DAVIS SIGNALS PLAN TO SIGN SUV LEGISLATION

THE RUSH LIMBAUGH SHOW | M. Garrett

[MattGarrett]

Rush Limbaugh read a story today which states that Gray Davis plans to sign the SUV Tax Bill. AB 1493 (formerly known as AB 1058) will give California Air Resources Board the go ahead to work on ways to reduce "greenhouse gases." In one report CARB authored, they suggested the per mile tax, gas tax increase and SUV tax. Proponents of the bill are quick to argue that this bill does not raise taxes and CARB does not have the authority to enact any of their suggestions.

The bill will affix a tax of 2 cents for every mile driven in an SUV, MiniVan or truck, 50 extra cents per gallon of gasoline, and $3500 on all SUV, Minivan, or truck purchases.

Politicians pulled a dirty trick and changed the bill number, reinstating AB 1058 as AB 1493 late on a Friday night. They ran it through the legislature and passed it a Monday afternoon - with no comment from the public.

Stating that the bill creates the perfect balance between driver choice and responsible environmental policy, Davis indicated his intention to sign the bill.

[Jennikins]

I think half of the cars driven here in CAlifornia are SUV's. I see we have a new Dictator here in CAlifornia in Davis.

Quote from Dictionary on the word "Dictator".

"A Ruler excercising absolute power without hereditary right or the free consent of the people".

We need our SUV because we have animals to buy food for, can't carry it all in a regular car. When we bought the car in 1989, the vehicle license fee was $700.00 and the sales tax on the price was 8.25%. They will never have enough money!! Greedy b***ards is what they are!

[Brad’s Gramma]

Contact Gov. Davis at 1-800-988-2588 or email him at governor@governor.ca.gov

ANYONE could call, actually. They don't ask for anything personal unless you feel like giving it.....

[Chuckster]

Looks like there'll be a lot of SUVs running around California with AZ, NV, OR etc. plates on them.

[Kobyashi1942]

So pressure from opponents have gutted the SUV bill of all taxes? So what's left in the bill worth anything for the Environ. Wackos?

The bill sets up another commission that will make recommendations about how to reduce the non-existant greenhouse gases. I'm against it, but please guys, don't lie about this legislation.

[Timesink]

So this bill literally does nothing of importance? (Other than make Davis look bad. If FR doesn't know about the changes to the bill, the average sheep on the street sure isn't going to.)

[Political Junkie Too]

Although it's wrong to stereotype all drivers of a particular type of vehicle, it DOES seem that the most arrogant, inconsiderate, overspeeding, tailgating drivers gravitate toward expensive SUVs...

My observation is that the most arrogant drivers are drivers of expensive cars in general.

I live near a rich, million-dollar-home, gated community (note that I said near). I drive the same surface roads as these people do. They drive as if another ticket or another insurance hike means nothing to them. It doesn't have anything to do with the cars they drive. The tickets/insurance premiums are annoyances to them, once they reach a certain income level.

-PJ

[Political Junkie Too]

If you own an SUV, it is not fair because the welfare recipient who love RED DAVIS cannot afford one, thus you're SUV must be taken away from you and you must be forced to drive something similar to the welfare recip.

My favorite rationalization was that SUV owners are "using up more than their fair share of gasoline" because the tanks are larger and the miles/gallon is lower.

Where were the complaints when retirees were selling their homes and buying RV's?

-PJ

[TatieBug]

I hope this 40% Rush quoted is correct but it's my memory it's 30%...Can someone post the correct percentage so we will have it correct. Thanks.

[Dimensio]

"I've been given dirty looks because I refuse to drive at 60mph or faster in a 45mph zone."

I got no problem with that -- provided you keep your slow butt out of the left lane on the &$%#@#$ freeway! When people like you stick your noses haughtily in the air and drive at 45 in the left lane, you have the nerve and audacity to get mad when I and every other lead-footed AJ Foyt-wannabe in civilized America pull up right behind you with our brights blazing in your rear-view mirror.

Perhaps you have reading comprehension problems or perhaps you tend to jerk your knee without thinking. I said that I won't drive at 60mph when the speed limit is 45mph, I did not say that I drive at 45mph "on the freeway". My neighbourhood exits onto a four-lane (bidirectional, two lanes each direction) road with a posted 45mph speed limit. I rarely drive faster than 50mph, and it's not a bad idea considering that the area is moderately hilly and the roads can be slick when wet. I have had people flip me the bird because I had the audacity to be in their way while they were speeding down the road at faster than 75mph (remember, the speed limit is 45mph and the only reason that I was in their way was because I had just turned onto the road and even though I manage to get my vehicle to 45 and faster fairly quickly, their car wasn't even remotely visible, as they were rather far off and shouldn't have been going so damn fast).

On the local freeways, where the posted speed limit is 55mph, I tend to drive at abou65mph or sometimes 70. In areas where the posted limit is 65 I will drive at 75-80mph. I only get into the leftmost lane to pass other vehicles, but impatient tailgaters always make me tap my brake lights just enough to make them very nervous.

[TatieBug]

I DO...have a Simon sticker on my SUV window...Get'em on there freepers!

[Carry_Okie]

Poison Pill.

[absalom01]

I guess it would be relatively easy from a technical standpoint, but politically it would be like trying to force all the men in the state to date Maxine Waters.

Trying not to visualize this...!

HOWEVER, There does seem to be a bit of confusion surrounding what this bill does and does not say, and how it would implement its ideas. You can find out more here:. As other posters have noted, this may well be more self-destructive behavior from our loony governor, but the negative impact of this bill will live on long after he's been booted out of office. As I see it, the Really Bad Aspects of this bill are:

1. CO2 will now be defined as a pollutant. This is nonsense, but dangerous in and of itself, and in the precedent that it sets.

2. All of the implementing language is left to an unelected, unaccountable board --the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission. This is simply a cowardly way of trying to avoid responsibility, but will have the effect of making the rule of law a laughingstock in California -- you can't comply with a law unless you know what it is. The suggestions regarding the milage tax, increase in gasoline taxes, taxes on new SUV's etc. came from this commission -- not the bill. The problem is, we don't actually know what they are going to come up with when they actually get around to writing the regulations.

3. This bill was dead, and resurrected over the weekend before the 4^th of July holiday. Public debate was squelched, there was not even a pretense of allowing the legislative process to work, and the major media ignored these tactics.

Oh, and have a look at the sponsors -- (for those of you fortunate enough to live in other states, these are the most left-wing, union-pandering enviromentally wacked-out of a bad lot):

Author:Assembly Member Pavley

(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Simitian)

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Aroner, Chu, Cohn, Firebaugh, Frommer, Jackson, Kehoe, Koretz, Longville, Nation, Shelley, and Strom-Martin )

(Coauthors: Senators Escutia, Kuehl, Perata, and Romero)

[Gophack]

The California Air Resources Board came up with a report that said these were all possibilities in order to cut emissions. And more.

Go to We Drive.org

[TatieBug]

Sorry...my mistake...Rush said 48%...that's even more...wow

[Carry_Okie]

How are they going to tax mileage? Random odometer checks with bills handed out on the spot?

No, but it would be easy to collect through the smog check. All smog test computer data goes directly to the State. It would be easy to calculate the bill and have the check station collect the money.

Who is going to determine, at the pump, what type of vehicle the gasoline is being pumped into?

I think they mean taxes on all gasoline It would simply affect vehicles with lower mileage even more. It is a tax on the poor.

[brianl703]

That's because they stopped making full-size station wagons such as the Chevy Caprice and the Ford Crown Vic, which are a hell of a lot more comfortable than most SUVs.

I dare say that if full-size station wagons were still available, there would be a market for them...but one of the Unintended Consequences(TM) of CAFE was the replacment of large cars with large SUVs. Oddly enough, the cars got better fuel economy.

As far as fuel economy goes, if I'm going to drive something around (and I do) that gets 20MPG, it better have the power
to get out of it's own way, which most SUVs do not. Safety doesn't enter into it--I believe that a vehicle is only as safe as the person driving it.

[Grim FReeper]

Grayout Davis HAS GOT TO GO!

[Grampa Dave]

No, not all SUV drivers are perfect. Clymers are Clymers in any car or any political side.

This is going to be a dividing line re are you conservative or are you backing the enviral whacko Nazis who have come up with a terrible law to illegally tax us to pay for the life styles of the perverted ones who vote Rat in California.

This SUV thing will become just like GW's "You are either with us or against us! If people hate SUV's and SUV drivers, they have crossed over that line with a whole lot of conservatives with SUVs and pickup trucks. The number one selling vehicle for decades in Cali are the Ford F 150 and 250 pickups. They are now in this same category thanks to the San Francisco Eco Nazi Burton who rammed this bill through. A whole lot of guys with pickups are going to get really poed as this thing unravels. You add all of the pickup owners/drivers to the SUV owners, I start to like the odds.

I actually welcome it as it will clear the air on who is an enviral nazi or not! Too many so called conservatives are closet envirals and support the enviral nazis as they take away and tax the hell out us. It is time to let them know that they can't have one foot in enviro hell and one foot as a conservative any more.

[El Sordo]

It seems more like you'd want to call him and say that this is a great plan!

[brianl703]

I've seen solid white lines used to denote no-passing areas on roads such as the Ohio Turnpike, as well as in the Allegheny Tunnel on the PA Turnpike.

I suspect that it would be an infraction to pass in those areas, crossing the solid white line.