h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It gets you re-elected.

It sure as hell does. In Texas, trucks don't have to conform to the same emission laws as cars, and an awful lot of vehicles other than trucks qualify as 'trucks', like all but the smallest SUVs for instance

I don't know the details of the appropriate legislation, but you can see the word 'TRUCK' printed on the licence plate of many vehicles which quite clearly aren't, and they're all vehicles with huge engines.

Oh right.

It somewhat reminds me of the vans loophole for company cars that existed up until a couple of years ago. The taxable benefit on a company car used to be one third of the list price of the car, less ajustments for high mileage. Thus one could be hit for a tax bill of several thousand pounds a year. However the taxable benefit in having a lease van was a flat £500 per year - note it did have to be a real van and not something masquerading as a commercial vehicle.

Thus at the last place I worked, my boss - the Director of Finance - was the proud possessor of leased white Ford Transit

I'm sure I heard Bush on a TV newsbroadcast stating that SUV use had to be curtailed. Was I dreaming? I'm in the UK BTW.

AWww.... sweet sweet UK....

I haven't talked to my president in a long time. I dunno what he's said lately.

Why do I doubt that Mr. Texas himself would say such a thing?