[at-l] Pollution laws

[KD5XB@AMSAT.ORG (Earl Needham)]

At 10:43 PM 1/28/01 -0500, James Bullard blasted the following out into the 
ether:
<snip>
>I have to disagree that cars got 20 miles to the gallon back then. Oh, a 
>Chevy with a straight 6 might if you drove it gently but most folks went 
>for the big V8 engines. My first car was a '62 Buick convertible. It got 
>all of 11 miles to the gallon on the highway and only 8 in town. We didn't 
>give a damn. High test (remember high test gas?) was all of 25 cents/gal. 
>and we spewed lead out the tailpipe. The average car was dead after 60-80 
>thousand miles and tires were crap. If they lasted 20K you had the best 
>ones made. I think your nostalgia is making you forget what it was really like.

      Don't think so.
      My first car was a '65 Ford Galaxie 500.  352 V-8, Ford 4-barrel 
carb, dual exhaust.  (Your regular everyday family car!  <G>)
      It got around 14 MPG at 55 MPH.  Until I swapped the carb for a 
Holley -- then it got 20 MPG AT 90MPH!  Yes, down in south Texas, we used 
to drive pretty fast.  25 miles in 12 minutes, once, and I knew a fellow 
that had this Super Bee...

>When I was growing up Bald Eagles were nearly extinct. Now I can see them 
>in the Adirondacks thanks to those terrible environmental laws.

      That and the protection laws, perhaps.
      I never have seen a bald eagle down in that country, but we used to 
have Mexican eagles come through quite often.

>  Growing up I never saw a great blue heron. A few years ago I was running 
> by a wetland near my home and startled a heron which took wing less then 
> 6 feet in front of me. What a sight that was!

      We would see them occasionally down home, even in the drought 
conditions.  And sand hill cranes, quail, turkey, dove, etc...

>  In the 60s that wetland would have been drained to get rid of the mosquitos.

      I always heard that you could put a little oil on top of the water 
and drown the larvae!  Holy smokes, eh?  Probably wouldn't want to do that now!

>  Moose are back in the Adirondacks. Many species are making a comeback 
> after being on the brink of extinction.

      Like alligators! Now there are TOO MANY!

><snip>
>Yes, I remember the 50s and the 60s all too well. It's not perfect now, 
>but it's getting better and I like it better now. Of course I wish I could 
>have the body I had then (more hair, less fat) but that's another matter.

      Hehe -- finally we can agree!  ME TOO!

      And now everybody knows why I usually mouth shut!

      Earl


Earl Needham, KD5XB    mailto:KD5XB@AMSAT.ORG
Clovis, New Mexico         DM84jk N34d 25.446m W103d 12.700m (or so)

Pet peeve: breath is a noun,  breathe is a verb (When you take a breath, 
you breathe...)