The Democratic Party's War on Transportation

The American Thinker ^ | January 8, 2012 A.D. | John F. Di Leo

[jfd1776]

The new "Hours of Service" Rules are a drop in the bucket.

We think of the world of transportation -- especially trucking and automobile manufacturing -- as being one of the most fundamental of Democratic Party constituencies. Detroit has long been a party stronghold, with the UAW and Teamsters among Democrats' most powerful union supporters. From the worker at the DMV to the driver he licenses, this is one solid chain of Democrats.

But is this political loyalty deserved today, if indeed it ever was?

Since the Democratic Party was taken over by environmental extremists a generation ago, there has been a marked shift from the pro-driver, pro-automaker party of Detroit to the anti-car, anti-truck, anti-transport party of today.

One can be forgiven for thinking that the donkey is their mascot, because the donkey is the only form of transportation they might approve of nowadays. It's hard to imagine anyone in the transportation field being so self-destructive as to vote Democrat today, and yet, many still do.

Let's begin with a discussion of the CAFE standards on fuel economy...

Read more at: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/the_democratic_partys_war_on_transportation.html

[rocksblues]

the donkey is the only form of transportation they might approve of nowadays

But only if they are fed certified weed free hay.

[CollegeRepublican]

Thank you. Very informative. I am going to pass this on to my co-workers who work in the transportation industry.

[Tigerized]

Excellent article.

People forget that one of the cornerstones of the freedom we once enjoyed was unfettered, on-demand, personal transportation. And it’s one of the first freedoms lost in a tyrannical country, with travel permits and checkpoints and soaring costs.

The Arab oil embargo of the early 70s should have been an early warning to Americans. Instead, we’ve let federal and state government restrict and ration energy production in the holy name of “saving the earth,” to the point of functional absurdity.

Want to see a healthy American economy again, where we once again produce the best products in the world? Want to see a thriving general aviation industry again, where the average American can actually afford to learn how to fly and fuel a small airplane? Want an America where we can afford a middle class existence with only one working parent? Want to be able to afford that family vacation again?

It all hinges on domestic production of affordable energy, which we’ve done before and can do again.

Spare me the lectures about saving Mother Gaia. She’s done quite well on her own during cataclysmic volcano eruptions, meteor strikes, radical climate changes, and other natural disasters over millions of years.

Instead, I want to have gas stations actually compete again with each other and lure me in with low prices, dishware, and Blue and Green Stamps.

Then watch the American powerhouse return to global prominence. And Americans begin to smile once again.

[Vince Ferrer]