Issa investigating Obama's new fuel economy standards

The Hill ^ | 7/29/11 | Andrew Restuccia -

[Girlene]

My Corolla got 36mpg in combined 40%/60% local/highway driving.

Gas Mileage Ratings for a 2000 manual Toyota Corolla was 31/38 (city/highyway). Toyota Corolla Gas Mileage , so I believe it.

WOWSA, looking at that link, the 1984 Corolla, 1.8 L Engine, Manual Tran had a rating of 44/61!

[Svartalfiar]

40mpg isn’t bad for a car.

How much cargo capacity do you have? I’m sure loading in a couple hundred pounds on something will affect your mileage. If you can even fit that much in there.

How easy is it to work on? I know plenty of people like to work on their own cars, but with a full-electric engine, that’s a different style.

How safe in a crash? I wouldn’t want my car to be totaled just because I backed into the neighbor’s mailbox.

[truthguy]

Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I didn't realize you were driving around with me for all those years. My Corolla got 36mpg in combined 40%/60% local/highway driving.

And after that 8 years or 100,000 miles, how much will a replacement battery cost? And what about the resale or trade-in value of a car that will be needing a new battery? Not everyone can afford a new car every few years. I tend to keep mine for at least 10 years.

Over the years I've heard many claims about gas mileage. I heard people who have identical cars tell of vastly different mpgs. So what gives? Who to believe? Well I can only go by the official mpg ratings. If someone comes along and says they have a Corolla that gets 44mpg (I've actually heard this) on the highway am I to believe them or the specifications that Toyota states on their own official website? Who to believe? But the Corolla is a special case because my sister owns a 2005 Corolla. I actually took a trip from SF to Scottsdale, AZ in her car. I was with my sister and her husband and we all chipped in for gas. With 3 people we averaged about 32-33mpg on total highway driving. But we were 3 people and light luggage. So when I hear someone claim to get far more mileage even than the official stats, I'm skeptical. I just checked the Toyota website and for a 2011 Corolla with 1.8L 4Cyl 4AT is number is 26/34mpg.

The Volt Battery is guaranteed for 8 years 100,000 miles. This doesn't mean that you replace the battery at this point -only that you will get at least that much. The vast majority of people will get far more than this. And yes, it's gonna be expensive to replace the battery. But the price of the battery is dropping so who is to say where it will be in 4-5 years when some of the early Volt users start to need new batteries.

I'm fully aware that not everyone can buy a new car every few years. I certainly fall into that category as well. This is one of the reasons I object to the dictates of the Obama Administration. I think it's outrageous for the Obama administration (or any administration) to try to set CAFE standards. The Market works much better than the EPA. However that doesn't mean I'm against new technology. We don't make any progress by standing still. The Chevy Volt can be a good vehicle for a certain demographic. It's certainly not for everybody especially in the early stages. But remember the first flat panel TVs were $10,000 per unit. The price WILL come down. Early technology is always more expensive.

[truthguy]

So Consumer Reports real world, probability testing makes great sense, as we all don’t live in a year round, 60 degree climate, driving on flat roads, less than 40 miles per day.

I've been reading Motor Trend and many other car publications for a very long time, more years than I'd like to mention. I've always been amazed at how Consumer Reports is so vastly different than all the other publications. Are all the other publications wrong and CR right? What gives? and why does CR always favor the Japanese? When you look at their 10 best lists, it's nearly always 100% Japanese. Not even Mercedes or BMW can crack their lists. CR is a shrill for the Japanese. Now I'm not saying the Japanese make lousy cars, but it would be impossible to believe that they are always better in every single case. It's been known for a very long time that CR is biased against American Cars. There's no question about it. Even when American Cars clobber the Japanese Cars on safety and crash tests, CR doesn't give them any points for it.

[truthguy]

Volt owners are driving like little old ladies, so they can brag about mileage...but a car that forces me to change driving habits is a deal breaker.

It's interesting that you know all the Volt owners. I only know 2 so far. BTW, my friends accuse me of driving like a little old lady. That's because I don't use jack-rabbit starts, don't drive 10mph over the posted speed limit, don't weave in and out of lanes, keep a safe following distance, and modulate my speed in such a way as to catch as many green lights as possible. I haven't had a traffic ticket in 25 years. So for driving exactly the speed limit I'm accused of driving like a little old lady.

[P-Marlowe]

I got this from Issa in my E-mail:

I want to give you an update on where things stand in the spending and debt crisis and also share my thoughts on the issue.

There are two problems on the table right now:

1. America is days away from reaching its national debt limit. Once we hit that ceiling, without an act of Congress signed by the President, the federal government can no longer borrow money to pay all of its bills. 
2. Washington has a serious spending problem. Both political parties bear responsibility for the deficit spending addiction, but under President Obama both total spending and the rate of spending have jumped dramatically. In the last two-and-a-half years, the President - with the help of “stimulus,” ObamaCare, and bailouts - oversaw a $3.7 trillion increase in debt, bringing our national debt total to more than $14.3 trillion. By comparison, it took the previous administration eight years to accumulate $4.97 trillion in debt. The spending habit has to be broken if America is to remain free and prosperous.  

As a country, we've always honored our debt. To maintain that standard, the debt ceiling has to be raised - just so we can pay our current bills. Like a homebuyer whose good credit allows them to receive the best interest rates from a bank, our country's ability to receive the most favorable interest rates on our debt - something we've enjoyed for nearly the last hundred years - hinges on good credit history. 

But we have to face the fact that habitually spending more than we take in is unsustainable and reckless. If Congress were to raise the debt ceiling and okay additional borrowing without taking measures to control overspending, we'd be doing a disservice to the American people.

Here is some of the legislation I've already supported this year to reduce spending and address our debt limit.

• Path to Prosperity - The House Budget Committee's 2012 Budget Resolution helps spur job creation today, stops spending money the government doesn't have, and lifts the crushing burden of debt. This plan puts the budget on the path to balance and the economy on the path to prosperity. Status: Adopted in the House of Representatives. Defeated in the Senate, with no alternative offered.
• Cut, Cap, and Balance Act - This legislation makes over $80 billion in cuts during fiscal year 2012 alone, places firm caps on future spending, and – contingent upon House and Senate passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment – grants President Obama’s request for a debt limit increase. Status: Adopted in the House of Representatives. Tabled without consideration in the Senate.   
• Budget Control Act of 2011 - The most recent solution offered by the House of Representatives is the only serious proposal remaining to address the country's debt crisis. It institutes real cuts - in excess of  the amount it would raise the debt ceiling, establishes enforceable spending caps on discretionary spending, and requires Congress to vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. Status: Adopted in the House of Representatives. Tabled without consideration in the Senate.  

Despite rejecting the House of Representatives' spending reforms, President Obama has yet to provide a plan of his own. For the sake of convenience, though, he's asked that Congress approve enough borrowing to cover two years' worth of current overspending so that the next date of fiscal comeuppance (and there will be one if spending doesn't change) won't take place during his current term of office. Essentially, the President has asked for a blank check without any real spending restraints.   

The Senate appears ready to take up the President's blank check request by advancing a proposal that doesn't force government to live within its means. Today we rejected that approach and defeated Senator Reid's debt increasing plan. The American people should not have to be on the hook for no-end-in-sight government squandering.

I am committed to ensuring that the President and Congress act within the time remaining to appropriately raise the debt limit and impose immediate spending restraints on government. As a country, we have a long path ahead of us to get out of debt. But if Europe has shown us anything, it's that unchecked overspending can bring a country to its knees. Greece today is in a position where its policy decisions are being dictated by its creditors in other countries.

We cannot allow the United States of America to ever be in a place where our laws and our way of life are decided by our creditors. We are greater than that.

Sincerely,

Congressman Darrell Issa

---

Politicians never want to cut spending. To keep cuts to government at a minimum many are exaggerating to the American people about what responsible government budgeting means. Don't fall for the scare tactics.

Washington DC Office: 2347 Rayburn House Office Building • Washington, DC 20515 • Phone: 202-225-3906 • Fax: 202-225-3303
California District Office: 1800 Thibodo Road, #310 • Vista, CA 92081 • Phone: 760-599-5000 • Fax: 760-599-1178

[dalereed]

I got the same thing, he’s shoveling bullshit!