All Posts Tagged With: "fuel economy"

The Governmental Habit

In 1977 the late economic historian Jonathan R. T. Hughes published a book called The Governmental Habit (updated in 1991 as The Governmental Habit Redux). It showed how pervasive government intervention in the economy has been since colonial times. The title captures an important phenomenon. People are in the habit of looking to government—the only [...]

1Sep2006 | Sheldon Richman | 0 comments | Continued

Government-Mandated Fuel-Efficiency Standards

Government mistakes have long lives. In response to the energy crisis of the 1970s, Congress passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act. This legislation had two major objectives: 1) Reduce our overall consumption of petroleum and 2) reduce our dependence on foreign oil (meaning OPEC). The means to accomplish this was CAFE, Corporate Average Fuel [...]

1Sep2006 | Michael Heberling | 3 comments | Continued

We Need a Stiff Oil Tax?

In an article last fall in the Washington Post, one of my favorite economic journalists, Robert J. Samuelson, argued for “a stiff oil tax” and “stricter fuel economy standards” (September 14, 2005). His rationale for this increased government intervention is that “we are vulnerable to any major cutoff of oil.” We can reduce our vulnerability, [...]

1Mar2006 | David R. Henderson | 0 comments | Continued

We’re Running Out of Oil?

The rise in gasoline prices in the United States has become a political issue. Each side panders to its own constituency with the most extreme arguments and factoids, leaving precious little in the middle ground of common sense. Take, for example, the March op-ed in the Los Angeles Times by Paul Roberts, “Say Bye-Bye to [...]

1Sep2004 | John Jennrich | 2 comments | Continued

The Scapegoat Utility Vehicle

Sam Kazman is general counsel of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (www.cei.org), a Washington-based free-market advocacy organization. First sin, then treason, and finally, reckless idiocy. For owners of sports utility vehicles (SUVs), that pretty much sums up the last holiday season. They went into Thanksgiving under fire from the “What Would Jesus Drive?” campaign. Then the [...]

1Jul2003 | Sam Kazman | 0 comments | Continued

Uncle Sam’s False Fuel Economy

Doug Bandow, a nationally syndicated columnist, is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author and editor of several books. A quarter century after the misguided policies of President Jimmy Carter and a Democratic Congress created an “energy crisis,” President George W. Bush and a Republican Congress risk wandering down the same foolish [...]

1Nov2001 | Doug Bandow | 0 comments | Continued

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