GOVERNMENT AND SLEEPING DOGS

 We Americans often think that our government should intervene in any problem that might arise. Far too often our government is like a big mean sleeping dog. When a mean dog is sleeping, it is probably a good idea not to wake him. When additional laws and regulations are placed on us, many times there are unforeseen problems that will arise. First we will lose some of our choices and we can expect additional costs for the things that we need.

Over the past months all of us have felt the pain at the gas pump. Many people are searching for autos that get better mileage. All of us would like to have an auto that gets better gas mileage; often we have to make some concessions to get the higher miles per gallon. Right now Congress is working to impose extreme new mileage regulations on auto manufacturers. This legislation will have strong and long-lasting negative consequences on American consumers. 

It is easy to pass some law that mandates that some car will get better gas mileage. Engineers and auto designers instead of politicians who don’t know a carburetor from a spare tire should determine the efficiency of cars. We need to remember that in a gallon of gas there is only so many BTU’s of heat and there are limits to what can be done with it. To get more mileage there will have to be some trade offs. Cars would have to be built lighter, have less power, and be less safe on the road, etc.  With the government getting involved I am also sure that autos will cost more and be a step backwards.

As for improving gas mileage, I feel that the free enterprise system is the best solution. Auto manufacturers are in the business of selling cars and they have to be competitive to keep their market share. The element of competition is the best solution to the gasoline problem. We all complain about the mileage some of our cars get, but we bought them because they fulfilled our needs at the time. I can assure you that the auto manufacturers will be competing for your business and the ones with the best ideas will get your business.