Petition to change imported vehicle guidlines!

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/% ... n=shorturl

Stop using Homeland Security funds to seize imported vehicles, and change the DOT/EPA exemption to 15 years.

The Department of Homeland Security spends a shockingly disproportionate amount of its budget not on security initiatives, but on customs seizures. In particular, importers of grey-market vehicles have been targeted by monies taxpayers have intended to be used to secure our country against terrorism and terrorist activity. We call upon the Executive Branch to immediately cease this wasteful activity, and furthermore to change the DOT/EPA exemption time on grey-market vehicles from 25 years to 15 years (to match the vehicle regulations of Canada), recognizing that the 25-year rule was enacted due to support from special interests such as Mercedes Benz North America.

[undysworld]

I second that.

But I also hope that individual states will not be able to arbitrarily choose to not register/license these same vehicles, like Wisconsin tries to do.

[StuartL]

I'm not sure I see the issue here. While I agree that it'd make things a lot easier for Expedition Imports, other vehicle import companies or individuals importing vehicles to make these changes I don't think I agree with the premise of the petition. Additionally I see two separate issues in the petition that should probably be two separate petitions.

So, at the risk of prompting adverse reactions...

Issue 1: Using Homeland Security funds for impounding/confiscating illegally imported vehicles.

Where the funds come from for this isn't really relevant, in my opinion. If you took the responsibility away from Homeland Security who would you give it to? Another department? A newly formed department? Either way the funds required to confiscate illegally imported vehicles would have to move too, meaning that they're still not available for 'anti-terrorism' activities. It's all money from the taxpayer that's divided up by the powers-that-be the best way they can according to current pressures, concerns and upcoming elections.

If you choose not to spend so much controlling the importation of vehicles then the laws and regulations over imports become irrelevant. If you import stuff within the law, filling in the correct paperwork and abiding by the regulations you shouldn't fall foul of customs seizures.

Issue 2: Changing the DOT/EPA exemptions.

This is a completely separate and unrelated issue. This, as far as I understand it, is an environmental issue. Like it or not old vehicles produce horrendous pollutants. CO2 is the one that gets all the press but there's lots of others too. The modern engine management systems, catalytic converters and other technology have all been forced to evolve by these regulations to reduce the impact of internal combustion engines. Whether or not you consider the environment an issue for these old vehicles isn't really the point. The point is that you have to set the bar somewhere to make things easy to maintain. Changing the bar retrospectively is a very hard thing to justify and whether or not this change is justified I suspect you'll fall at the first governmental hurdle with this petition.

Now, putting my cynic hat firmly back on...

Given that the US government (together with most 'democracies') is elected as a result of privately funded campaigns and the funding from those campaigns comes mostly from the massive corporations and the individuals who stand to gain from their success...

Why on earth do you think that the special interest groups (such as Mercedes Benz North America), who stand to lose most if people start importing their own vehicles, would let such a change in regulation go through? All that would happen is that they would pick a party agreeable to their own interests to contribute their campaign money to, thereby improving the marketing for that campaign and thereby getting the dumb voters to inevitably vote in favor of the corporations who can afford to spend the most money on political bias. Those corporations don't include the best interests of Expedition Imports...

This has all gone a bit political... sorry about that...

[krick3tt]

...and all I wanted was the ability to own a newer vehicle...in this country