing. Use one of those for the one time a year you buy something big.
The law of unintended consequences will once again prevail. When congress passed the CAFE standards they exempted trucks. Trucks are used differently than passenger vehicles and things like load, towing capacity and power are significantly more important to their purpose. The result was that the family station wagon hurt the fleet average of an auto manufacturer, but the SUV (which consumed even more gas) did not, because it fell in the truck category. In other words the interference in the free market by a “do-gooder” nanny congress resulted in more not less gas consumption.
The current proposals at the federal level will further interfere with the market and are infact anti-family. If one has more than two or three children the legal options for family transportation will be limited to expensive SUV’s or perhaps a minivan that is underpowered to meet new standards. Passenger miles as opposed to vehicle miles is not even considered.
The free market will take care of itself if congress, at all levels of government, will stay out. A recent poll shows most want cars that get 40 mpg. Fine- Detroit or Korea will produce one if feasible and those that desire can purchase it. Honda has made one for decades so I guess CIVIC sales will boom. I think however the poll is a little like asking if you would like to win the lottery - a majority will answer yes -but if you were to spread the pot to everyone who wants a share their winnings would total less than the price of a ticket. Its just not feasible, even if there was a law.
America has voted - they like cup-holders, acceleration and room to haul things more than they like 40 MPG.
Only a petty dictator would limit choices, punish production and think to be god over the economy, but then we are talking about CA.
from each according to their ability to each according to their need...
seems the politicians are being a little more blatent about the commie beliefs.
I read not too long ago, can’t remember where, damnit, re: zinc batteries in hybrids. The mining and processing entailed until it ends up in a car expends more energy than driving a Hummer for thirty years.
So will the self-righteous hippies be subsidizing increased medical costs sure to result in accidents sustained while driving their sanctimonymobiles?
This versus the certainly reduced medical costs incurred by pasengers enjoying the much safer ride provided by an SUV?
Of course if they are killed dead in their tiny, tinny condescension machines, I guess that’s pretty cheap too.
Why isn’t there a tax-guzzler fee?