From: mark@wdcwdc.sps.mot.com (Mark Shaw)
Subject: Re: Ethanol blended gasoline
Organization: Motorola Western MCU Design Center, Chandler Arizona
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 20:00:24 GMT

In article greg@cherokee.b23b.ingr.com (Greg Moritz)
|> If your figures were true, yes.  People who like cars need to be able
|> to admit to the damage they do, so that they don't end up looking like
|> eco-nazi fanatics

|> Paranoia doesn't help anybody.  These programs to buy up older cars, as
|> far as I've seen have been strictly voluntary.  As soon as they try to
|> become mandatory, then you will have a case - and large numbers of 
|> supporters.   If events lead to mandatory confiscation of older cars, then
|>                                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|> we have much larger problems afoot than losing the joys of hotrodding.
|> -------------------------------------------------------------------
|>
|> I'm confident that it would be possible to get the older cars cleaned
|> up rather than to confiscate them.
|> 
|> For those who can't go out and buy a new car just now, fixing up would
|> be the best solution.  For those who are looking to sell, but can't afford
|> to fix up the old polluter, selling to the government would be a nice
|> solution - but only if the car is decrepit.  
|> 
|> As Larry put it, in order to avoid penalizing *all* drivers, by restricting
|> our rights to drive, we can all chip in to buy the older cars that people
|> are *willing* to sell.  Eventually, the cost of buying these old cars can
|> be recouped thru sales of salvageable part off those old cars.
|> 
|> Again, this has other benefits because it allows drives of older cars who
|> maintain them to have a better supply of parts (that can be used to reduce
|> the pollution from those remaining older cars).
|> -------------------------------------------------------------------
|> 
|> So you would rather let the factories close (or downsize) and lay off all 
|> (or some) of their workers rather than put any restrictions on older cars?
|> 
|> (Scott Borders) writes:
|>   
|> SB> In my opinion, we should 
|> SB> concentrate first on fixing/removing those autos that pollute the most.
|> 
|> (Doug Gunsul) of Hotrods 'R' Us writes:
|>
|> DG> Well in my opinion, I think we should get rid of every polluting 
|> DG> big mouth that wants to remove all of the *fun* cars  from the road.
|> 
|> In my opinion, we should try to avoid looking like fanatic eco-nazis.
|> Scott said fixing/removing - this implies that he is flexible.  You (Doug) don't
|>            ^^^^^^
|> appear to have any flexibility in this matter.

I concur with Greg and Scott.  What we need is some reality, sanity, and flexibility
in dealing with this issue.  What really scares me is that there are a fair number of
people who are still living the past, totally outraged, and totally inflexible (need
I name names?) who are going to be the "voice" for the old car owners.  The official
policy reaction to this response will be to ignore the old car fraternity entirely and
go do what they darn well please until the public gets outraged.  Right now the general
public is tired of paying for more and more regulations and cleanup methods while a 
noticeable portion of the population is allowed to go untouched.  Public opinion is
currently  not on our side.  If we act like a bunch of radicals and we surely will lose
the fight.  

Mark


Newsgroups: rec.autos