Buddy Don't Complain...

Whitewings

Banned
just go out and get a horse!

In the rather obscure SF film Firebird 2015, the intro tells us than on a "black day in August, 1992... Congress said 'Hey buddy, no more oil for you.'" Basically, private driving was outlawed unless you were a high-level politician or a member of the military on active duty driving for job-related reasons. But what could have happened had the US Congress actually enacted such a law, or at least tried to? The "interstate commerce" clause does arguably given them the power to do so.
 

Unknown

Buddy don't complain? No, they'd probably be marching on Congress to literally throw the bums out, and the Supreme Court, once they finish laughing, will strike down the law as unconstitutional...
 

DaveBC

Does the interstate commerce cause also give them the power to postpone future elections unto eternity and then use the military to enforce civil order?

Because that's what it's going to take to escape the political fallout from this.

I really have no idea whether outlawing driving would be unconstitutional, but even if it wasn't, there's a fairly obvious political dimension to this that makes it impossible.
 

Whitewings

Banned
Technically, they didn't actually outlaw private driving. They just forbade fuel purchases to anyone not a member of certain groups. It's fairly obviously this would blow up spectacularly, I was just curious as to just how it would blow up and how spectacularly.
 
Shadow Master

Shadow Master

Banned
Whitewings said:
Technically, they didn't actually outlaw private driving. They just forbade fuel purchases to anyone not a member of certain groups. It's fairly obviously this would blow up spectacularly, I was just curious as to just how it would blow up and how spectacularly.
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Well, it would take a couple of months, during which, total, nationwide non-compliance would be the norm, along with any and all attempts at actual enforcement ending with the deaths/incarceration of all dumb enough to even attempt such, before massive waves of folks got around to the actual "removing" the former "lawmakers" by force, no recall elections needed, and their unhappy ends would serve as a reminder to their future replacements of the consequences of being that kind of stupid.

Such a thing would be about as unpopular as telling drunks that they could go ahead and drive no matter how smashed they were, or smokers that they had a RIGHT to smoke wherever/whenever they dang well felt like it, and to hell with anyone that didn't want to have to breath their second hand smoke.
 

Archibald

Banned
Hello, it has recently happened in Paris. Mayor Anne Hidalgo has just decided to ban Internal Combustion engine cars by 2030, be them diesel or gasoline. :p And yes, Parisians took it pretty bad.
 

Carl Schwamberger

Locally Purdue University has gradually eliminated private autos from much of the campus. By making the area only accessible to service vehicles the autos have been pushed outwards to the outer belt roads and parking garages.
 

Whitewings

Banned
Archibald said:
Hello, it has recently happened in Paris. Mayor Anne Hidalgo has just decided to ban Internal Combustion engine cars by 2030, be them diesel or gasoline. :p And yes, Parisians took it pretty bad.
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I'm guessing he's supported by electric car manufacturers.
 

Hammerbolt

Whitewings said:
just go out and get a horse!

In the rather obscure SF film Firebird 2015, the intro tells us than on a "black day in August, 1992... Congress said 'Hey buddy, no more oil for you.'" Basically, private driving was outlawed unless you were a high-level politician or a member of the military on active duty driving for job-related reasons. But what could have happened had the US Congress actually enacted such a law, or at least tried to? The "interstate commerce" clause does arguably given them the power to do so.
Click to expand...

Hold on... does the US even have a public transport system capable of handling this?...
 

GeographyDude

Gone Fishin'
if it went through, it would be major economic disruption of the order of the Great Depression . . .

if people tried to bicycle to work 3 days a week and work longer shifts, it would still be major disruption
 

DaveBC

Archibald said:
Hello, it has recently happened in Paris. Mayor Anne Hidalgo has just decided to ban Internal Combustion engine cars by 2030, be them diesel or gasoline. :p And yes, Parisians took it pretty bad.
Click to expand...

I'm not promoting or defending this policy, but in its defense, the assumption is that gas and diesel cars are going to be replaced by electric cars.

This is a bit different than one day the U.S. government saying, "That's it, everyone. No more cars!"

Let alone, "If you drive one, we will blow you up with a grenade launcher."
 
NHBL

NHBL

If there is a long term plan to remove oil from the road, with replacement, then the government gets replaced at th next election, well financed by petrodollars and supported by an outraged population. If it's immediate, the government gets removed even faster, or just ignored. It loses all credibility, most likely irreparably.
 
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