Destructor

No oil pipeline from Canada, They'd rather have the US buy oil from despotic regimes instead of friendly neighbors to the north.

Redog

Certain Counties in PA are almost as strict as Cali. Philadelphia coutny is one of them.

Classic tagged cars are exempt, though and Classic Tags are $97.50 and are good forever. Car is limited to 5000 miles a year though

They are changing the laws though. Cars 75 to 83 just need a visual check to see that the smog stuff is still there, but not neccessarly working

Allan R

From what I just saw on the news, the Redford Gov't up here is planning to approach the Obama administration again with a slightly revised pipe plan that will avoid the sensitive wetlands. Not sure why the incumbent President wouldn't sign an agreement that would give America a local source of oil and secure American jobs in production and maintenance of the pipeline too. You ever see a politician with dirty hands - ok that's a no brainer. I should have said a politician that actually works and has the best interests of the people at heart?

455man

He's on record saying he wants gas prices to rise so that that America will start buying electric cars and reduce the amount of oil burned. Cash for clunkers was made to get rid of all these classic cars. Also it's election year so funny things will happen.

sammy

.......is this a serious statement.... !?????????

MDchanic

Yes, but I understand that it's figurative in the case of Canadians.

The Brits are all "British Subjects" rather than "British Citizens," unless that's changed in the past few years (haven't seen a UK passport in some time), meaning that, in spite of the Magna Carta, they are subject to the whim of their Monarch (which, admit it, these days is Parliament, not the Queen).

Here in the US, we are citizens (though in recent years our government seems rather prone to forgetting that) - we can't be disarmed, and it is understood that the government exists at our pleasure, and not the other way around.

Granted, over the past forty or so years, Americans have been acting less and less like citizens and more and more like house pets (or house plants), still, in recent years it has seemed like the US system could be headed toward a citizen-initiated change the likes of which would be impossible in the UK or Canada because of the extent to which their populations have been disarmed.


- Eric

Allan R

That's why we're so polite...

MDchanic

No, no, no. "An armed society is a polite society."

You can't be more polite than we are.

Can you?



- Eric

sammy

All Canadians are citizens, as confirmed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, that a PM named P Trudeau got the Queen to sign in the 1980's(help me on that date Alan).

Canada is modelled after the British parliamentry system, but our Queens

rep-the Governor General- has evolved into more of a ceremonial role ...

with some power in the running of Parliament in Ottawa.

MDchanic

The problem with you Canadians is that you can't understand how most other nationalities feel, because your government is not actually out to get you, unlike almost every other government in the world.

The US government was founded on the principle that the government is bad and should be done away with, or at least neutered and avoided.
Your government was founded by a bunch of people who thought the whole British colonial thing was a pretty good idea, and kept them warm and safe, and who wanted to keep it just the way it was, as opposed to those crazy, disloyal buggers to the south.

And, yes, I know you won the War of 1812.


Pierre Trudeau was the coolest PM ever.

We needed to have a President like him, but the closest we came was Jimmy Carter .

- Eric

Red Delta

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks to me like you are some sort of anarchist.

I'm with ya, bro!

MDchanic

Sort of an Anarcho-Libertarian with socialist leanings.

Basically, I think the government should be essentially disbanded, with minimal duties related to courts, road maintenance, public education, health care, and some sort of labor / environmental counterweight against large corporations, (which would otherwise become the government if the government went away), and 100% conscription for 1-2 years for the army (or for road maintenance or health care for conscientious objectors), along with lifetime military reserve status and no standing army other than the conscript training and reserve drill units.

Of course, that's never going to happen...

- Eric

Allan R

Well, there are some of you that would make good Canadians and some of us that would make good Americans. IMO an armed society isn't a 'polite' one, it's a society where fear is the motivating factor. People in Canada don't carry guns unless they're in law enforcement or hiding from law enforcement. We often take knives to gun fights....

Charter was signed April 17, 1982.
It's not so much that our gov't isn't out to get us, it's just that it's evolving to represent themselves instead of the people who elected them. We are a rough and tough motly bunch aren't we? BTW, PET was not that wonderful unless you're a Liberal (Democrat). He was the only PM in history though that used the f word on camera.

FWIW, I think this thread needs to get back to its topic. We have ventured into the area of political discussion which is a taboo item. Says so right in the forum. Let's move on.

MDchanic

I was being facetious.

I don't know if the ***** saw it quite that way at Normandy.
Folks from the States don't fully appreciate how much butt the Canadians kicked in that war.

I think I can agree that this seems to cover every country I know of without risking being "political" .

I recall him in his suit, sitting with his butt parked on a curb, giving the cameraman the finger, while half a dozen other heads of state all stood uncomfortably around him, waiting for something or other.
I thought he was the only one who had any sort of a soul.


Grumbe grumble grumble grumble...

- Eric

2blu442

Eric, Allen, continue the conversation in a PM or email and I'll join you two

I'm a political junkie as well as an Olds nut. But to keep the site civil and focused on Oldsmobiles we do need to stay away from politics in the forums. John

2blu442

My work pickup is a new Ford Diesel. The first time I went to fuel it up the attendant asked me what the little blue cap next to the fuel fill cap was. "Blue Diesel" or as you said urea. One day I was driving it and the dash display flashed "cleaning exhaust filter". The concept of a filter in the exhaust was a new one on me. I've since been told that it ran urea through the exhaust which is suppose to make it run cleaner. A co-worker told me the big rigs are having to do this too. John

Allan R

PM sent

Allan R

Actually John, this is stuff that's been around for some time in the Transit industry. The buses being jointly made by New Flyer use ultra low emission diesel, and have exhaust scrubbers. They also have a scrubber light that comes on when the exhaust is being cleaned. At first it scared some of the drivers who didn't know what it was.

We started using the exhaust scrubber process back in 1998 at the rail division. Although the passenger trains used 700V DC power for the traction motors, the diesels used for mtce in the tunnels were equipped with emissions controls to keep the air quality safe in the tunnel sections. IIRC the emissions scrubbers were activated by temp of the exhaust, so when the engine was under load it would 'self clean' the exhaust. Both loco engines however were rarely used at high enough rpms to activate that in the tunnels, so they were modified to work at lower temps. In the event that the scrubbers weren't effective, we also were able to control air quality in tunnel sections and stations using giant fans programmed to create wind flows called "smoke modes".

One other thing we developed into policy was that diesels were not allowed to enter or operate in tunnels with more than 1/4 tank of diesel. This has nothing to do with exhaust, but considered spillage in the event of a derailment. More goes into running a safe transit system than just signals.

2blu442

So is the Transit industry something you track, or has your career been involved with it? John

Allan R

Yes, I was the Senior Training Officer / Rail Examiner for Edmonton's Light Rail system.