Oregon introduces bill to ban aftermarket car parts
Cars are such an easy target for politicians looking to bolster their green image. The latest is Oregon Governor Theodore Kulongoski, who has had the Speaker of the House introduce a bill that could make many aftermarket parts unavailable.
Tires are the main aim of the bill, which seeks to prohibit parts availability if there are choices that decrease greenhouse gas emissions. It amounts to a back-door fuel economy standard, which is the jurisdiction of the federal government unless you're California –and even they need a waiver. The prospect of fitting Pilot Sports to your Geo Metro will be out the window if H.B. 2186 finds traction, and it could stick you with zero alternatives based on some myopic metric like rolling resistance. Putting our legislators in charge of what equipment should be fitted to our cars doesn't strike us as the brightest idea. Hit the linked article for contact information, so you know who to call and excoriate. Thanks, Charlie!
[Source: SEMA]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Sgt. Hulka 2:45PM (2/06/2009)
Suck it up, some of you A-bloggers.
You voted for these facist morons. Now deal with them.
Reply
Rocketboy 2:50PM (2/06/2009)
Did I?
John P. 2:52PM (2/06/2009)
Facist? I think you meant Communist in Oregon's case, but hey what's the difference?
I for one am going to enjoy seeing how that all shakes out. Pretty amazing stuff going on there. LOL
notYou 2:58PM (2/06/2009)
John P. "Facist? I think you meant Communist in Oregon's case, but hey what's the difference?"
Autoblog: "Putting our legislators in charge of what equipment should be fitted to our cars doesn't strike us as the brightest idea."
I don't see anything communal about that, in fact it looks far more authoritarian (read: Fascistic!) than anything else.
More importantly, if AB thinks legislators aren't up to the task of dictating what equipment should/should not be on an automobile, who the h3ll thinks there up to dictating what needs to be done with the atmosphere?
People who can, do. People who can't, teach. People who can do neither, well, they legislate....
aaron 3:03PM (2/06/2009)
Hey, they asked for "change" and look what they get (this proposed bill).
Not a slight against the Obama admin. It's slight against those in the Northwest so hyped up for "hope" and "change" that they blindly vote for any democrat.
Ken Stamper 3:08PM (2/06/2009)
We don't blindly vote for any democrat (for years and years we had Republican Senators), but, yes, as a whole us Oregonians (or at least the ones in the Willamette Valley, the rest of the state is quite different) are willing to put up with a certain amount of regulation and higher taxes to protect our quality of life. We're sort of the Scandinavia of the US that way.
John P. 3:14PM (2/06/2009)
notYou: They are doing it under the guise of being good for "everyone." communal.
This law will not affect most people, only those that want to enjoy the freedom of toying with their cars.
aaron 3:30PM (2/06/2009)
To Ken Stamper:
Ah, well said. If you are happy and ready to acccept the consequences of the actions to get to being happy, then all the power to you! So thank you for explaining and perhaps distancing yourself from other Oregonians.
Jake B 4:12PM (2/06/2009)
We all know banning the parts is step one. Step two is having mandatory car crushings for street racing and modification. Oh the cruel world, CAR GODS, HELP US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PJ 4:53PM (2/06/2009)
If the bill is "based on a rolling resistance calculation," as the SEMA link says, then aftermarket lowering springs and stiffer dampers would rate higher by the OR govt standards than most OEM units. Lowering your car 1-2 inches is good for a couple of MPG at highway speeds thanks to the improved aerodynamics of a lower body.
Anyway, saying that the bill intends to "ban aftermarket car parts" is more than a mild oversimplification.
BTW, I know the whole point of this thread is to bait bitter McCain supporters, but really, if you think state control has historically been more a feature of far-Left governments than far-Right, read a book plz.
Shiftright 6:22PM (2/06/2009)
A-bloggers? I didn't know we were getting graded on our blogs. Damn, it I knew I would have checked spelling more often.
This has a snowball's chance in hell of getting through. Doesn't make him any less moronic than the people who blame progressives and liberals for his inane ideas though.
Polly Prissy Pants 9:01PM (2/07/2009)
"They are doing it under the guise of being good for "everyone." communal"
Sorry, but even fascists work under the guise of being good for everyone (everyone being the nation state). True communists would democratically make legislative decisions like this, so if you think the majority of people in Oregon would agree then yea, it could be considered communism. If you feel the legislator is imposing his will against the wishes of the population in an effort to better the nation state then that would be fascism.
When you think communism, think of a ballot initiative like Prop 8 in California where the population makes the decision. When you think fascism, think of of life in a modern corporation where one guy is basically in charge of making all the decisions.
wseroyer 3:14AM (2/09/2009)
I live in Portland and they do Blindly vote for democrat. ex for me and the few outer Republicans that live here. it's almost a joke to run as a Republican in Oregon if you live in Portland you will never win.
Nick 2:45PM (2/06/2009)
Doesn't low rolling resistance = low grip? Sounds like the government is trying to trade safety for green cred.
#$%@ that.
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Stephen 12:43PM (2/09/2009)
@ Nick
My thoughts exactly. I think trading a tiny bit of fuel economy for a grippier tire to improve road holding and braking would have a more positive impact on the environment:
Better grip leads to fewer accidents, which leads to fewer gas guzzling emergency vehicles being driven and also leads to fewer cars and car parts in the landfill.
This reasoning doesn't even take into account the health of the occupants or the fact that driving style would have a much greater impact on fuel economy than the type of tires you use.
Nick 2:48PM (2/06/2009)
Isn't Communism great? And to get away with it all you have to do is say you are trying to be more green!
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notyou 3:53PM (2/06/2009)
Agreed. I mean, what part of HOPE and CHANGE didn't they understand?
Jon Barrett 4:37PM (2/06/2009)
I guess Green is the new Red.
Mazda FTW! 2:49PM (2/06/2009)
I totally agree. You guys picked a socialist govt. Have fun!!!
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Rev 3:03PM (2/06/2009)
Just to make sure; when you say "you guys" you are speaking of the citizens of Oregon. Okay, pop quiz; who's the governor of Oregon? Oh wait, you were making an "Obama the socialist" right-wing talking point in a thread about the state of Oregon? That is brilliant. You should get a cookie.
Because we all know a so-called "capitalistic" government NEVER tells you what to do. That's why Obama is busy reversing all of Bush's last-minute regulations...
Which still has nothing to do with this thread...