it comes in pints?

Save the environment from smog - drive a nuclear Hummer.

Given that the city of Los Angeles has deliberately held out from designing an efficient public transportation system for decades to the benefit of car manufacturers, the California government has some bloody nerve over this.

I remember learning in high school that Los Angeles has *always* had smog, even back when the area was populated by Indians (they weren't called Native Americans until long after my high school years...).
So anyway, this bozo thinks he can solve the problem of air pollution by punishing Big Business? He should move to Texas and work for the bozos in our state legislature that "punished" Houston for it's bad air quality by making the speed limit in Harris County 60 instead of 65 or 70. Yeah, that'll teach 'em!

This makes my head hurt.

Is this guy actually contemplating trying to sue automakers out of existence or something? Or is he trying to make them not sell in the state of California? Don't automakers have to already put some kind of super-duper extra pollution-scrubbing system on their California cars?

Or is he just out to make big bucks for himself? (I'm guessing that's the correct answer).

And what happens if he somehow "makes cars go away"? What happens to the people who don't live within walking distance of grocery stories, who don't live on a bus line, who can't walk long distances?

I get so frustrated by the "coastal" or "urban" types who would dictate to those of us around them: "don't shop at wal-mart" (Okay, then - so when I need groceries I take an hour out of my life to drive to the next nearest city that has a non-wal-mart grocery?). "Don't drive for short trips" (Okay,then - so I walk the seven and a half miles to the wal-mart you're telling me not to shop at, along the side of a busy highway, sucking down the diesel fumes of trucks?). "use public transportation" (um, you mean the public transportation that doesn't exist in my city?). It makes me angry when people who have NO EXPERIENCE of what it is to live in a fairly small rural area start telling us what we should and should not do, as if everyone in the U.S. lived three short blocks from work and four short blocks from a Whole Froods. And that they could afford to shop at Whole Paycheck and they could afford some kind of environmentally friendly hemp clothing woven by blind artisans in Guatemala for a fair living wage...

I wonder? Does this guy drive a car? Or does he ride everywhere on a bike? Maybe a recumbent bike? I think he kind of shoots his lawsuit in the foot if he drives a car.

Or is he just out to make big bucks for himself?

Yep. More accurately, he has political ambitions. Big ones. And likes getting his name in the papers.

And he doesn't drive himself, of course. He has a state-paid-for car with driver.

Ricki,
To be fair, I don't think the "walk, don't drive" or "take the bus" people are really referring to people that live in rural areas. They have to realize that it's just not practical for some people. But in L.A., people drive *everywhere*. I don't know if you've seen it, but there's this scene in the movie L.A. Story where Steve Martin goes to visit his next door neighbor and DRIVES. Gets in his car and pulls it up ten feet. The thing is, that's hardly an exaggeration in L.A. People do that kind of thing and it's absurd.

I live 'round the corner from a grocery store. Between traffic, lights and parking, it literally takes longer to drive than it does to walk. So I walk. I once had a friend, an L.A. native, complain the entire way there and back (fifteen minutes tops from start to finish) because I didn't drive us there. I think those are the people some of these politicians are talking to.

It sounds like the "loophole" in the price gouging law has a name, it's called capitalism. The fact that someone would even be surprised by this idea amazes me.

As far as the suing of auto makers goes - there's an election coming up, isn't there?

But I've never been a big fan of Lockyer - guy went to law school while in the legislature so that he could run for AG, something is very wrong with that.

Lockyer's been a two-faced, lying sack of shit for a long time.

And you septics think us limeys are nuts.

Sheesh.

Well you are. But I never said we weren't too.

Dude, this is California we're talking about. I defy any place in the world to out-nuts us.

What about the United Nations, Emily?

The United Nations isn't nuts. Just stupid. There's a difference.

California has lots of intelligent, educated people who are just plain nuts.

I dunno, Emily, Minnesota picked a former pro wrestler to be governor - that's pretty fucking nuts. All we do is elect actors.

Um, I'm not sure the difference between a pro wrestler and an actor is terribly extreme...

He must be thhinkin' ahead - "First this, then we hit 'em with the super Calawacky Prop 87 - and tax the oil companies directly! Muahahaha!

Such teh maroon.

Prop 87, with the solemn promise that the oil companies won't pass the cost on to consumers.

I'm laughing so hard I might just throw up.

You guys should be on your guard. Mr. Lockyer may be attempting to follow the Eliot Spitzer model - now running for governor of NY on his record as AG, primarily hassling out-of-state companies and pursuing federal policy change. He'll win, too, the weasel. (And he looks a little like Bill Cowher's effeminate long-lost cousin or something.)

Interesting article here on one of his better efforts, and a dissent here on his general methodology.

"California has lots of intelligent, educated people who are just plain nuts."

California has lots of people who were educated well beyond their intelligence, too.

Lockyer ain't running for governor - he's running for insurance commish or something - he didn't want to run against Arnold because he'd have his ass handed to him at the polls he didn't want to put his family through it.

Thankfully, he's termed out and his successor will have to deal with most of this after January.

Is Garamendi (current insurtance commish) also termed-out, and are they just gonna switch-jobs?

Garamendi is running for Lt Gov.

And my mistake, Lockyer is running for Treasurer.

Jerry Brown - yes, Moonbeam himself - is running for AG.

It's Bustamante that's running for Insurance Commish.

But yeah, everyone's termed out but Arnold and McPherson (who was a replacement for a guy caught in a scandal).

Oh, and part of my last comment was suppose to be striked but it didn't work for some reason.

Sorry about that, KG. Strikeout is one of the tags that don't work in the comments. They only work in the post itself.

You could ask me why they don't work in the comments. But I wouldn't be able to answer.

Lockyer's running for Phil Angelides current seat, which, if all goes well, Phil's gonna be needing that chair again.

X - if all goes according to plan everyone I mentioned but Moonbeam (I don't really trust the GOP guy) will be looking for a new job come the second Wednesday of November.

Gotta love the musical chairs of Sacramento.

That's ok Ken, I blame Bush.

everyone I mentioned but Moonbeam (I don't really trust the GOP guy) will be looking for a new job come the second Wednesday of November.
From your fingertips to G-d's ear.

Although the recent antics do give me a few candidates for tomorrow... :)

The United Nations isn't nuts. Just stupid. There's a difference.

True, but not much of one. Sometimes, it's hard to tell.

KG - you can't tell one stuffed suit from another out there without a program. It's all good. In one sense, then, it's good that the Governator is keeping this guy's ambitions in check.