Should the U.S. government increase the national gas mileage standard?
The government has a consistent record of proposing solutions to problems, without thinking through the possibility of other problems being created. This is popularly known as the law of unintended consequences.
Recent examples include the ethanol disaster and its impact on food supply, the McCain-Feingold Act which served to increase the amount of money in elections, and the current stimulus package, which will only help the Chinese eventually.
Getting back to the gas mileage question, there is only one way of significance, to increase it. That, of course, is to build smaller and lighter cars. Unfortunately, little cars are not as safe as big ones. In the event of an accident, the rate and severity of injuries to occupants is much higher. The same is true of the probability of fatalities.
The gas mileage standard is a short sighted approach to the goal of fuel conservation.
Dick Brooks