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
In this case, Ronaldus Magnus’s words, with Hurricane Sandy about to make landfall, come to mind: “Government is not the solution to our problem, it IS the problem”. He was talking about the Jimmy Carter “malaise” that permeated the American psyche at the time – I’m only talking about gas. No, not the drilling, the refining part – more of the “how do they expect me to transfer gas with this stupid EPA Mandated gas container spout??? This is ‘helping’??” Now, what are most people thinking about doing with gas containers right now? Well, yesterday I saw a lot of folks leaf blowing and cutting their lawns – with gas power blowers and tractors. My intent, however was different – having bought some new containers a bit ago and filled them up, it was time to top off the new 4X4 and get the new generator ready and then fill them back up again. That part was fine – just take off the spouts and fill them up.
Sidenote: sigh….I just turned the age where the pharmacy no longer puts the “kid-safe” tops on my med bottles. Nice to see that the EPA decided that we’re never too old, and never responsible enough, to be able to take the cover off of a commonly used liquid container in an easy fashion – they don’t trust us!
Life used to be easier, years ago. If you needed to keep some gas on hand for the lawnmower, the leaf blower, the tractor, ( generator!!) and other misc. small gas engine powered implements, you used one of these. Simple design – when not in use, the spout is kept inside. Go to use it, reverse it AND undo the “air hole” at the back so that the gas doesn’t do the “chug-lug” that makes it hard to pour that stuff out be eliminating the partial vacuum that happens. Then the EPA decided that they just HAD to “improve” our lives in the name of our safety and to “protect the environment”. And this ended up being the result:
Now here is that new spout mechanism:
If you have not had the privilege to try one – You have to depress the “button” at the back and move that button on the left side backward. I can tell you – they are rather stiff. And notice the short, short spout on that sucker – go ahead, try to use this gas can to refill your car – ain’t happening! I had to go to Loewe’s on a “normal” hardware run to buy some bulbs for lights that had just gone out – did you know that you can’t buy longer “spouted” versions of these things? It’s like they DON’T want you to fill up your cars, huh? The guy at Loewe’s, when I asked, quickly put a grimace on his face and replied with “no, they didn’t have any, and they can’t – they are illegal to have”. And added “Do you know how much gas *I* have spilled because of these <redacted> things? Absolute stupidity!”.
A 144 page document to keep “kids safe” and control “ground and air contamination” – yeah, how much has been spilled on the ground trying to figure out how to use them – not in concept but in practical terms (one hand – how? two hands – how direct the output?). I, like most people, don’t have to transfer gas from a container to a gas engine all that often. Sure, I might have dropped a couple of drips now and then, but it was a simple operation: put the spout in the hole, tip the can, seal when done. Now, keeping sufficient pressure on the tab and the slide button AND trying to keep the short nozzle in the hole is not as easy as it seems. Go ahead, try and use it to lower the flap of metal that “seals” your car tank with it – ain’t happening.
Surprisingly enough, they didn’t have any funnels with long or flexible ends. I ended up using my OLD container as a transfer mechanism; pour from the new into the old and then into the car. Yeah, this is “Government that works“. A quick Google search shows a LOT of folks are getting hackles in a rankle over cans that cost twice as much and are twice as poor. I found a number where folks are just making their own.
I just love my government treating me just like a five year old…
…That sound of frustration in this guy’s voice was strangely familiar, the grumble that comes when something that used to work but doesn’t work anymore, for some odd reason we can’t identify.
I’m pretty alert to such problems these days. Soap doesn’t work. Toilets don’t flush. Clothes washers don’t clean. Light bulbs don’t illuminate. Refrigerators break too soon. Paint discolors. Lawnmowers have to be hacked. It’s all caused by idiotic government regulations that are wrecking our lives one consumer product at a time, all in ways we hardly notice.
It’s like the barbarian invasions that wrecked Rome, taking away the gains we’ve made in bettering our lives. It’s the bureaucrats’ way of reminding market producers and consumers who is in charge.
…The whole trend began in (wait for it) California. Regulations began in 2000, with the idea of preventing spillage. The notion spread and was picked up by the EPA, which is always looking for new and innovative ways to spread as much human misery as possible.
