“The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.”
– President Barack Obama, Inauguration, 1/20/09
Too bad, he didn’t have “and treat our citizens like adults. California – the land of sun, fun, and more stupid politicians that can’t balance their budgets or restrain the public unions, but boy, they can nitpick their voters for not doing the right thing, eh? This time, it is all about harranging drivers that change their oil too often. Yeah, the State is now concerning itself, due to the self-importance of the enviro-wackos, and telling its drivers “Yo, slow down on your car chugging the oil – break that habit, dude!”
Looking to stop its residents’ penchant for oil change hypochondria, California has decided to yet again play nanny and try to educate some of its more deficient denizens. In response to Californians wasting “millions” in oil costs, the state has decided to finance a major ad campaign to tell customers to skip that early oil change.
Mark Oldfield, a spokesman for the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery plugs the “Check Your Number” campaign, commenting, “Our survey data found that nearly half of California drivers are still changing their oil at 3,000 miles or even sooner.”
The state has launched a new website — checkyournumber.org — which contains a lookup for nearly all common U.S. makes and models, so you can find out how often you’re supposed to change the oil. Mr. Oldfield predicts the program will save 10 million gallons of motor oil yearly.
Those savings are cheered by environmentalists. Don Anair, senior engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists remarks, “Drivers have a number of ways to reduce the environmental impact of their vehicles, which can also save them money.”
Shades of yet another Nannish schoolmarm (Energy Secretary Chu of the “We are taking away a choice that continues to let people waste their own money” statement about restricting light bulb choices from otherwise perfect capable adults). Sure thing, dudes, just keep telling us that we all are stupid and can’t even show enough “rugged individualism” to know that we are costing ourselves money.
You know, California’s budgets are just out of control because the elected politicians just can’t focus on spending priorities and are beholden to special interests in politically allocating “common” resources for the public (or those rent-seeking special interests). They are so deficient on performing their basic duties of actual governance, yet they find the time, the money, and the resources to hector people that are just trying to take care of what might be one of their most prized and valuable possessions. The State can’t even spend public money right – now they want to insist they can tell the private sector how best spend their own money?
(H/T: Daily Tech)