Bush to Sign Bill to Boost Auto Mileage

[Khristy1]

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=116&sid=1312942

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush, who has said he doesn't believe the government should set arbitrary automobile mileage standards, is signing into law a requirement that motor vehicles meet an average 35 miles per gallon by 2020.

Congress sent an energy bill to the White House late Tuesday _ delivering it in a gas-hybrid sedan _ that increases the federal auto mileage requirement for the first time in 32 years and also requires a huge increase in the use of ethanol as a substitute for gasoline.

What in the world is our pres doing to us???

[SnoDog]

I like the idea to increase mpg. I mean how much horsepower do you really need? Back when I started driving over 20 years ago a brand new Corvette "only" had about 230 hp. Now your average mid-sized sedan has that much. And if I recall when the bug first came out it had like only 45 hp!

Not so crazy about the ethanol though.

[frodo82801]

I like the idea to increase mpg. I mean how much horsepower do you really need? Back when I started driving over 20 years ago a brand new Corvette "only" had about 230 hp. Now your average mid-sized sedan has that much. And if I recall when the bug first came out it had like only 45 hp!
Just can't trust people to make their own decisions about buying fuel efficient cars, can we? The elitists in D.C. have to make these decisions for us. Perhaps there are other things you can't figure out for yourself. Are you using a toothpaste that's harmful to your health? Are you eating too much fast food? Are your kids getting enough of the right information in their education? Too much religion in your house?

Not so crazy about the ethanol though.
The ethanol thing is one of the stupidest ideas to come along since global warming is caused by humans. It's a horrible solution because it's creating a bunch of unintended consequences. Do you like seeing people starve in parts of the world? Read these and tell me that you still think it's a good idea.

http://tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=081507B
http://globalwarminghoax.wordpress.c...hanol-follies/
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-...4/posts?page=3
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,88348,00.html
http://www.cei.org/gencon/025,05532.cfm
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...al_boondoggles

[Cameron]

We can increase gas mileage in cars just by passing a law? :thinking

What took so long?

[Cd4u_2]

It sounds to me that he is doing a favor to some americans who are worried. I am sure they are panicking and he is probably trying to ease their mind some.

BTW, I would love less pollution.. then maybe I would have less asthma attack.

[frodo82801]

It's typical govt nonsense. The fools in D.C. believe that they have to do something every time there's a problem.

The pollution in the U.S. has improved markedly in the last 30 or so years. The average car used to pump out over 200 lbs/year of pollutants. Now it's less than 6 and is still decreasing. Water ways are cleaner. By every measure, we've been improving.

Go visit other countries. It's not as good in a lot of "developed" cities.

[Chula]

They'll have to pry my SUV out of my hands............

wait, this thing goes into effect in 2020 right?
My SUV will be dead and gone long before that and I'll be driving
a golf-cart in my retirement 'village'.
Those politico's in D.C. have our back.

[logosone]

The whole idea of a band-aid remedy like this NOW at such a late stage in the world oil scenario is simply ridiculous. They knew full well 35 years ago where this was all going, nobody did anything, zero, zilch! People didn't and really don't want to hear that it has been our own unbridled and insatiable consumption, and greed, that has caused this problem.

[frodo82801]

The whole idea of a band-aid remedy like this NOW at such a late stage in the world oil scenario is simply ridiculous. They knew full well 35 years ago where this was all going, nobody did anything, zero, zilch! People didn't and really don't want to hear that it has been our own unbridled and insatiable consumption, and greed, that has caused this problem.
The gloom and doom crowd was wrong back then, and has almost always been wrong. You can't simply extrapolate out current situations into the foreseeable future. The gloom and doom crowd is probably wrong again.

The people who succeed wildly in life are generally those who ignore the gloom and doom crowd and get on with what they want to accomplish.

[logosone]

Hey frodo! few years back I probably would have been in total agreement with you, but not now. We (the U.S.) are largely a reactive society, we've been able to pad the consequences quite well for a long time but the chickens are coming in hard and fast now on not just this issue but several others. There was a major call for alternatives in the 70's and nobody would get on board, now we have a politically motivated mad scramble to correct it. Trust me, when gas goes to $5 everday folks are big trouble.