CA SB-708 Smog Law Amended!!

[Ron61]

Jimveta,

Maurice Johannessen is no longer a Senator due to the term limitation law. And Aanstead seems to be in favor of this bill. I use the terminology when talking to his office that I thought even a California politician could compherend. Semmingly not. I asked them if they had a 1 gallon bucket of contaminated water and was told to clean it up and they dipped out a pint and the state sold me the right to dump another quart into the bucket because I was big business or an oil refinery or Kanuf, how do they think they are ever going to clean the contaminated water out of that bucket. After several monents of silence, I was asked how that could possibly apply to the way they are attacking the smog issue. So I told him that they take older cars off the road that are driven very little and put out " figures used are just for simple example so politician can understand them " maybe 50 pounds of pollution in a year. They then sell Kanuf which is just a few miles from my house the right to dump tons into the air as it would cost to much to make them meet the set standards. The final answer was, We have to start somewhere and everyone should be driving newer cars anyway. I then told him that if he would make the tax payers money available to me as it was for them to waste I would have a new car. That ended that conversation.

Ron

[Back in Black]

You folks in California need to realize that Flores and other STATISTS like him don't care what you think.. all the salient and wise arguments you can muster will end up in the waste bin. In fact they laugh at you behind their office doors. I have been there and done that and learned first hand in the pro 2nd amendment movement.

They believe in big government and the power of the state as absolute. They want you to be a peasant. They want themselves and their buddies to be the "nobility". Examples such as onerous and unconstitutional and indeed fascist gun control, Nazi or Stalinist-like restrictions on your freedom of movement such as "roadblocks" supposedly to check for drunk drivers, but used for every other intrusive purpose as well... and a hundred other similar issues I could bring up. The place is now intolerable to me, actually, as previously stated. I was born there but watched the place implode. CIAO, Cali...

Part, but only part of your "mechanical" problem is a full time legislature in California. This creates mutants like Flores (yes, alien mutants) that actually believe they and their constant changes to your life are ESSENTIAL. The worst of them are, after a few months of the intoxicating power given them, possessed in my opinion. Here in Washington they keep trying to become full time statists, but so far the people here have opposed it thank God. This means the legislators have to go home most of the year and live under the same laws they create. And work or run their personal business amongst the very people they pass the laws over.

As far as the increasing Orwellian state of existance spreading everywhere,.. I would say, Same as it ever was. History repeats itself they do say. I do doubt that 1776 will repeat itself at this time, however much I wish it were otherwise.

[Ron61]

BIB,

Boy are you ever right. A friend of mine whom I won't name because of reprocusions for him has been in the Calif. legislative crap for years. He told me when we were on a plane going to Los Angles that they just listen to everyone, take money from both sides and then he votes the way he wants.

I suppose the logical next step is for Davis and Flores to make it madatory for us to carry California Identy cards and they will be checked at the whim of any state law enforcement officer. Don't have your card, go to jail. That bill also wants to give the CHP the authority to just stop you without any probable cause and check to see if you have a current smog sticker on your vehicle. Some of the other 700- bills are even more ridiculous.

Hitler once made a statement to his inner circle that our politicians here have been proving correct for many years. The statement was " Government is lucky that the people don't think." And no matter how we vote here in Northern Calif., Davis and his crowd get elected as they only suck up to the Southern Calif. crowd where all the money and population is.

Ron

[Mr.Fixit]

I have letter from my local reps saying "They'll consider my views on SB-708 when it comes to a vote" I doubt it. Sure CA has a smog problem, will this do a darn thing, NO!

This year's 20 most polluted metropolitan areas are:


Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, Calif.
Fresno, Calif.
Bakersfield, Calif.
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, Calif.
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, Texas
Sacramento-Yolo, Calif.
Merced, Calif.
Atlanta, Ga.
Knoxville, Tenn.
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, N.C.-S.C.
Washington-Baltimore, D.C.-Md.-Va.-W.V.
Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, Conn.-N.J.-N.Y.
Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
Baton Rouge, La.
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, N.C.
Memphis, Tenn.-Ark.-Miss.
Birmingham, Ala.
San Diego, Calif.

[DaveR]

BIB,

You are right about thier attitude towards us. I have a friend who worked for the state, and he says that when he worked there, they referred to us as "the regulated masses".

[jimveta]

and thanks for the info

[jimveta]

Maybe Jay Leno moving out to another state would get their attention... or even NBC entirely; it would certainly be cheaper for the business and cost of living.

BTW, I read a letter in the current Pop Hotrodding issue in which the reader asks about a HP limitation being rumored in some states... wouldn't that be the most f@*ked up thing ever?

[Cobra Chuck]

Unfortunaely Johanessen was replaced in November or whenever the last election was. He was the only true Hot Rod advocate. He had several rods including a Cobra replica. He did a lot to get SB-100 passed. As soon as he was gone the whackos went to work undoing everything he did.

Cobra Chuck

Originally posted by jimveta


Hello from a non-cobra owner!!
First, just a little background, I plan to register my specially constructed vehicle, a tube chassis fiberglass bodied prerunner/stadium type truck--under SB100 as well (yes, someone has actually done it before, and going by the engine at that: body "resembles" an F150 but engine was completely custom including block , so it defaulted to 1960) .. anyways..

I too am worried about this SB708. I have no knowledge or experience in politics, but it seems to me that arguments need to made to supporters of this bill that although the "intention" may be good the problem is not being correctly addressed and would end up hurting CA more than helping.

In other words, let me give an example:

If Mr. Out-of-shape is never exercises, smokes all day, eats junk food all day, ..
and just so happens to have a routine of eating a cup of ice-cream once a week, pointing to his ice-cream regiment and saying, "Ah ha! there's your problem!" and forcing him to simply stop his cup of ice cream a week, without addressing anything else isn't going to solve anything. Moreover, that kind of approach would ruin his health even further with extra stress.

Now compare this with Mr. Healthy who also happens to have the same weekly ice cream regiment as Mr Out-of-shape above. ".. hey, what gives? why is he still in perfectly good health?"

So it is with this SB708. The problem of pollution won't be solved or even reduced by simply attacking the hobbyists. The problem of most of pollution currently comes from POPULATION DENSITY combined with a lack of trees dispersed throughout the area. This is what happens when you clump all the inudstrial/factories and urban neighborhoods and downtowns all in one spot. YET, the solution is hampered by a very misguided left-wing mindset of an ignorantly refusing any comprimise of expanding onto forested land. Of course, we don't want habitats destroyed, but a perfect comprimise between nature preservation a human habitat can be reached and it is through this that I believe any polution solution can be made. After all, the trees are our air filters.

California is still rated right in the middle as far as pollution goes even with all the super stringent of laws. Mainly, I believe due to these pockets of concentrated polution. Now, what about the other ~25 states that are ranked cleaner than us? who definitely have much less stricter/bueracratic laws and probably a higher percatange of older autos/ hot rods (compared to current autos)? -- This goes back to my example above.

This is just going to hurt CA businesses even more than they are now. In fact, if the politicians like Flores and crew want to force this tact, and truly want to reduce pollution via *this method*, then every single owner of a vehicle in the exempt years need to get $300,000+ to pay companies to do R&D on coming up with a one-off custom solution on retaining the performance for their application while still conforming to current auto standards (i.e. OBD2, EEC5, EGR, etc. etc) .. again, per car.

Examples of this kind of economy-eating bureaucracy in action:

* CARB EO: an replacement air filter alone is ok; however, as most of you I presume probably know just to sell that air filter with a replacement air intake tract/hose that's just slightly different in design requires an EO # and is deemed not "smog legal". Even though it would most likely IMPROVE emissions. And since it costs $1200 per lab test to get CARB approval, most smaller aftermarket companies would just be satisfied with EPA approval and go for the rest of 49 states.

* regarding forestry: Yes, I do NOT approve of indiscriminate logging. But I think emotions and ego need to be kept apart from reasoning and logic (just like seperation of church and state): there was a sizeable patch of land burnt down in one of the forest fires not long ago (sorry , forget where, could be colorado or cali), where all the trees where burnt down and soil became infertile. In fact, it was hot enough to sterilize everything which means the burnt foliage could NOT become any kind of fertilizer anymore. Of course, the moment the radical lobbyists (read: more democrat votes) heard the word "logging" associated with the companies, .. well that land will just be sitting there--dead--forever. Instead of letting those companies come in, reap the burnt trees, and *plant new ones*

Anyways, I apologize for your time but my rant is over for now... and all this coming from a democrat (however, I'm planning on chaning to libertarian. this war was the last straw for me for the left)

P.S. I couldn't find any Sen Johannessen entry listed anywhere on the senate website. All I could find was Sen Aanestad for the Redding district #04 which is the same as Johannesen. ?? and history of SB100 2001-2002 proceedings with Johannessen name.

And of course, like with everyone else I would appreciate any updated info and am definitely crossing my fingers this doesn't get passed.......

[JT]

I ran down to the DMV and prepaid my 2004 registration fees. Regardless of the outcome, I got tags for another year. I don't trust the "wisdom" of politicians. I got the same "I'll consider your opinion" response letter. Yeah right, thanks alot. Lip service.
Find your Senator and flood his in box with daily e-mails and faxxes. I don't know what else to do.

[Ron61]

JT,

You are right about all we can do is keep pestering those idiots. I have sent so many e-mails and made so many calls that if I pick up my phone it wants to call one of them. If I could add the e-mails I have sent to my post count I would have a record that no one else would be close to. They keep pushing the final vote back hoping people will forget about it and then they will run in and pass it. If we can keep enough e-mails and calls going in to bothger them, maybe they might actually consider the people over themselves once. Very doubtful, but I don't know what else to do.

Ron

[BULLITT]

EVERYONE, send a bottle of Grecian Formula (t.m) To the State Capitol "So We Can Wash That Gray Right Out Of Our State".