Tuesday Morning Quarterback
A great publication for Football fans, however, they are starting to take a more political stance. I found this excerpt particularly interesting....
Europe Acts, America Twiddles Its Thumbs: "TMQ has noted that already Detroit automakers are trying to weasel out of the fuel-economy standards Congress enacted last year, which require a 15 percent overall improvement in MPG by the year 2015 -- easily done on a technical basis, yet nevertheless, Detroit is already asking for special waivers to stop the rule. That's the sort of long-term vision that has cost the big three half their market share in a single generation! Last week, European Union lawmakers did what the United States Congress refuses to do: enacted no-excuses MPG rules. The new European standards require an 18 percent improvement in fuel economy by 2012, not only a stricter goal than the U.S. counterpart, but harder to reach considering European cars are already more fuel efficient than American cars. The Euro standard also in effect bans large SUVs, high-horsepower luxury cars and high-horsepower Autobahn sports cars unless they are hybrids, run on fuel cells or employ other green powertrains. Europe is not afraid to act against petroleum-import dependency, and the Euro is strong on world currency markets. America is afraid to act, and the dollar keeps falling. These two facts couldn't be related, could they?"
I only wish the article gave us our government's reaction to those "special wavers..." A quick google search has located nothing about this matter for me.
Europe Acts, America Twiddles Its Thumbs: "TMQ has noted that already Detroit automakers are trying to weasel out of the fuel-economy standards Congress enacted last year, which require a 15 percent overall improvement in MPG by the year 2015 -- easily done on a technical basis, yet nevertheless, Detroit is already asking for special waivers to stop the rule. That's the sort of long-term vision that has cost the big three half their market share in a single generation! Last week, European Union lawmakers did what the United States Congress refuses to do: enacted no-excuses MPG rules. The new European standards require an 18 percent improvement in fuel economy by 2012, not only a stricter goal than the U.S. counterpart, but harder to reach considering European cars are already more fuel efficient than American cars. The Euro standard also in effect bans large SUVs, high-horsepower luxury cars and high-horsepower Autobahn sports cars unless they are hybrids, run on fuel cells or employ other green powertrains. Europe is not afraid to act against petroleum-import dependency, and the Euro is strong on world currency markets. America is afraid to act, and the dollar keeps falling. These two facts couldn't be related, could they?"
I only wish the article gave us our government's reaction to those "special wavers..." A quick google search has located nothing about this matter for me.