White House: Smart Cars and Leafs for Thee

Over the weekend, news broke that the White House intends to push for fuel efficiency standards that would require cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. to average 56.2 miles per gallon of gasoline by 2025.

The latest effort at establishing highly green regulation would add about $2,400 to the cost of each new vehicle sold in the U.S., a cost that could have an effect on the overall auto market, and therefore employment numbers.

Environmentalists seem to be greeting the news positively.  However, consumers might have a different view.  Setting aside that few new car buyers are likely to want to have to pay an extra $2,400 for their car or light truck, they may find their vehicle choice rather limited by virtue of the White House’s preferred number.

According to the federal government’s own fueleconomy.gov website, a grand total of three cars currently on the market in the U.S. get 56.2 miles to the gallon or better.  They are the Nissan Leaf, and two varieties of Smart car.  The famed green Toyota Prius is a dirty polluter by this standard. So would be 2009 and 2010 ’s green cars of the year.

Is the White House really serious about this number, or is this a negotiating stance assumed at the outset, aimed at enabling the White House to push automakers to accept the highest efficiency standard that they are apparently willing to concede (46.7 mpg)?

Ah yes, typical government tactics. Push people into gutless wonders and make them pay more for it. Ever drive a Smart Car? I did just to satisfy my curiosity as to it's power. Besides the massive claustrophobia effect the car has, it couldn't pull a steep hill on the test drive faster than 30 mph. My car and truck both can whip up that hill 50 plus before getting a quarter of the way up the hill.

Than, this law/policy should apply to ALL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT , including the executive, legislative, and judicial. (emphasis added) Accordingly, the president should lead by example, not be riding around in the beast anymore, and/or with an army of secret service in beefed up SUVs, but instead, in "Smartcars."

"The Obama Administration vs. The Constitution" "I will add, as a fifth circumstance in the situation of the House of Representatives, restraining them from oppressive measures, that they can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the great mass of the society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together. It creates between them that communion of interests and sympathy of sentiments, of which few governments have furnished examples; but without which every government degenerates into tyranny. If it be asked, what is to restrain the House of Representatives from making legal discriminations in favor of themselves and a particular class of the society? I answer: the genius of the whole system; the nature of just and constitutional laws; and above all, the vigilant and manly spirit which actuates the people of America — a spirit which nourishes freedom, and in return is nourished by it.