Thanks to this bill, the cost of cars will increase. Consumers will defer buying the new cars while they save up more money to do so. And so they’ll continue to drive their old gas guzzlers that much longer.

But it’s the thought that counts. If the economy goes into recession and the environment becomes more polluted because of the law of unintended consequences, too bad. What counts is that social reformers can feel good about themselves.

……………………

I say . . . prove it. Last time I checked, the worst offenders — the people willing to drive Hummers and giant SUV’s purely for status — don’t give a #@)$(*@# what the price tag says. It’s high time the CAFE standards went up. They should continue to do so as new technology becomes available — not two decades after the fact. Anyone who cares about this country, whether on economic, environmental, or political terms, knows how desperately needed these reforms are. This is good for everyone, including the U.S. auto industry, which, left to its own designs, has fallen way behind the rest of the world in implementing green technology…

But it’s the thought that counts. If the economy goes into recession and the environment becomes more polluted because of the law of unintended consequences, too bad. What counts is that social reformers can feel good about themselves.