Aug. 24, 2005 - 21:08 MDT

SELF EXPLANATORY

My name ain't Alice but nowadays it feels as if I have been rammed through the looking glass headfirst.

Item in today's Rocky Mountain News by Ken Thomas of the Associated Press is a case in point, I think.

In part:

Better mileage sought

U.S. seeks to increase light-truck fuel efficiency

WASHINGTON -- "With gas prices continuing to rise, the Bush administration Tuesday proposed new rules to compel auto manufacturers to make pickup trucks, minivans and some sport utililty vehicles more fuel efficient. Environmentalists said the plan would do little to wean the nation from its dependence on foreign oil."

"The proposal would require the auto industry to raise standards for most vehicles other than cars beginning in 2008 all automakers would have to comply with the system by 2011. "This is a plan that will save gas and result in less pain at the pump for motorists without sacrificing safety," Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said."

"Mineta, speaking at news conferences in Atlanta and Los Angeles, said the program was expected to save about 10 billion gallons of gasoline over the life of vehicles buit from 2008 through 2011."

"The U.S. consumes about 140 billion gallons of gasoline per year, according to Energy Department statistics."

"But the plan would not apply to the largest SUVs, such as the Hummer H2. Passenger cars, already required to maintain an avereage of 27.5 miles per gallon, also would not be covered by the changes."

"Passenger cars and light trucks, a vehicle category that includes pickups, minivans and SUVs, account for about 40 percent fo the nation's oil use."

* * * * * * * *

(of course much comment from the peanut gallery about that)* * * * * * * * *

"John D. Graham, director of the Office of Management and Budget's office of information and regulatory affairs, countered, "the plan was projected to save more fuel than any previous rule making in the history of the light-truck CAFE program."

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Seems that this man harps on the subject a bit much. But to me it is important. I remember the OPEC bit where gas was a scarcity, and where measures were taken to lower the speed limit to 55 mph, where car size and mpg were considered. I remember that a good part of our population bought smaller foreign cars to get the best milage per gallon possible.

And of course our power mad speed crazy population put extra money into bigger, faster gas guzzlers as soon as they were available. Or bought the older big cars and trucks.

I seem to remember it was the time that pickup campers became very popular and men would buy one, beef up the pickup they owned or bought bigger stronger gas guzzling trucks to enable them to keep up speed going uphill to match autos on the road then. Then were the days when most parking lots at factories and other businesses had huge amounts of pickups with campers mounted on them parked there every day. Guy would take his pickup to work hauling his camper to and from work -- status symbol perhaps and being too darn lazy to take the camper off the truck when not in use. A few wise ones had their beloved pickup with camper on it parked in their driveway and drove a compact car to and from work, the store and things like that - - - a few I say.

And of course the auto industry was after the top dollar and began to ramp up production of the mighty behemoths when the heat finally was turned off. More bucks for pound of auto and many, many more pounds per auto was their goal and the populace bought into it. Keeping up with the Jonses has been the motto of most of our citizens from a time way back, you know, faster horses pulling buggies that rolled easier than the Conestoga Prairie Schooner.

So much like druggies we are that we sell our soul for the biggest, fastest, fanciest vehicle with all the accessories that can be piled on.

"Hi, my name is Doug and I'm a gasaholic, I had the awfullest time getting here tonight in my motorhome, had to stop twice for gasoline, I know its only a mile from my house to this meeting - - - but I'm Doug and I'm a gasaholic.

And with red face I have to admit that dear wife Heather owns a Saturn SUV because she can sit up higher and navigate traffic a bit better. It looks like a SUV, eats gas like a SUV, when beside a SUV though it is noticible that it is a bit smaller than an SUV, but still it uses about twice as much gas as our 96 Saturn sedan. It was her money and that is what she wanted, regardless of what I said. Of course my head in the clouds started way back when my buddy in high school would borrow his barber's little Austin and we would tool around the park in it -- our heads between our knees. A car so little that when one burped the car inflated like a baloon. Later on there were the Crosley's, a car where the engine could be overhauled on the kitchen table.

In the 50s we owned a Henry J, a car with a Jeep engine, small it was but efficient. After we got broadsided by a man driving his car to work one morning, driving on the wrong side of a double parkway -- not knowing there was a stop sign on the proper side of his street. He was late -- I didn't make it to work for about two weeks (including hospital time). From the settlement by his insurance company we got a Plymouth Suburban. I wasn't too happy with it because of the gasoline consumption but bowing to reality owned up to the need to put our four kids in the group of passengers and we truly needed more room in a car. All those years of driving something big enough to hold all of us I would look with envy at those MGs, Volvos that had a body style of a pre-war American Mercury but were small enough to navigate the streets of Tiny Town. A bit exaggerated claim, hee, hee, but not too much. And of course I had come to reality from driving an Indian 30-50 motorcycle in Illinois when I lived there.

Feels to me that we all are missing the point entirely.

If I had control of the barnyard, every highway would have two lanes a bit apart from the car lanes wherein the big rigs, tractors hauling semi-trailers and huge trucks would be legally bound to drive only in those lanes. Two lanes with no access by auto traffic. Then there would be no large cars, cars with hopped up engines and max speed accessories, none of that sort of thing would be allowed anywhere but on a speedway, a race track.

Yeah if I ruled the homestead Mr. Popularity I would not come close to being. But as a nation we would be sedately traveling at the modest speed of fifty five honking miles an hour, in small cars. Oh yeah, and a two seat car would be the norm. For larger families a premium price would have to be paid for a car with more seating capacity.

So I rave on and would hazard to say too little to late is the way our government seems to be going, trying to keep the speed freaks and size nuts happy and also the oil industry and car manufacturers blissful. My Daddy emphasized one thing, "You can't have things both ways, nor in real life can you back up and make another stab at doing it right."

So reading between the miniscule spaces between letters -- noting that our administration is not understanding the reality of things and wishes to keep on keeping on the same old way while telling us everything is okay, that headline is SELF EXPLANATORY