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Light Cars Are Dangerous Cars
The Wall Street Journal ^ | 05-22-09 | ROBERT E. GRADY

Posted on 05/22/2009 7:28:29 AM PDT by GOP_Lady

And other unintended consequences of strict fuel-economy standards.

If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Such is the case with President Barack Obama's proposed national fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks and a new tailpipe standard for C02 emissions. The national press has uncritically reported that the new standards will make cars "cleaner." In fact, the rules could impose substantial costs in terms of urban air pollution and human life.

The standards are designed to reduce C02 emissions from cars, with the twin goals of addressing climate change and reducing dependence on imported energy. Carbon dioxide is, of course, ubiquitous and relatively harmless on an everyday basis. It is only its long-term buildup that scientists posit will cause temperature warming. What are not so harmless in the near term are the "criteria air pollutants" currently regulated under the Clean Air Act -- ground-level ozone (or smog), particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and lead -- all of which have been shown by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) own scientists to have an adverse effect on human health.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cars; deathtraps; ecodisaster; folkswagon; greenieweenies; hitlerlegacy; mileage; obama; obamalegacy; peoplescar; unsafeatanyspeed
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To: GOP_Lady

I’m not driving his soup can cars. He can kiss my a**.


41 posted on 05/22/2009 11:17:07 AM PDT by mojitojoe ( Idiots elected a Marxist ideologue with narcissistic personality disorder)
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To: prophetic
If only I can complete fixing up my 5800 pound volvo station wagon I'd be a happy one.

In a toss up between me and some p.o.s. hybrid of enviro-weenie car I'd wager that I'd have more chances to survive!!

42 posted on 05/22/2009 11:22:51 AM PDT by prophetic (God, let 0Bama and his evil plans for this country fail & let him be utterly disgraced like HAMAN!!)
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To: NonValueAdded
I know about the study. You can quote all sorts of "studies." Many are done with a built in bias based upon what the studier or his backer wants the outcome to be. Others are just done poorly; and once in a while one of these studies actually leads to a proper conclusion.

I was just using common sense.

ML/NJ

43 posted on 05/22/2009 11:50:27 AM PDT by ml/nj
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To: ZirconEncrustedTweezers

>>It seems like as our cars get safer, our drivers become more dangerous.

Agreed, increased performance in cars does not correspond to increased road intelligence in most drivers.

My fave is a minivan mom with kids strapped in driving like an immortal feeling teenager!


44 posted on 05/22/2009 12:09:28 PM PDT by swarthyguy ("We may be crazy in Pakistan, but not completely out of our minds," ISI Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha)
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To: swarthyguy

I’ve spent almost my entire life driving smallish cars (my current one is a ‘91 Miata, and it’s not even the smallest car I’ve owned!), and am forever fielding questions like:

- “Why don’t you have a rollbar in that thing?” (not until I can afford to track it; rollovers on the street are rare and I don’t want to risk a concussion from a simple rear-end collision)

- “Aren’t you scared driving that on the street?” (usually asked by people who drive SUV’s. And no, I don’t, I just have to pay attention and drive like they don’t see me, which they usually don’t)

- “You’d get killed if a bigger vehicle hit you.” (yeah, and you’d get killed in your Suburban if you were hit by a dump truck, so what’s your point?)

For the record, the smallest car I’ve owned was a Chevy Sprint. It was BETTER on fuel than a Smart (close to 50mpg on the highway, about 38mpg around town without really trying), came in at about the same curb weight, and would seat four.


45 posted on 05/22/2009 12:17:14 PM PDT by ZirconEncrustedTweezers (Whoever coined the term "foolproof" underestimated the ingenuity and determination of fools.)
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To: ZirconEncrustedTweezers

>>people who drive SUV’s. And no, I don’t, I just have to pay attention and drive like they don’t see me, which they usually don’t)

My biggest grip against SUV drivers, they do not understand the limitation to their field of vision and their different perspective......


46 posted on 05/22/2009 12:21:18 PM PDT by swarthyguy ("We may be crazy in Pakistan, but not completely out of our minds," ISI Gen. Ahmed Shujaa Pasha)
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To: GOP_Lady

bttt


47 posted on 05/22/2009 12:42:22 PM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is another agitator for republicanism like Sam Adams when we need him?)
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To: ZirconEncrustedTweezers

Bingo!


48 posted on 05/22/2009 5:55:41 PM PDT by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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49 posted on 05/22/2009 6:48:49 PM PDT by potlatch
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To: potlatch



 CALIFORNIADREAMING 

800x553

Arnold drives a Hummer and jets home every night!

Obama drove a Chrysler 300 and
claimed he was getting a hybrid!

Obama's new environmental ride:



animation by POTLATCH






50 posted on 05/23/2009 1:23:18 AM PDT by devolve ( . . . . . . . . . Obama confiscated Teacher & Police Union pension funds? . . . . . . . . . . .)
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To: devolve

Good post devolve.


51 posted on 05/23/2009 2:29:44 PM PDT by potlatch
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To: potlatch

.

Thhanks potlatch

I missed this last night


52 posted on 05/23/2009 3:14:19 PM PDT by devolve ( . . . . . . . . . Obama confiscated Teacher & Police Union pension funds? . . . . . . . . . . .)
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To: devolve

Lol, no you didn’t. You were posting it at 3:23:18 AM in the morning and I replied sometime today!


53 posted on 05/23/2009 3:28:37 PM PDT by potlatch
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To: potlatch

.

??

You had posted your little red car .gif

I’m confused!

Yeah - I woke a posted a few


54 posted on 05/23/2009 4:31:27 PM PDT by devolve ( . . . . . . . . . Obama confiscated Teacher & Police Union pension funds? . . . . . . . . . . .)
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To: devolve

Yes, it did get confusing. I had posted ‘your’ little red car gif and then you posted your large car post to that during the early morning hours.

Then I wrote you it was a good post and you said ‘thanks that you had missed it last night. I thought you meant my ‘good post’ comment.

Got it all straight now?? LOL, now I’m confused too.


55 posted on 05/23/2009 4:57:00 PM PDT by potlatch
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