Better Start Calling Your Congressman Now!!

[Nogood]

Senator Warner, one of the few Republicans Senators that I had some respect for, has become senile in his old age. He is calling for a nationwide speed limit of 55 mph. His basis is conserving oil. President Nixon first tried this when we were lied to about the shortage of crude oil and now the American public, which has been lied to so much by the present administration, is asked to believe that we will lower the price of gas by slowing down. Senator Warner's reasoning is flawed in so many ways that I don't believe that I am capable of pointing out all of the flaws.

Think about this, what has driven up the price of oil? A shortage? No way!!! Speculating is the culprit. There is no oil "crunch" as Senator Warner is trying to hood-wink the American public with. We, as the motoring public, have fallen prey to "paper thieves", because that is exactly what speculators are.

I would like to ask Senator Warner, "in a routine day, what habits do you practice to conserve"? I will guarantee you that Senator Warner doesn't use mass transit in Washington. When he leaves home to go to Capital Hill, you can bet that he is driven in a gas guzzling vehicle. When he travels, does he use commercial airlines or even better, does he go down to Greyhound? The answers to these questions are very obvious. But he is trying to place another freedom in jeopardy. Now, I will agree that slowing down does conserve fuel, but I believe that each person has the right to chose that option. Our Interstates were built for rapid travel and to lower the speed limit would defeat that very purpose.

The more oil that we conserve will only give China and other countries more to buy. I certainly hope that no one is so naive that they think that the oil that we do not use will not go to the world's market.

Does anyone realize what the costs that would be involved in lowering the speed limit? Just to each state the cost would be tremendous. To transportation companies, who are struggling now, the cost would be staggering. Transportation companies such as UPS, have their runs set up to maximize production and by lowering the speed limit all this would "go out the window". Allow me to present an example of a truck driver making 45 cents per mile and I will admit that some drivers make more and others do not fare so well and make less, but based on 45 cents per mile "let us reason together". A driver running a 600 mile trip making 45 cents per mile, he would be cut back to 500 mile. @ 600 miles the driver's pay would be $270.00 @ 500 miles his pay would be down to $225.00, a reduction of $45.00, multiply this by 5, in a week's work this driver's pay would be cut $225.00. Not only in the transportation industry, but other industries would suffer, no one keeps inventory today, 90% of freight moving today is "just in time delivery"

Instead of lowering the speed limit, why not make it a Federal law that everyone must buy a sub-compact vehicle, this would "conserve". Senator Warner, you are losing it in your old age.