Once upon a time, the mantra of the libertarian Left was “keep the government out of the bedroom.”
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi want to regulate any gadget or appliance with an electric switch that turns on in your house or your driveway. New Department of Energy rules will dictate the amount of water that comes out of your showerhead, how much warm air comes out of your heater and how much cool air comes out of air conditioners. There is even talk about gadgets monitoring your home’s temperature in the winter and summer months.
How is any of this the government’s business?
The latest shower regulations are especially aggravating. The new water-efficient heads make you stand in the shower much longer to get wet and wash your hair because the water pressure is low. It’s a drip, drip, drip policy.
This is all reminiscent of the low-flush toilets mandated during the Bush and Obama years. These were designed to save water, but there was so little water flow that you had to flush two or three times. So it ended up not saving water at all.
Light bulbs, swimming pools, refrigerators and freezers are all subject to the same regulatory schemes.
Last week, the Biden regulators announced fuel efficiency requirements for cars, minivans and light trucks of 49 mpg by 2026. New cars are already more fuel-efficient than ever before, and the Trump rules had the requirement rising to 32 mpg over four years. That wasn’t enough progress for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Mayor Pete” hates any car with a combustible engine. At his press conference announcing the strict mileage rules, he assured us this would save motorists money.
But if it’s such a great financial benefit, Pete, why do you have to mandate it?
But here’s the other part of the story that the greenies won’t tell: The new rules won’t reduce pollution levels much. This is because the higher fuel standards can raise the price of a new car by $1,000 to $3,000. So to save money, families keep their older gas guzzlers on the road longer. Congrats to the White House: Your new pollution standards may actually mean higher, not lower, tailpipe emissions.
It gets worse. The primary way auto companies comply with strict fuel standards is by making cars lighter. Get the family out of a minivan and into a Ford Fiesta. But our friends at the Competitive Enterprise Institute note that lighter cars are more dangerous and lead to more fatalities. So the Biden administration is willing to spill more blood on the highways to save gas. What humanitarians!
The new draconian fuel standards are higher than what former President Barack Obama requested and even higher than what the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency recommended. And under the rules, auto companies that fail to meet the standards can buy emission credits for tens of millions of dollars from other auto companies — like Tesla.
What’s the real goal here? Obviously, make fuel standards so unachievable that everyone has to buy an electric car. But, of course, many low and middle-income families can’t afford the higher costs for Tesla, so they will henceforth ride on one of Pete’s electric buses.
How is this progress?
These rules are designed to save the planet, but most people just want to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and they want to choose their car rather than having Biden choose for them.
If it seems like Big Brother is watching you, you’re not paranoid. He is looking over your shoulder. So keep your showers short and your air conditioner off, and stop driving around in that gas-guzzling family car.
Stephen Moore is a senior fellow at Freedom Works. He is also author of the new book: “Govzilla: How The Relentless Growth of Government Is Devouring Our Economy.” To find out more about Stephen Moore and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
Looks like Xi has taught Biden quite a bit. He’s getting the government control thing down pat. I remember Rush Limbaugh warning about this.
I think every company that would be expected to comply with all of this bull should put their foot down and flat out refuse. Giving in to any of this allows them to get their foot in the door and, once they accomplish that, they will come up with more and more regulations to make life miserable for all of us.
I urge every company to refuse to comply.
LET’S GO BRANDON
AND these ‘rules’ are NOT at all, designed to ‘save the planet’ JUST ENSURE THAT THE GOVT gets control over every facet of our lives..
We the U.S.A. have been betrayed by this treasonous, socialist Democrat Party and their corrupt puppet president F… Joe Biden.
Ronald Reagan Once sais, “If ever Fascism zcomess to America , it will Come In The Form Of Liberalism , democeat
Resident , Joe BIDEN SAYS, ” YOU Will Obey, Commard !!o
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The ddmocrat Socialist, Communist elite Millionaires, Have said , ” Do As We Say, And Not As WeDo. You Understand , Just Like A O!igarchy , In Russia A Few Have All The Power of Being In Control.
They need these regulations because their green energy will never be able to supply the demand which their other mandates will place on the system. I remember toilets using 1/3 less flushed twice used 1/3 more. Light bulb with annoying hums that you could hardly by. Ethenol for car emissions that ruined engines. Unintended consequences of government interference without any real results!
There’s days i wonder, ARE THESE ‘results’, REALLY UNINTENDED Consequences?? OR PLANNED!
Like Nancy Reagin said “Just Say No”. NNNNNOOOOO
America And Its Citizens Have Been Lucky That They Have Had A Few Presidents In The Past That Thought First of The Working Class And The Country Above Special Interests . One Of These Presidents Was President Ronald Reagan Who Said In His Farewell Address In 1989 Said, ” For We Must Consider That We Shall Be As A City Upon A Hill. The Eyes Of All People Are Upon Us. So That If We Shall Deal Falsely With Our God In This Work We Have Undertaken, And So Cause Him To Withdraw His Present Help From Us, We Shall Be Made A Story A By- Word Throughout The World. “
i have been saying this for years.
if these demons get control of your light switches and gas tank, we will be done.
That’s one thing that has pushed me away from ever “GOING SMART” In my home, as i have already heard rumors that some states that DO push smart homes/thermostats etc, “SUPPOSEDLY” the power companies, can take OVER your system to regulate what you get/use…
The democrat Leftists Have Gotten ,Control Of Our Youths Educational Institutions From Grade School To The Countries Universities And They have Became z” Leftist Indoctrination Centers Which Turn Out Males And Females who don’t know Which Sex They Are.
Open American oil production back up to Trump’s Energy Independence standards, save Americans real $$$ and
stop lying about ‘Brandon’s Price Hike’. Because we all know gas prices started to rise well BEFORE the war in Ukraine.
Response To your Comments…PatriotUSA
The Country And The Citizens Were Doing Well When Donald Trump Was President, Now America Has Former Judge Jackson
On The Supreme Court And socialist – Communist, democrat, Joe Biden As President, Well, America Was Once Great…
As I have said many times before what we have is a dictatorship ruining the country the biden and the nasty pislousi are nothing less than 2bit dictators and penny anny tyrants and a few other monsters as well. There is nothing these baboonswill not do to try to control the people of this nation, it all comes down to the want to control every aspect of our every day lives
The American People are like Sheep and have let leftist democrats Slowly Take Control of our lives until, regulation by Regulation , The leftist democrat Politicians have taken Control of our Very existence. This isn’t the way we were susposed to live under a Republic Form of Government. Ben Franklin said this, ” He Who would Trade Liberty For Some Temporary Security deserves Neither Liberty Nor Security . ” I hope that its not too late for America to Awaken from our Sleep and be aware of the danger of settling for so-called Security offered by democrat Socialist Big Government, Big Brother looking out for us relieving us of our duty to see that Government doesn’t in effect, Rule over Us.
“We, the people” need to just keep using/buying gas powered vehicles and let the government keep their electric vehicle and see who get what. We can beat their system easily – it is called car pooling. Even ig gas comes to be $10 a gallon, car pooling will reduce the individual cost.
What of those who don’t work somewhere they can carpool?
The democrat Socialist, Communist Party of America Say if we don’t Like. High Prices, Let…Us… ” Them Eat Cake,. “