California to Regulate Tire Pressure

More than Just a Safety Valve

Hat tip: Autobloggreen

No, really, I’m not kidding! The California Air Resources Board Apparently, they are taking Barack Obama’s automotive advice to heart when, starting in July of 2010, they “will require California's automotive maintenance industry to check the tire pressure of every vehicle they service.” The regulation will apply to about 40,000 facilities. CARB also claims that this regulation will have all kinds of stimulative effects on the economy.

Now, I am not against proper tire inflation. Yes, I know it is a good thing and helps extend the life of tires. But doesn’t just about everyone who owns a vehicle (motorized or not) know that? Is CARB going to have an army of enforcement agents now walking around with tire pressure gauges? Better still, if you get mad at someone who cut you off in traffic, can you report such a person for underinflated tires? I see that the possibilities are endless.

Maybe the Revolutionary War patriots had the wrong symbol when they came up with their famous flag. Is it time to replace the snake?





Clearly, any opponent to the regulations can be characterized as “rolling resistance!”

Chap Petersen Takes Speaking Lessons from Joe Biden!

Eyes “Glaze” Over

According to an account by State Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R) (as recounted in his “Cuccinelli Compass”), Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) displayed an astounding lack of knowledge of energy and economic issues. Here is Senator Cuccinelli’s account:

... while debating new, higher, 'voluntary' renewable energy requirements and the effect on higher prices, Chap said something to the effect of "this bill will both raise prices and help the environment." And he said it with this air of unveiling a pleasant surprise...

This is somewhat reminiscent of President Barack Obama, who said during the campaign

When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal…under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket…even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad, because I’m capping greenhouse gasses, coal power plants, natural gas…you name it…whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, they would have to retro-fit their operations.

[Emphasis mine]

Now this kind of cluelessness when it comes to energy policy will certainly lead to higher prices without any benefit to the environment. After all, the earth has been on a cooling trend for the past ten or more years, and “global warming” climate modeling has been shown to be quite error prone. Forcing people to spend more on energy will not help anyone.

In addition, look at countries in which their populations cannot afford the forms of energy that we enjoy. Is the environment any better when people have to cut down trees and light fire from dung? Maybe Senator Petersen needs to step out of Fairfax and live in such paradises.

And with three kids, my guess is that Mr. Petersen owns at least one vehicle that is not tops in fuel economy. Cramming three kids in the back of a Toyota Yaris? I DOUBT IT!

It’s not hard to figure out that the holes in Chap Petersen’s logic are bigger than those in Joe (“I opposed the Alaska Pipeline”) Biden’s doughnuts. In fact, it’s a piece of “cake.”