Brian Knopp wrote:
>
> But then who decides what *is* "right for the whole of society"? As I get
> older I find myself questioning the very *concept* of "the common good" more
> and more, especially when defined and implemented by the folks in DC. *I*
> know what's best for me far more clearly than Bill C. or Newt G.
>When I first got out of the army in 1970, I had a `63 Spit shipped back
from Hawaii, and, immediately upon discharge, drove it south to visit a
guy I knew who was running a hamburger (soyburger?? <g>) stand on Newport
Beach. I got about five miles onto the Ventura freeway and smelled fumes
of some sort. Stopped, checked the carbs and the exhaust, and went on my
way. Couple of miles later, my eyes are watering--had to stop again.
Did this about five times until it hit me that the problem was the
concentration of unburned fuel and smog around the freeway.
The next time I found myself in southern CA was 1988. And it was better.
In fact, it was a good deal better. And, given that there are many more
cars in that area now than then, maybe CARB and the EPA had something to
do with it.
I think that at least some of the improvements in automobiles in the last
20 years are a direct result of the need for improved mileage (to a
degree) and for the EPA-driven requirements which have translated into
far superior engine management today than what was available in the past.
Not to injure those exclusively devoted to British cars, but the general
perception is that meeting EPA requirements costs in performance--and for
that reason, I'm always amazed that a car like the Toyota Supra can meet
relatively stringent air-quality standards and at the same time, at 153
mph, hits the rev limiter so hard that the car is still accelerating when
the engine starts to shut down. Saab claims to be able to maintain EPA
standards through something like 97-98% of RPM range.
I think that it's a rather neat engineering problem--reduce emissions and
improve performance. The price, of course, is more expensive cars, but
how much of that is related to engine performance and how much to
emissions controls? In an automotive engineering sense, the two are very
closely linked today.
> I think Franklin said it best: "When people are willing to surrender a
> portion of their liberty to increase their security, they end up deserving
> neither." This may not be an exact quote, but it's close.
>And, some anonymous soul also said, "Necessity is the mother of
invention."
Cheers.
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