Stupid Gubmint: Use alternative fuels, get a tax fine!
- Posted by Beth on May 7th, 2008 filed in Climate change, General, Politics, Stupid, WTF alternative energy · gubmint
- 3 Comments »
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” –Ronald Reagan
Gaze at the stupidity of gubmint regulation.
Dave Eck, a Half Moon Bay mechanic, had attracted a media spotlight with his fleet of vehicles fueled by used fryer grease from a local chowder house. So when Sacramento called, he figured officials wanted advice on promoting alternative fuels.
Not at all. The government rang to notify Eck that he was a tax cheat. He was scolded for failing to get a “diesel fuel supplier’s license,” reporting quarterly how many gallons of grease he burns, and paying a tax on each gallon.
“All of a sudden they nailed me for a road tax,” said Eck, who drives a Hummer converted to run on vegetable oil. “I said, ‘Not a problem. I’ll do my part. But what do I get? At least let me into the carpool lane.’ ”
No such luck. The state offered Eck only a potentially large fine — and not just for failing to pay taxes. He can also get in trouble for carting kitchen grease away from eateries without a license from the state Meat and Poultry Inspection Branch.
Or for not having at least $1 million in liability insurance, in case he spills some of the stuff. Or for not getting permission from the state Air Resources Board to burn fat in the first place.
The regulations are so burdensome that even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, trying to set an example for Californians by driving a Hummer that burns cooking oil he buys at Costco, had not complied. Schwarzenegger, who has said that the exhaust from his Hummer smells so much like French fries that his passengers get hunger pangs, was unaware that he was required to send Sacramento an 18-cent road tax for every gallon of kitchen oil he burned, according to spokesman Aaron McLear. After The Times raised the issue, McLear said the governor would pay the taxes he owed.
The governor’s staff says it is working on making it easier to drive using vegetable oil without being an outlaw.
Subscribe in a reader-->
supporters
Send Gifts to APO/FPO Addresses at Walmart.com
Get Webkinz here!
pages
post categories
monthly archives
site search
recent posts
- Dear Hillary on May.16
- Barack Obama - Endorsements on May.16
- More intellectual dishonesty from Democrats: McCain and Hamas on May.16
- More on that blogger call: “McCain widens dialogue on blogs” on May.16
- McCain VP Sweepstakes Final Four! on May.16
- DNC and Obama: Quit talking about us! on May.16
- Bloggers Unite Action: Save Abdulkarim Al-Khaiwani on May.15
- BUSTED - Obama supporters, again! on May.15
- McCain Blogger Call on May.15
- Dumbest Veepstakes Ever? on May.15
tags
-
Yemen
Iowa caucuses
Florida
YouTube
Congress
Eurabia
military
New Hampshire
berkeley
polls
conservatives
Alabama
Pope Benedict XVI
VP watch
Hamas
New York Times
race
cults
South Carolina
Democrats
debate
Christmas
Pennsylvania
wordpress
Prince Barry
religion
holidays
Jeremiah Wright
primaries
Republicans
meta
- Log in
- WordPress
I'm a
Smirking Chimp
in the
TTLB Ecosystem
blogrolls
* Click titles to expand/collapse *
+ Cotillion (Tumblr) +
+ Cotillion +
Absinthe & Cookies
Agent Bedhead
Alabama Improper
All to Thunder
American Princess
And Rightly So!
annika's journal
Armies of Liberation
baldilocks
blatherings
Blue Star Chronicles
Bobo Blogger
Cake Eater Chronicles
CatHouse Chat
Conservative Belle
Darleen's Place
e-Claire
Fausta's Blog
Free Thoughts
Hooah Wife
Kiss My Gumbo
Knowledge Is Power: SondraK.com
Little Miss Attila
Mary Katharine Ham's Blog
MaxedOutMama
Merri Musings
MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Nice Deb
Not Exactly Rocket Science
PC Free Zone
Photos by Seawitch
reasoned audacity
Rightwingsparkle
seejanemom
Sex and the South
She Who Will Be Obeyed!
Shira bat Sarah
sisu
Soldiers' Angel - Holly Aho
Something...And Half of Something
Steal the Bandwagon
The Anchoress
The Birthplace of the Process of Illogical Logic
The Median Sib
Villainous Company
Yeah, Right, Whatever
Powered by
BlogRolling
Pillage Idiot
Steamboat McGoo
The Bit Maelstrom
Snapped Shot
Atheistica
Nice Deb
Brea Canyon
Out West
Digital Brownshirt
The Hole Card
Moron Pundit
Innocent Bystanders
Ace of Spades
Enas Yorl
Right Wing Sparkle
Simply Kimberly
Baldilocks
Locusts & Honey
The Line is Here
kadnine
Rounds Out!
V the K
Purple Avenger
Retired Geezer
My VRWC
World of Epic Fail
Lemur King's Folly
Francase Place
The Sniper
Cold Fury
Caliban
Daily Dollop
Alabama In Between
Geoff
S. Weasel
Desert Cat's Paradise
Conservative Belle
Isn't Cheap
Andrews Dad
Liberrocky
Cuffy Meigs
Wyatt Earp
Garnering Right Ideas
KURU Lounge
No Runny Eggs
Mrs. Peel
Jacob's Views
Stingray
Pupster
Stashiu's Space
cdquarles
This Goes to 11
Word Around The Net
Mr. Minority
The Drawn Cutlass
Slublog
DoublePlusUndead
bmac
Eddie Bear
The Hostages
pjmomma
Protein Wisdom
SupplySidePolitics 2.0
Dave in Texas
Invincible Armor
Sharinlite
Traction Control
The Jawa Report
Cranky
Daniel Ruwe
It's Vintage, Duh
Demure Thoughts
Muslihoon
This Ain't Hell
Junk Yard Blog
The Samaritan Report
Surgical Steel
Bar Slaves
Absolute Moral Authority
ConChrist
D Equals S
by BlogRolling
