Friday, May 21, 2010

Fix things . . . tomorrow

President Obama will launch a drive today to set fuel economy standards for model years 2017 and beyond, ordering federal agencies to work together on tougher rules for cars, trucks and commercial vehicles.

The administration will also lay out plans to set the first-ever mileage standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles — such as over-the-road trucks — between 2014 and 2018, an Obama administration official said Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the plan ahead of its public release.

A year ago, Obama met with automakers and environmental officials to hail an agreement setting a fuel economy target averaging 35.5 mpg by 2016 for U.S. cars and trucks. The agreement for the first time set standards for carbon emissions as well as for gas mileage.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/environment/2010-05-21-mileage21_ST_N.htm

All of Obama's fixes seem to be timed to take effect after his term of office expires.

It's as if he knows they will be painful and unpopular once implemented.

As a candidate, Obama called upon "the fierce urgency of now".

As others have noted, as president, he relies upon the fierce urgency of "whenever".

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