The EPA - Simply Out of Control

Maybe you can't relate to this yet, but it is just a matter of time until the EPA police take over every aspect of our lives, no matter where you live in this Country

This page has been accessed times since September 22, 1996.

No pelicans were harmed during the construction of this web page!

Would you give the keys to your car to a stranger and invite them to take it for a joy ride on I-480? Well that's what Ohio's Governor George Voinovich and State Senator Gary Suhadolnik are in effect telling you to do if you want license plates in most major metropolitan areas in Ohio. The State of Ohio has contracted with Envirotest to perform auto emissions testing on cars and light trucks that are designed to simulate driving at highway speeds. It's a lot easier said than done.

The testing process involves putting your car on a dynamometer that allows the wheels to turn at highway speeds. Pollutants are measured exiting from the tailpipe during this process. At least that is the theory. Oh, if you pass the test, you don't get the specifics; it's the old pass/fail that some educators think will make our kids smarter! You give them $19.50 and they don't even tell you how you really did. Did you just squeak by or did you tickle the lower limits of the sensors? By the time you read this entire piece, you will know why all the secrecy. If you raise mushrooms, you already know!

Dyno testing by the Unqualified

Dynamometers have been used by automotive engineers for many years. Dyno testing stresses your car and can measure its horsepower and torque under load. The theory is that you make adjustments and see how much improvement you can make. But like a stress test for people with heart conditions, the patient has to be monitored and the test stopped before a catastrophe occurs. When people get stress tests, a doctor with many years of education and experience makes sure that you don't die in the process. In the case of testing your car, Envirotest has people with no engineering degree and only a week or two of formal training in charge of the process. What's wrong with this picture? News reports are detailing stories of those unfortunate people whose engines and transmissions have been damaged by these "qualified" Envirotest employees.

What happens if your car doesn't pass?

Governor Voinovich has designated a number of service stations to perform repairs on your vehicle should it fail the test. The mechanics at these stations are supposedly qualified (not unlike the dyno testers mentioned earlier) to do the repairs because they have had some training and are state certified. But these so called certified mechanics couldn't possibly perform the repairs because they don't have the same equipment (a dyno) that the testing station has. They are Windows95 plug and play artists. Oh, your car was high in HC, we'll just slap in a new catalytic converter and "see what happens" when you get a retest; that'll be $350 thankyou! You can see that this plan is flawed; but no wonder, it was designed by politicians and the EPA types. Remember, this is the same government that thinks they have to take care of you because you are too stupid to do it yourself. Some of the email received here at the EIDX Network seems to indicate a need for the government to take care of certain people who can't or won't think for themselves.

But never fear, all the protesting over the competence of these qualified garage mechanics has influenced whoever it is that makes all these rules and regulations has resulted in a change. Now you can have any unqualified or qualified mechanic mess with your car and the State of Ohio doesn't care. Imagine that! You can pay your money and take your choice! As practical as that might sound, there is trouble brewing. Now all these garages that made an effort to get their qualification are a little upset. Their business has competition from those who didn't have to qualify. There is just no pleasing everyone.

Oh yes, there has been another change since the program got started. Now there are provisions for you to obtain a waiver if you spend a certain amount of money on repairs. I'm having a little trouble with the math on this, but maybe it has to do with paying a garage mechanic a certain amount of money that will result in tax revenue for the State of Ohio to offset the polution that your defective car might produce. The State of Ohio could then use the money to pay for increased health care costs for all the people that get sick because of that vehicle. It really pays to think about these things!

But you have to give them some Credit

The Ohio EPA came up with a radio spot that was really good! It was a mother/daughter commercial in which the little girl is asking the Big Question - Why do we need to get our car tested? Mommy comes up with some rather convincing answers, but even a mere child isn't about to buy them; this kid wants the truth! Well Mommy (representing the environmentalist whackos) finally says what every kid dreads:

Because Mommy says so!

If you don't get it, we represent the child and Mommy is Big Government, protecting us from ourselves. Are you starting to get the picture?

Politicians without a clue

When you have politicians like Governor George Voinovich and State Senator Gary Suhadolnik jamming auto emissions testing down your throat, you have to wonder what they are thinking. But you have to understand what's important to them in order to understand their environmental policy. George Voinovich gives his state of the State address to the masses, proclaiming that Ohio's air is cleaner than it has been in 20 years but then endorses an outrageous plan to harass Ohio citizens, ECheck.

When you are a politician, the most important thing to you is getting money to spend on whatever makes you look good. The Federal EPA, simply out of control, sets standards for pollutants and then places the burden on the states to institute programs designed to meet those standards. They threaten to cut off highway funding if the state doesn't comply. Now if you are Voinovich, you are not to enthused about losing that money you want to spend on those projects that make you look good, so you simply go along with the establishment. George is supposed to be a Republican (conservative) but he acts more like a liberal when it comes to the environment. He'd rather convince you that all this testing is going to make Ohio a better place for our children and grandchildren. The fact is that these tests are not going to improve the environment significantly. And besides, the environment is cleaner than it's been in 20 years according to George. Politicians the likes of Abraham Lincoln are almost extinct. Today's politicians seem to have no conviction, except to get re-elected. Those few who do say and stand for what they believe are classified as extremists and are to be rejected for their absolute views.

Columbus, Ohio's State Capitol not tested

Columbus is now Ohio's largest city according to the Census Bureau who by definition knows. If cars are the cause of all the pollution, isn't it odd that Columbus doesn't seem to have a problem. I called in several Leading Rocket Scientists to ponder this anomaly and even they had trouble with this picture. But eventually the truth surfaced; it's not the cars that cause the majority of pollution as the EPA administrators have told us. It's industry that tips the scales. So if you really believe we have a big problem here, we're just going to have to stop making things. It's time to give the planet back to the native Americans who took much better care of it in the first place. Who needs all this stuff anyway? But the EPA would be out there harassing the Indians for sending smoke signals and the American Lung Association would be lobbying for peace pipe registration! If you don't like that idea, how about moving all the industrial stuff to Mexico; then we could breath clean air and live long and healthy lives. Spotted Owls would abound! But Mexico is a little close to California and the Pelicans might be in trouble depending on which way the wind is blowing. We might have to move things a little farther south, say Costa Rica or Guatemala.

The Self-Preservationists of the EPA

The federal EPA has been testing the air for many years now. There are some places in the country that have poor air quality. This isn't due to cars that have not been maintained, but a combination of industry and mother nature trapping the air. LA is like a bowl with a lid on it. Air is trapped and the pollutants can't readily escape. No amount of auto pollution testing is going to change that.

But the problem with the EPA is that when air quality is improved, they panic because if the air is clean, they don't have jobs. But since they control the standards, their problem is not a problem. The EPA simply raises the standard (or lowers it depending on your point of view). All of a sudden, pollution is a big problem again and they all get to keep their jobs. The February 25, 1996 Cleveland Plain Dealer article reports that since Cleveland complied with the ozone standard in 1995, they (the EPA) need to raise the standard in order to protect the health and welfare of you and me. This is pure bunk. The only thing that these EPA employees are protecting is their continued employment. EPA Administrator Carol Browner, regulatory planner John Bachmann, director of policy analysis Jeff Clark all have jobs that depend on more restrictive standards. What would you expect them to say? Let's pack it up and get a real job? Not hardly.

Then there is the American Lung Association. They used to be content with simply attacking the tobacco industry, but now they have turned to air pollution for continued notoriety. The lung people have spent millions upon millions of dollars on research to find a cure for cancer. Cancer is taking as many lives as ever and all the research hasn't amounted to beans. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you smoke, the air you breath when you're not smoking is a lot cleaner. They support the EPA's stricter standards, saying that the health risk is too great. Why almost every day, people walking down the street fall over dead after a out of tune car goes by. The problem is that these organizations put the fear into all of us by intimidation. We are simply listening to opinions rather than facts.

The American Lung Association sued the federal government when the Bush administration froze the pollution standards. I think it's time to put the American Lung Association out of business when they use our money to sue the taxpayer that supports them. They are not going to get any of my money if I can help it. They should be spending their money on research that finds a cure for lung cancer instead of suing the government.

Why everyone is reluctant to restrict the EPA

I don't think there is anyone that isn't for clean air. I want clean air for myself and my family as much as anyone else. But how clean does it have to be? That is the question of the century. The EPA started (and I believe completed as well) the job of stopping blatant polluters from dumping bad things into our water, land and air. Things are pretty much under control although a watchful eye needs to be kept. The problem is that in order for the EPA to grow and prosper, higher and higher standards need to be set. What really needs to be done is to scale back the EPA to a small enforcement organization that stops blatant acts of polluting. The problem is that if anyone dares to suggest this in the political arena, the media labels them as anti-environmentalists. This kind of publicity can be death to a politician.

Maybe we ought to start encouraging the media to be more objective in their reporting and leave the analysis to us. If I listen to one of President Clinton's speeches, the last thing I need is for Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather telling me what he said. But they think that we are too stupid to understand and they must help us see more clearly. The media and big government both consider most of us too dumb to figure this stuff out for ourselves and they only want to help. Well, go help somebody else.

Governor Voinovich and State Senator Suhadolnik still have a chance to undo what they have done. Personally, I don't think either one of them has enough character to admit their mistake and then rectify it. But I could be wrong.......so gentlemen, go ahead and surprise me. The EIDX Network will print an apology in H2 type font on page one if you make auto emissions testing go away.

Gary Suhadolnik is up for re-election and it is rumored that George Voinovich will run for the U.S. Senate. With their record of making government bigger (for our protection) they are certainly not getting my vote!


Want more info about ECheck and the EPA? Know of an interesting site regarding Auto Emissions Testing Woes? Email to me at k8yse@en.com
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