If you double your mileage you half your cost. Isn't that a better solution?

Question

I asked a similar question once before. Maybe I made it too complicated. Given that we already have the technology to get as much as 50 mpg out of a gallon of gasoline, wouldn't it be easier to simply mandate that kind of mileage rather that chase after more oil? Even a fleet average of 35 mpg would break us free of middle east oil. So why is McCain and the current GOP unable to come to grips with that?

Answer 1

No, because it takes about 12 years to completely turn over the vehicle fleet in the USA and most other countries. Just because a law gets passed does not make something happen right away. After all, we are not going to throw away all the cars on the road right now.

As well 50 MPG cars are small and low performance and most people do not find them desirable. Then there is the fact that when cars guzzle more gas, the oil companies make more money and they can afford the lobbyists to make sure legislation to improve mileage never gets passed.

Do you also understand that the Saudis and the Bush family are very close friends and they are doing everything to make sure the gravy train to the Saudis does not stop.

Besides, I can drive a Chevy Cobalt now to get 41.6 MPG highway (I did it in June going from LA to Vegas).  

Answer 2

Why is it that the government MANDATE any gasoline milage for cars at ALL.

if I want to drive my GAS GUZZLING Suburban to work--and I pay for the gas myself--why does the government have the right to tell me I must buy a smaller--and more dangerous car.

Car companies build cars that they think the people will buy.  With High gas prices--people want FUEL efficient cars.  But with low prices for gas people want safer more comfortable cars for their families.

If the government wants the people to buy more fuel efficient cars it needs to only raise the taxes on gasoline--that intern will force the people to buy more fuel efficient cars---that car companies will be forced to produce in order to stay in business.

but what the USA government has done by setting cafe standards is stuck it's nose in the private business of car companies directly.  This should be a violation of the US Constitution.  It has stuck it's nose in the business of the oil companies by setting up zones that they can not drill in.  It has interfered in the private affairs of it's people and put them at unnecessary risk by weakening US business and the US economy by making it necessary to buy OIL from foriegn governments.

The US Federal government should have ONE FLAT tax for every taxable entity and let those taxpaying entities spend their money anyway they see fit.

Instead it interferes a little here by taxing gasoline.  then  a little more interference it taxes businesses in certain industries more, then a little more by imposing CAFE standards.  Then it taxes incomes of people that make their living by selling products.  Then it sets up rules to disallow drilling in certain areas inside the USA.   Then it goes out and demands to know what went wrong.