What Needs To Be More EFFICIENT? Our CARS Or Our GOVERNMENT?

The past several weeks have been a mess, really. Washington just can't seem to get its act together and tie its shoes if you asked it to.

I mean, I am not a political guy by any means but the whole debt ceiling mess has plenty of people on edge. There's no discrimination here. Whether your a tea party'er or a liberal, tensions are about to boil over here as Americans across the nation are phoning in to let Washington know one thing -- they're pissed.

One news item that received some coverage was the latest regarding the CAFE standards, which was adjusted to 54.5 by 2025.

And according to Scott Burgess, the man who writes for The Detroit News AND bashed Chrysler this year, the new CAFE standards are a joke.

**I suggest you click "Read Article" to read his full piece, it's worth it

Burgess really hits the nail on the head though with this statement:

"Imagine if voters could apply CAFE standards to government, forcing it to double its efficiency by 2025."

Oh yeah, and down below you'll find a video from ABC. An ABC program put five people in a room together, with different party affiliations, and solved the U.S. debt ceiling problem within an hour.

Might want to check that one out too...

The Detroit News' Scott Burgess writes:

If the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations were a vehicle, it'd be a Ford Edsel, Pontiac Aztek and Chrysler Sebring combined.

No, that's not fair. All of those cars served a purpose and actually could do something.

Now that all the haranguing has finished and a giant number has been attached to CAFE, car guys can get to work and politicians can do whatever it is they do.

Here's what I think of CAFE: It's a farce, a joke, the result of spineless politicians taking the easy road. Over its more than 30 years in existence, it has not reduced U.S. consumption of oil. No, it created more. CAFE, and the people behind it, helped create the Hummer H1 — a beautiful vehicle that was completely misunderstood.

The only thing CAFE does is guarantee future cars will cost a lot more money than present-day cars. But higher-priced cars do help states, which typically collect a percentage of the vehicle's price, known as sales taxes. CAFE is worse than pandering; it's political pandering...

An ABC News video follows:

[Source: The Detroit News & ABC News]

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AdmiralT20 - 7/30/2011 9:27:56 PM

-1 Boost

The fact is that the problem with the Government is directly related to the citizens.
If people keep voting characters that are supposed to be the psychiatric ward into government you can never achieve efficiency.
CAFE is in our national interest, we need to reduce how much we pay out of pocket for energy consumption and secondly our dependence on fossil fuel thus reducing our trade deficit.
I don't know if you aware of the biggest driver in the US trade deficit: Oil.

CarCrazedinCali - 7/31/2011 12:35:59 AM

+2 Boost

govt duh

pcar4evr - 7/31/2011 8:50:52 AM

+3 Boost

Our government officials are very efficient. They are efficient at practicing politics to ensure that they can get re-elected. Very few care anymore about why they were elected and whom they are supposed to represent. What they care about is staying in power and following the political money trail like bloodhounds off the leash.

BondMI6 - 7/31/2011 1:31:40 PM

+1 Boost

Hah- that's a good one 00R...........

We all know the answer is the one that doesn't come with wheels.

Certainly though what the other commenters said is true- as a country we have little or no clue how we are governed.

truckman - 7/31/2011 1:32:18 PM

+1 Boost

Both, It is possible to make cars efficient, but the Gov. will never be efficient as long as the money is controlling the Republican and yes the Democrats, and even the tea party is funded by the oil companies, with these three parties there is no chance of efficiency, Someone like Ron Paul is your only chance, too bad the majority of Americans buy into propaganda, the American gov. is no longer a democracy, shure you can vote a puppet in, Obama will be killed by the gov. if he continued trying to do what is right.He is suggesting the rich pay there share, and they don't like that, Kennedy was also trying to do the right thing, to be efficient.

Durango - 7/31/2011 6:13:58 PM

+2 Boost

Obama wants the rich to pay for the freeloaders that he is creating. I wouldn't call this efficient.

truckman - 8/1/2011 12:15:18 AM

+1 Boost

Durango, did you hear his speech? I doubt that it would have any negative effect on any of the middle class, It will only effect the very rich, Obama stated that a Senator? CEO? pays less tax than his secretary, how many of you Americans think that this is ok? People in America making over $100,000. were loosing there homes, what is up with that? You have to nationalize the privately run Federal reserve and stop the extremely rich from controlling all of your thoughts on how Obama is going to make you pay more, how can you believe this? Obama is putting his life on the line like Kennedy for the American people, you have to respect that, Obama is not being the best puppet, even Bush was talked to for publicly speaking out against the banks because he saw the future banking mortgage issue, they basically threatened to sue him/ or kill him? Corruption is so deep in American politics, I love the American people, the majority have no clue and blindly follow the party they think is the right one, there is no right one now unless it is completely independent like Dr Ron Paul, the money people would have killed him, and yes he is very rich, but not rich enough to push the buttons.

tkindred - 7/31/2011 4:49:18 PM

+2 Boost

What about the government, cars and the general public.

MorePower - 8/1/2011 12:00:43 AM

+1 Boost

Both!

Government:
Get rid of the idiots in Congress & the house who are solely beholden to their corporate masters!

Automotive:
Making an efficient car does not mean that it can not be a great fun car to drive. Stop trying to turn a four door, daily driver into an overweight sports car. Engineer a tight, well-balanced chassis small car and develop two cars from it: respectable, tossable sports car and a fun to drive, sporty daily driver.