Congress and Bush team up to damage the American economy and posture politically

From today's C-J, the AP's Josef Hebert on Bush and Congress teaming up to produce more bad legislation. It makes me wish for more gridlock-- not on the roads but in terms of Congressional output!

President Bush has signed the energy bill passed yesterday by Congress, boosting auto fuel economy for the first time in 32 years.

The energy bill, boosting mileage by 40 percent to 35 miles per gallon, passed the House 314-100. The Senate approved it last week.

In a dramatic shift to spur increased demand for nonfossil fuels, the bill also requires a six-fold increase in ethanol use to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, a boon to farmers...

"This is a choice between yesterday and tomorrow" on energy policy, declared House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was closely involved in crafting the legislation. "It's groundbreaking in what it will do."...

Actually, they're making a choice for yesterday-- increased government regulation and incentives for more inefficient ethanol-- in other words, socialism and central planning and embracing an energy alternative that is so yesterday. And yes, it will break ground-- as well as some hearts and some wallets-- but sometimes you gotta break some eggs to bake a cake, right?

Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada acknowledged that they didn't get all they wanted - unable to push through a tax package that would have rolled back $13.5 billion in tax breaks for oil companies and used the money to help spur wind, solar and biomass energy development and conservation programs.

Nope, we gotta keep those corporate subsidies-- and add a few new ones-- that's very important...

"What we have here is a mandatory conservation bill," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas. He argued that the auto fuel efficiency requirements and the huge increase in ethanol use may not prove to be technologically or economically possible....

Yep...but don't let that stop you!

The centerpiece of the bill remained the requirement for automakers to increase their industrywide vehicle fuel efficiency by 40 percent to an industry average of 35 mpg by 2020 compared to today's 25 mpg when including passenger cars as well as SUVs and small trucks.

Congress has not changed the auto mileage requirement since it was first enacted in 1975.

Democrats said the fuel economy requirements - when the fleet of gas-miser vehicles are widely on the road - eventually will save motorists $700 to $1,000 a year in fuel costs....

Any word from the Democrats about the extent to which it will drive up the cost of an automobile? The nature of government regulation is that it increases costs more than its benefits. So, we can surmise that the cost of an auto will rise by thousands of dollars. Thanks a lot!

The tax on gasoline should match the social costs of driving an automobile-- in particular, pollution and road maintenance. Then, we wouldn't have to worry about arbitrary regulatory standards, interest group politics, and corporation subsidies.