CAFE standards...reminiscing when i could smoke at cafes.

So the vulture in chief is picking a fight over mileage standards. If this goes according to script, next we'll have the outrage followed by the lawsuits and then injunctions followed by slight policy changes etcetera etecetera until the jackals finally find some policy the courts can abide by. It's a hell of a way to make policy these days. Go straight to the courts until they put policy on the edge of legality and hope it doesn't teeter too far one way or another. It's not the most efficient way to govern but it sure does make the lawyers happy.

So these mileage standards are accused of being too harsh. These hyenas say that they make cars too expensive for American consumers. Easing these regulations will let automakers make more affordable cars that are newer and safer for Americans to buy and drive.  So it's all about SAFETY. Aren't we living in a brave new economy? Everybody's working who wants work. Mr vulture in chief has been working hard for all Americans to get them the jobs they need, right? He's even got the new unemployment numbers to prove it. So why aren't we buying new cars? Why aren't we working hard at all these newly created jobs and buying cars? These new jobs are nice enough, but I imagine Americans who get them still can't afford a new car, or at the least can't afford to risk the commitment of taking out a long term loan to buy a new car when they feel that this economy is still shaky and uncertain and not nearly as bright as we are being led to believe.  Or maybe we're not driving as much?

But we are driving as much and more. The jackals say that we're getting such great mileage that there's no reason not to take a road trip to Vegas. Why fly to sin city when driving's just as cheap? And the jackals say that's not safe; they need to make mileage worse to keep Americans off the road and safe from accidents. Of course if that's true they could motivate Americans to drive less by raising the federal gas tax that's been sitting there at the same level since the nineties.  Wouldn't that be more efficient? Raise that and spare us from months of outrage and lawsuits.  But this is about safety right?

If these standards continue, we'll likely be driving ever lighter cars. An efficient way to raise mileage is by reducing a car's weight, but lighter cars are less safe. Who doesn't want to feel safe behind the wheel of a tank made of American steel? I certainly don't. I'd be afraid of every accident killing some poor American who can't afford a tank. What a way to die? Imagine telling that to peter I died because the guy who hit me was rich enough to buy a Humvee. Still I respect heavy traffic like trucks and buses. You have to respect them they could kill you. I still say the sound of a semi passing is the sound of death calling me. And so lower mileage equals heavier cars and safer American roads?