Mindless "Eco-Friendly" Policies

The other day, I woke up to the sound of my clock radio playing this story on NPR. The short of it is, some cities are letting people who drive Hybrid cars park for free or reduced rates. That's pretty funny considering these supposedly 50 MPG cars typically get 34-42 MPG when driven normally. Meanwhile, the anti-diesel mass social retardation that has afflicted the US market since the big three destroyed the public image of diesel cars in the 70s prevents you from buying a car in a CARB state that actually gets 45 miles per gallon. My Jetta TDI actually gets 42 MPG combined city/highway, on crappy winterized Diesel fuel! Unlike the hybrids, this is better fuel economy than advertised, and it gets better fuel economy the harder it is driven. Plus it is fun to drive, and the turbo propels you up mountains through rarefied air with ease. I would hate to drive a battery-boosted hybrid up a mountain. The batteries go dead and then you are stuck hauling dead batteries up to 10,000 feet on an already underpowered engine breathing thin air.

The argument that diesels are dirty is no longer true with the advent of clean-burning efficient small diesel engines and biodiesel.

Meanwhile, diesel passenger cars, the cleanest diesels of them all, are banned from sale in CARB states and are not eligible for tax benefits, free parking or clean/commuter lane privileges in most areas in which these benefits are given to status symbol hybrids that don't even get better fuel economy than their standard drivetrain cousins in real-world driving.

Salt Lake City, get a clue.