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If anyone had any doubts about where the rotten heart of the Bush regime is, the latest whammy concerning the abolition of California’s own emission standards should reassure the pessimists.
The EPA now is stating that California cannot regulate what it has done for the last 30 years. The smog that envelops this state (the worst in the nation) will now have to accommodate itself to the needs of Detroit’s dying auto industry.
Harry Fuller wrote in today’s Huffington Post:
Meanwhile, the Congress and White House have given the waiting nation a new energy law.
After more than three decades of stagnant mileage requirements, they’re asking the auto industry to give us more efficient cars. By 2020 American cars and light trucks must average 30 MPG, right where China requires their cars to be now. And within 5 MPG of Japan and the European Union’s current target of 40 MPG. So that puts the U.S. only 12 to 20 years behind the other dominant economies. Our leaders think we stupid American drivers care more about our comfort than cutting air pollution or curtailing our addiction to Saudi oil. We need our big gas hogs to feel safe on the road. It couldn’t possibly be that American pols are carrupted by auto lobbyists.
Just to summarize: we are fighting a war against Islamic terrorism. We fund our enemies with the very oil that we purchase from them. We invaded an oil rich country, Iraq, to establish a “democracy” to protect this resource rich region from further conflict. We just funded another $60 billion in our continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Burning oil contributes to greenhouse gases and global warming. Icebergs are melting while we drive SUV’s.
And we just decided that we are going to relax the mileage and smog standards here in the US.
Here in Van Nuys 
The following is a great example of folks talking out of both sides of their mouth. That and the fact that a whole lot of Californians (many who fancy themselves as very environmentally conscious, as very fond of political types similar to the person mentioned below) resist driving anything but their big ol’ sports-utility vehicles:
Illinois Senator Barack Obama warns citizens at his 50th Town Hall meeting about gas guzzling, WPSD-TV reports.
It was among many points made to the standing room only audience at the Metropolis Community Center. Obama spoke on everything from DC politics to global warming.
He says part of the blame for the world’s higher temperatures rests on gas guzzling vehicles. Obama says consumers can make the difference by switching to higher mileage hybrids.
“After the meeting…Obama left in a GMC Envoy after admitting to favoring SUV’s himself,” claimed local News Channel 6.
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As an international worker living in LA (the Valley), at most times I think we stupid Americans do care more about comfort and feeding the corrupt oil regimes, than leaving the earth a better place to live for our children.
There are plenty of opportunities to cut down oil use with what we have now, like driving slower, driving less erratically, turning engines off when you’re idling for more than 30 seconds, car pooling, use public transport, not buying those stupidly noisy and ugly SUV trucks that never see a dirt road or carry more than 2 people; or those dumb big engined performance cars that just get driven around congested valley streets.
Don’t blame Bush and his cronies. They’re just a reflection of things stupid in America, which is…you and me.
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