NY Times (Response to Tony Digest 3897)

[Guest guest]

Tony said:This is ridiculous. Any law that effects ALL states needs to be approved by at least a majority of all those states. .....

If, for instance, California sets up a higher standard than all other states, are they going to set up border check points to be sure that a sub-standard car does not enter their air space. Are they going to check all those broken-down wrecks from Mexico for their pollution levels and ignore the cargo of illegal aliens and drugs they carry. We need to improve the standards of many things in this country but we need to get our priorities in order first.

________________________

Tony .. this worked before with smog controls in CA. They only have jurisdiction over the cars of residents. The full faith and credit clause ensures that the diverse state laws on, for instance, drivers license requirements, (or now on whether vehicle requirements), apply when, for instance, tourists drive through. Their state of residence laws apply.

The thing that used to happen, and will probably happen again in the stricter states is that even very valuable vehicles will be almost worthless if someone moves there for their resale UNLESS that car meets the stricter requirements OR the owner goes through expensive repairs to make them meet the local fix-it shops determination that they NOW meet the local strict standard. This used to lead to some unscrupulous fix-it shops who also checked smog to run expensive fix-it scams. This also led to unsuspecting buyers saying, "Aha! A gorgeous cadillac and its almost a steal-price", (for instance), only to find out when they go to license their new find that they also now have incurred many $$$$ to retrofit the vehicle OR take it back out of state to another to sell at somewhere near value-price, etc.

So ... it will be "buyer beware" and when planning a move .. check the vehicle you travel with to the new state if it has higher standards so you don't end up with expensive retrofits ... unless they somehow grant an exemption now for that type of situation. They should since there is going to be MUCH migration to various locations to try to find employment .. and then the poor family gets there only to find out that besides all the deposits, etc. on utilities, they ALSO have to retrofit the family auto to be able to get and maintain a job!! Double whammy.

I believe that all comes under the heading of the sacrifices we will be called on to make for the sake of the environment. Everyone just needs to have "heads up" on such as vehicle moves and sales.

 

Joyce Simmerman

 

 

 

 

There is ALWAYS a "BETTER WAY"! Together WE can find IT and make IT a "Cradle for Humanity"!