Topic: You, US taxpayer, are paying to retrofit Mexican trucks w/smog controls

[Pandora]

I swear to all that's holy: someone in the Obama administration has a dastardly sense of humor. Just when you think they can't do anything more completely, utterly insane, they bust out a brand new comedy sketch.

Hahahaha.  Except I'm not laughing.

    ...the U.S. government is paying to upgrade outdated Mexican trucks that hemorrhage illegal amounts of exhaust on their trips north to deliver merchandise... The Mexican trucks enter the U.S. under a 17-year-old international trade pact known as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and they’ve created an air pollution crisis. The air quality in border towns has been especially impacted by the exorbitant levels of exhaust released by the Mexican trucks, which also fail to meet American safety standards.

    Since the Mexican truckers have no intention of fixing the problem, Uncle Sam has stepped in to save the environment. U.S. taxpayers have picked up the cost to replace old mufflers on dozens of trucks and many more are scheduled to be upgraded by the middle of this year. The unbelievable story was reported this week by an Arizona newspaper that says replacing the old mufflers with new catalytic converters will reduce harmful diesel emissions by up to 30%.

    ...the money is actually coming from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the same bloated federal agency that’s dedicated millions to “environmental justice” programs that help minorities get green. Under that brilliant EPA project, leftwing groups get federal dollars to teach black, Latino and indigenous folks how to recycle, reduce carbon emissions and participate in “green jobs” training.

    ...EPA grants have [already] upgraded 55 Mexican trucks and many more will be enhanced this year. Each truck costs U.S. taxpayers about $1,600. The feds justify the expenditure by claiming that it will improve air quality on both sides of the border... [Of course,] U.S. truck drivers are required to have the type of converters that Mexicans are getting from the American government, though they must pay for theirs. For years, the idea of Mexican trucks entering the U.S. under NAFTA has been a contentious issue because they follow the notoriously dismal safety standards of a third-world country.

    In fact, a few years ago the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General determined that Mexican trucks that regularly travel throughout American highways are rarely checked for safety by U.S. authorities despite a provision requiring it. Rules requiring that every Mexican truck undergo a thorough safety compliance check and that every driver has a valid license and is proficient in English have been virtually ignored, according to the IG’s findings.


Because there's nothing better to spend our money on than retrofitting hazardous Mexican vehicles with anti-pollution equipment. And because we want more vehicles transporting heaven knows what from the failed narco-terror state on our southern border.

The good news? This proves it, once and for all: the EPA needs to be defunded -- completely. It's outlived its usefulness. If it ever had any

I have a theory.  A backdoor, backroom agreement attached to NAFTA was to do nothing concrete about our porous southern border.

 

[IronDioPriest]

Finding out your theory was true wouldn't shock me. Which brings me to the point I was going to make before I read your theory. I'll gladly blame Obama and the Democrats for this because they are in power and enacting one egregious policy after another. But the reality is, this is the direction government has been moving in for a long time. Such a policy could just as easily have been enacted by a pre-Tea Party GOP. Destructive environmental and immigration policy is hardly the exclusive territory of the Democrats.

The difference now is the Tea Party. If not for the Tea Party and the infusion of conservatism and fear it has injected into the GOP, a policy like this could easily have been carried out by the Republicans.

I know I'm not telling you anything new Pan. It just struck me as I read the article.

[Pandora]

Finding out your theory was true wouldn't shock me. Which brings me to the point I was going to make before I read your theory. I'll gladly blame Obama and the Democrats for this because they are in power and enacting one egregious policy after another. But the reality is, this is the direction government has been moving in for a long time. Such a policy could just as easily have been enacted by a pre-Tea Party GOP. Destructive environmental and immigration policy is hardly the exclusive territory of the Democrats.

The difference now is the Tea Party. If not for the Tea Party and the infusion of conservatism and fear it has injected into the GOP, a policy like this could easily have been carried out by the Republicans.

I know I'm not telling you anything new Pan. It just struck me as I read the article.

Great minds and all that, my friend.  The New World Order is not a Democratic thing alone, I agree.  I read recently this comment:  "I used to mock the Birchers, before I knew better."

[charlesoakwood]

Allowing Mexican trucks to deliver in the US makes economic sense, the nonsense is that there is no reciprocity, as I understand it.  
For example: Houston, Texas is Mexico's #1 port of entry.  
Goods shipped by sea to Mexico arrive at the Port of Houston, are off loaded onto US trucks, and transported to a freight forwarding company on the border. At the F.F.Company the cargo is off loaded and reloaded onto Mexican trucks for delivery into Mexico and vice versa.  This border freight forwarding is a waste of money. (every freeking truck going either way, stops, is completely off-loaded and re-loaded)
Let the trucks deliver their goods - both ways.

Unsafe Mexican rigs is a rumor and hearsay, a strawman.  This is not some drunken wetback in a beatup Chevy, it is a company with a huge investment in equipment, goods, and operators.  A loss is a loss and a Mexican company understands the resistance in the US, most strongly from the unions, and what a setback some kind of foul up would be.

As far a the exhaust and the converters go, they were not creating a crisis of air until about five years ago when the omnipotent EPA introduced stricter regulations.  Talk to an aftermarket shop about a better/hot chip for your diesel and he will hang his head.  He's got a lot of options for pre-catalytic diesels, zip for diesels with cats. This part of the story is another Obama scam.

[Pandora]

Charles, there are no security measures for US trucks delivering in Mexico.  Hijackings, mi amigo?  Comprende?  Plus, the roads are for sh*tttttt, and there is no agency there responsible for -- forget the nitpicking US EPA -- the crap blowing out of their pipes.  You think the big shipping companies in Mexico are held to any air-pollution/catalytic converter standards in the land of graft and payoffs.  Ooookay.

[charlesoakwood]

Security and the roads are the concern of the company and the operator, if he chooses to take the job.  Security for American operators has never been a topic of concern regarding cross border deliveries.

[Pandora]

Security and the roads are the concern of the company and the operator, if he chooses to take the job.  Security for American operators has never been a topic of concern regarding cross border deliveries.

O Rly?  "Security and the roads" are the concern of the government, which they've neglected, seriously.  And I've got a source to which I can hook you up that can disabuse you of those notions, toute suite.  Interested?

[charlesoakwood]

I really don't care if they have cats. Nixon should have his butt kicked for starting the EPA.  Clinton should have his butt kicked for reducing the sulfur content in the fuel. The cats are just a continuation and symbol of them controlling our actions/activity/lives.

[charlesoakwood]

No tute sweet.  If I own a company and I want to deliver into Mexico and I have a driver willing, It ain't nobody's GD business.

[Pandora]

I really don't care if they have cats. Nixon should have his butt kicked for starting the EPA.  Clinton should have his butt kicked for reducing the sulfur content in the fuel. The cats are just a continuation and symbol of them controlling our actions/activity/lives.

I'd agree.  Normally.  But in this case, the Mexican trucks have the advantage over ours and I'm saying no f**king way, not until we lower our standards or they raise theirs.  There is somewhere to meet in the middle.  Why would we want any truck spewing the black I've seen come out of buses and trucks on our roadways, EPA notwithstanding?

[Pandora]

No tute sweet.  If I own a company and I want to deliver into Mexico and I have a driver willing, It ain't nobody's GD business.

I'm sorry, but, yes, it is.  They are lawless.  Smuggling of people and drugs are problematic for us.

[charlesoakwood]

The subject is the legitimate transport of goods, products, and food.

As I said "it is a company with a huge investment in equipment, goods, and operators.  A loss is a loss and a Mexican company understands the resistance in the US, most strongly from the unions, and what a setback some kind of foul up would be."

Company Mexicano does not want an incident, it would be the end of his business in the US.  OR think of it this way: Unions are the biggest advocate against this coming to pass.  Does not being stalwart with the unions cause some bit doubt in your position?

[Pandora]

The subject is the legitimate transport of goods, products, and food.

As I said "it is a company with a huge investment in equipment, goods, and operators.  A loss is a loss and a Mexican company understands the resistance in the US, most strongly from the unions, and what a setback some kind of foul up would be."

Company Mexicano does not want an incident, it would be the end of his business in the US.  OR think of it this way: Unions are the biggest advocate against this coming to pass.  Does not being stalwart with the unions cause some bit doubt in your position?

No.  The subject is we US taxpayers shelling out to retrofit Mexican trucks to meet our standards.  All things being equal, the end of business in the US would previously, MAYBE, have depended on their willingness to meet certain reasonable standards.  Now?  All bets are off, Charles; both countries, and the unions, are operating from positions of graft, corruption, opportunism and -- follah the dollah here -- who benefits.

[charlesoakwood]

Well, if the subject is US taxpayers shelling out money...it's a scam.
It's more than a scam, it's another example of out of control bureaucratic agencies running roughshod over the congressworms and the people aided abetted and encouraged by the White House and its operators.

One more small step for Obama, another step for Marxism.

another one for your list

ETA: I would also say unions, I've ran into their walls more than once, but that would be redundant wouldn't it?

[Pandora]

Well, if the subject is US taxpayers shelling out money...it's a scam.
It's more than a scam, it's another example of out of control bureaucratic agencies running roughshod over the congressworms and the people aided abetted and encouraged by the White House and its operators.

One more small step for Obama, another step for Marxism.

another one for your list

ETA: I would also say unions, I've ran into their walls more than once, but that would be redundant wouldn't it?

Oh, I hear you loud and clear on unions; been there/done that/got the war wounds.

All I've been saying is the playing field is not leveled for both entities.  If it was, I'd have no problem with it, but, right now, advantage:  Mexico, to the detriment of the US companies independent contractors, of whom there are many.  Soooo, they can KMA.

[Pandora]

Check the link to azcentral-dot-com, within the link.  It's Arizona Department of Environmental Quality using EPA grant funds to effect this.

"That's really the first step," Darwin said. "Unless you know where you're starting from, you can't get anywhere."

I would have thought one has to know where one is going - the goal - in order to get anywhere, but I'm not suprised the aptly named Mr. Darwin believes otherwise.









ADEQ Director Henry Darwin.

[Libertas]

"It's especially important on air quality because you can't stop the air from moving across the border."

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/04/11/20110411arizona-mexico-truck-pollution-regulation.html#ixzz1JPAVTA8H

 

Can't stop the fothermucking people either, but by all means, don't stop that!

Complete assbackwards SOB'S!

 

[Glock32]

I also read somewhere about US taxpayers funding the new wastewater treatment facility in Tijuana. Raw effluent was washing up in San Diego.

How, exactly, is a mass importation of the populace from a country like that supposed to benefit ours?

[charlesoakwood]

Arizona appears a microcosm of the problem in the US, half is old-school common sense and the other half loony pie-in-the-sky ifism.  Contrast Sheriff Arpaio and Sheriff Dupenik.
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This is a highlight of the stupid EPA and the costs it imposes on us:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/04/06/55-mpg-ford-focus-buy/ho?intcmp=obnetwork
Ford has introduced one in Europe that gets 55 mpg.
...
The Focus ECOnetic is the global automaker’s latest high-efficiency vehicle, returning 67 mpg on the European fuel economy test cycle.
...
It does this by combining a highly-efficient turbo-diesel engine with stop-start technology,
...
Just don’t expect the ECOnetic to join it in showrooms. Citing low demand, high federalization costs and the increasing fuel economy of its gasoline-powered cars,