From: jimcole@adobe.com (Jim Cole)
Subject: Re: 1-800-EXHAUST
Followup-To: ca.environment
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 20:02:25 GMT

In article <2933087804.0.p00004@psilink.com>, p00004@psilink.com (Michael
Smith) wrote:
> 
> >DATE:   9 Dec 92 18:46:11 GMT
> >FROM:   Donald Bowen <donb@crash.cts.com>
> [....]
> >	I had a friend who had a water hose blow.  Steam rose from the car
> >as he parked alongside the road to wait for the car to cool.  When it
> >cooled he fixed the problem and drove away only someone had reported his
> >car smoking.  He received a notice that he had to get the car fixed before
> >the next registration.  He had to pay for another smog inspection before
> >needed and put up with the hassle.  His crime, releasing water vapor.
> [....]
> 
> This is a wonderful story. It suggests to me that we all ought to start 
> calling the 800 line and reporting random license numbers. Everybody 
> try to do half a dozen a day. Of course, real plate numbers (preferably 
> copied from expensive cars) are best, but make 'em up if you have to. 
> Some percentage will turn out to be real.
> 
> Anything that increases the cost and hassle of car ownership is a step 
> in the right direction.
> 
> --Michael Smith

----------------------------
Because usable public transportations systems for our sprawling areas are
not in place, automobile use can't go away overnight, even if that's what
most people wanted (it isn't, of course).  Since cars will be with us for
the forseeable future, and since some cars cause a hugely disproportionate
amount of air pollution (I've heard something like 2% of cars cause 40% of
air pollution), a program like 800-EXHAUST has the possibility of helping
reduce air pollution significantly.  An even more effective program might
be to just buy up people's old clunkers and get them off the road; I bet
that's a lot cheaper than some of the air pollution reduction strategies
being talked about.

In any case, if people took to your idea, what would happen?  You are right
that car owners would want to reduce or eliminate a hassle such as the
nasty letters they were constantly getting from the state.  How would they
eliminate this hassle - by giving up their cars?  Ha!  With a governor like
Pete Wilson, it's much more likely that the 800-EXHAUST program would get
shut down.  How many Californians would vote for a ballot prop. that would
continue funding for 800-EXHAUST if many or most of them had received
harassing letters for something they didn't do?  Would they judge the
program to be effective?  I doubt it.

Is yours an effective strategy to reduce air pollution?  No; just the
oppostite, it seems to me.  Is it an effective way to get people out of
their cars?  I don't see how your idea would make that happen.

Perhaps we should all use the 800-EXHAUST program as it's intended to be
used.  Maybe it needs better safeguards to ensure that "innocent" drivers
aren't penalized.  For instance, they could impose a form of the British
court rule (loser pays all): if person A reports person B's car, and B's
car is clean, A is billed for B's smog check and time.

Jim Cole
From: alanm@hpindda.cup.hp.com (Alan McGowen)
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 01:16:50 GMT
Subject: Why do they hate us?
Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA