Repealing CAFE Standards Would Be…Stupid
September 23, 2008 by tha-kid
With the economy reeling from the effects of Wall Street some fools have been attacking what little progress America has made to move the country into a new future and better economic avenues. One of those successes have been stronger CAFE standards and moving America off of dependence on the international oil industry that is draining the economy of $700 billion dollars. Ironic isn’t it that the estimated cost of our bailout plan is exactly $700 billion dollars isn’t it? So to even consider repealing CAFE standards would be STUPID!
Our CAFE standards are in the progress of doing wonderful things for America and Americans. Is it making it harder for the old boys in states like Michigan? Yes. However Congress and the American people have made great concessions to the industry in many different methods such as putting off standards that by all means most feel if to be effective must start now until 2020. Another concession is making loans available to Motown in order to assist in their transformation to producing lighter and more gas friendly cars.
Some have argued that to raise CAFE standards means that people will only drive more. The argument is as stupid is one that says to make our money easier to carry means we will spend more. People aren’t moving their job because their car will get more gas to the gallon. Many of that gang will also fail or decide to omit from their writing that the real reason that CAFE standards was created and passed was to make us energy independent, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce pollution, save consumers money, create jobs and spark economic growth.
- Our old standards and the new set that the Congress just passed takes America to a new road for real energy independence. Why? Because the bill that passed doesn’t just say you act and we watch but pumps billions of dollars into the market to increase our own home made engery, calling for billions of gallons more in ethanol. It is time to wake up people and realize the fact that the world is running out of gas. This is a non-renewable resource that when you use it all it is gone. You can’t grow it anymore. The bill to call for more CAFE standards understands that and works to fix it by investing in renewable and sustainable resources that will help the world reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will KILL US. More and more American children in places like Fresno, California where I grew up and other cities are being diagnosed with things like asthma.
- It is important that you don’t let those who rail against CAFE standards to forget the RES portion of the bill that has the potential to jump-start new clean energy economy and create tens of thousands of new, good-paying jobs for things such as wind and solar manufacturing and installation. This is why people like for God sakes the United Steelworkers are backing the laws. RES will create thousands of megawatts of new clean renewable electricity generation, decreasing the amount of natural gas we use—lowering prices for consumers on their home heating bills and also benefiting industrial users. Even more important is that RES is doable and a star we can reach. More than two dozen states including my home of California have already put in our own Renewable Electricity Standards. In these states they are reaching for 30 percent or more so please tell me why the federal 15% is so far off the mark?
Now if more than any is time for the nation to think outside the box and revamp our economy, environment, education and employment systems. The world of yesterday is over and if we keep trying to keep up with just today then how will we ever get to tomorrow? Any mention or attempt to repeal CAFE standards would be shortsighted and as said before just plain stupid.
Tha-Kid JK
tha-kid@revkitchen.com
Why can’t I comment?
[Reply]
Sorry for the previous comment. I was not familiar with the system and thought my comments weren’t getting posted.
By saying repealing CAFE standards is stupid, you are assuming CAFE standards are good. And unfortunately, you don’t answer any of my arguments as to why the CAFE standards are bad.
You think my argument is simplistic, focusing around the fact that “people drive their cars more.” That is however only scratching the surface. We have NOT been weening ourselves off of foreign oil. Instead, our dependency has grown over the past several decades exemplified by our increasing import rates, and much of it can be attributed to CAFE standards. Higher mileage standards means people are less concerned and careful about their gas consumption, meaning consumption skyrockets. Thus, your logic is way off. That $700 billion? Yeah, a good part of that is from CAFE standards. If you take a look clearly at my post, the data does, in fact, back that argument. I have yet to see your data. You have only scoffed at my argument, not providing any reasonable warrants in return.
You fall into the whole gimmick of the “old boys” in the auto industry. Look, the auto industry isn’t filled with malevolent monsters who greedily only want evil to rule the state. Yes, we have shortsighted leaders, but changing economic currents are forcing those leaders to step down and new, brighter, more innovative leaders to step up to the plate. They are pushing for alternative fuel reforms (electric, hybrid, injection-fuel diesel, etc), however they CAN’T invest their money how they want to because they are forced to meet mileage standards. I know you’re probably going to say that alternative energy and such is good for the economy, but that is definitely not exclusive to my argument.
Look, CAFE can be abolished while incentives for alternative energy can be instituted and sustained. There is NO reason why auto companies should be forced to abide by some regulation that costs billions just because we want to move in the direction of renewable energy. And besides, like I said in my post, $50 billion will be taken out of taxpayer money to be given to auto companies to cover for part of the $100 billion that it costs to meet CAFE standards. That’s ridiculous! We are getting to the point where the costs are just being continually displaced to the next victim.
How is repealing CAFE a part of yesterday? You’re right. We need to move in a new direction. Let’s move beyond CAFE.
[Reply]
Let’s move beyond CAFE, and move towards true alternatives besides automobiles, which besides pollution create other societal problems like obesity, time away from family, and no matter how much highway you build you’ll always have bad traffic. Current automobiles are unsustainable, and so far I haven’t seen any successful implementations of electric automobiles, and yet we already have functioning alternatives like scooters, mass transit, and high speed rail.
[Reply]
Hi Dexter;
Thanks for commenting on my post about CAFE standards. However what makes the argument um…stupid is that you fail to realize that the reason we import more is that over the last decade or so it has been the “old boys” in Michigan who have built bigger and more gas inefficient vehicles and ignored the need to conserve gas, provide cars that get more miles to the gallon, and produce clean air for the country. Since it was hard for you to get the first time I’ll repeat it this time, our problem isn’t that Americans are driving too much but that their cars aren’t getting the mileage that the average car in the rest of the developed world does. Also for some reason you make mention to the $700 billion dollar bailout bill to banks. Truth the told not one red cent will go to car companies or can be tied to CAFE standards (and for the record your post doesn’t mention this bill at all). However Congress has agreed to loans that will come in a later bill to transform big truck plants into smaller more gas friendly plants.
I know being from Michigan you can think that the leaders of these car companies are just regular Americans. I’ve worked in Michigan for the unions that you propose to say CAFE standards are hurting. These leaders knew that as Americans we liked things big and bigger and that is what they gave. It took Congress acting LAST YEAR to get strict in these measures that finally got their attention. We will not continue to subsidized an industry that is failing to do what is best for the country.
The politics of yesterday was without CAFE standards. To turn around would be just that, moving back. In my mind any attempt to repeal those standards are stupid. The Congress knows it, the people know it, and now the industry knows it.
Tha-Kid JK
tha-kid@revkitchen.com
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