Jul

8

ScapegoatSeveral states recently called on Congress to reinstitute the national speed limit of 55 miles per hour (Texas was not one of them). They argue that this would reduce oil consumption, pollution, and traffic accidents. According to a story by WFAA News in Dallas, reducing the speed limit to 55 MPH would save an average of $10 on a drive from Dallas to South Padre Island ($14 for pickups and SUV’s), a trip of 560 miles.

However, these arguments are nothing new. After the Carter Administration debacles in the Middle East and Carter’s ineffectiveness with OPEC, Congress instituted this same speed limit. The arguments thirty years ago: it would reduce oil consumption, pollution, and traffic accidents. So now, three decades later, history repeats itself.

The Cowardly Lion Comes Out of Hiding

The arguments offered ignore some critical aspects regarding the proposal made by various states. First, the state lawmakers are acting like they need Congress to change the speed limit. The tenth amendment of the US Constitution reserves this power to the states. Put simply, each state can set its own speed limits. If the state lawmakers feel so strongly about reducing the speed limit, one must ask why they have not made the change in their own states. The reason is simple: they are afraid of the consequences. They don’t want to face the onslaught of anger from the voters who may want to vote them out of office. Thus, like Pontius Pilate washing his hands, they ask Congress to do the dirty work for them. It appears that these cowardly lions have not been to the Wizard and thus lack the courage needed to act on their beliefs.

Additionally, the idea of the voters saving money on long trips, as seen in the WFAA story, contains numerous weaknesses. It fails to consider the extra time spent on the road which means more fuel being burned, albeit at a slower rate. Furthermore, the extra time spent driving means that the average family will likely stop for an extra meal. Between the extra fuel consumed and the extra meal, the savings of $10-14 vanishes, and actually, costs the average family more money than before.

Pass the Plate, Pass the Blame

As politicians often do, the lawmakers supporting the idea of renewing the national 55 MPH speed limit are playing the blame game. By proposing such an idea, lawmakers are declaring that drivers are the reason gasoline is so expensive; if we didn’t drive so fast, then we wouldn’t need so much oil. Never mind the fact that the average fuel economy for passenger vehicles has increased by over 70% from 1980-2007. While legislators blame us for the problem, they fail to mention that no refineries have been built since 1976, various levels of government levy gargantuan taxes on fuel (70.65 cents per gallon in Chicago, 63.9 cents in California, and 38.4 cents in Texas). If lawmakers really wanted to see a quick reduction in fuel prices, why do they not call for an end to the high taxes? Instead, they treat this as sacred. Nevertheless, while gas prices continue to soar, lawmakers pass the plate among the people demanding more money in taxes at the pump.

Finally, it must be noted that the solution they propose is to regulate the voters that they blame. While lawmakers want to burden the voters with more unnecessary regulations, many oppose real solutions. They continue to oppose construction of new refineries, new oil production, and some have even opposed alternative energy sources based solely on aesthetics. While lawmakers have spent decades doing nothing to solve the oil problem, they now want to blame Americans for the problem.

We need to send a message to our elected officials: Find solutions, not scapegoats!