Re: Plug wires

["Tom Harais" <tjhemh@domain.elided>]

Chris:

I DO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT. It's my second Government job. I spent 18
years in the "for profit" private sector and now I work for a City -
previously for a water district.

During that time I began to take a program of courses to earn a Masters in
Public Administration. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM with government work was also
the biggest problem with what the instructors were trying to tell us in
those classes:

They think that "government work" is somehow different than everything else
and is so specialized that it can never be run like a company in the
private sector. And yet, that is exactly what government needs IMHO
considering my background and experience. No, we aren't here to make a
profit for the shareholders like I was in private industry. But we do have
a consituency to satisfy: at the water district we had ratepayers and AFAI
am concerned, every decision we made should have been based on reducing the
cost or improving the quality of the water we provided to them. Very much
like private industry. It brings efficiency and quality to the forefront.

And beleive, that's not how decisions are made in the government. All sorts
of non-related factors, lobbies and politics are taken into account. The
ratepayers (taxpayers) are never even considered.

I don't and certainly won't advocate doing away with all emissions controls
or pollution laws. But, a "private industry" approach (like SEMA working
towards a goal) is what's needed to curb air pollution. NOT SMOG CHECKS
like we have in California. Beleive me, if you don't live here and see what
we go through, you have no idea how intrusive government can be. They are
taking property at this point (not letting you register, operate or sell
your car unless it passes their extreme visual and tailpipe emmissions
tests) and providing no renumeration.

I own a motorhome with only 13,000 miles on it. I can get it to pass the
tailpipe test, but they won't let me install the devices it needs because
they were not originally offered on the motorhome back in 1978 when it was
built. I can't give it what it needs - illegal. It won't pass the tailpipe
test with an aged, no longer made, thermoquad on it - illegal. I can't sell
it to anyone in California - illegal. It runs perfectly, but I can't
operate it on the street in California - illegal. I can only junk it or
take it out of state to sell it.

If private industry ran our SMOG check program they would have lots of
solutions for autos that were having trouble passing and they wouldn't
require that cars meet standards that are more restrictive than those in
effect when they were built. They would push manufacturers to come up with
support for thier old vehicles still on the road (Chrysler no longer
supplies parts for the 440 in my motorhome but there are hundreds of
thousands of them still out there. AND, they would sue anyone that begins
to make "copy cat" parts to meet that need without Chrysler's permission
and a royalty. Remember, Chrysler wants you to dump the old truck and move
up to one of their new V-10s or Cummins turbo diesels.) They would also
have measurements that proved the program was measureable reducing air
pollution or else the program would be shelved.

Instead, our CARB that created our smog check program refused to come and
testify before our state senate this year to document and prove that our
overly intrusive smog check program was in fact, resulting in a reduction
in air pollution in the state.


That's the problem with these kinds of government programs Chris, they
sound so good on paper and so harmless. Then, big brother tells you you can
no longer drive your car and they tell everyone else "your a gross
polluter" so that you are an outcast, without broad support. This works
until there are so many of those "outcasts" such that they rise up an
overthrow their oppressors. It's a recurring theme througout history.

I venture to say that you support your smog check program because it
doesn't greatly inconvinience you or stop you from driving your Scout. But,
if yours is anything like ours - regressive - there will come a day when
your perfectly good Scout is "garaged" by the program and you too will say,
"The government has no business taking my Scout like that."

Tom H.