Stan,

I really hate flame wars, and I don't mean to start one here but I just
can't keep quiet.

I found the last paragraph of your post (below) to be incredible offensive.
I hope that others on the list feel as I do.

My disgust is not with you openly expressing your bigoted thoughts. Instead
I am saddened that you feel this way to begin with.

I find it quite ironic that your last sentence is, "Must be something to do
with attitude."

Ordinarily I am very proud to declair that I am a Texan. Today I am not.

Bruce

>From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
>Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: State Inspection
>Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 12:09:06 -0600
>
>I'm very tempted to pack a box lunch, tune up my video camera and hang
>out at one of those inspection stations for the first few days after they
>open on May 1st.
>I figure I could win some kind of Funniest Video, Disaster Video or
>something with the footage I would come away with.
>If you recall last time around on the intensive testing; all of the TV
>News channels were tuning their employees vehicles to pass the
>inspections and getting them inspected and passed, then they took them to
>several other inspections collecting rejection slips.
>New cars and less than two year old vehicles are exempted, I'd like to
>know what they're going to do about 20+ year old vehicles.
>They chronicled one vehicle that they spent about $1500.00 on to get it
>past the inspection and the repair facilities completely missed the
>programmed in failure put there by the TV station. It was something
>simple like a vacuum line on the transmission that they had split. It
>passed finally because it maxed out the expenditure specified in the
>regulations.
>There were a lot of people that spent several hundred dollars to pass but
>were rejected because they bought and installed the parts themselves and
>could not prove the installation with an over priced repair shop receipt.
>The toll road has "Smellers" at many exits that reports by capturing on
>camera the license plate numbers of smokers or other conditions that
>qualify a car as a polluter. Its enough to make you install a high water
>tail pipe at about roof level.
>The Police installed video cameras at one intersection (Preston Rd and
>Plano Parkway) to record red light runners. They ran into a problem
>......... they had more than 2000 cars that ran the red light before
>lunch and the cameras ran out of tape. Oops...... back to get the budget
>tripled. Lets see 2000 x $100.00 that sounds good, can I buy a Ticketing
>Franchise for that intersection.
>I've never had a vehicle pass an inspection at an inspection station that
>was run by Asians, Arabic owners. I've always been rejected and when I
>drove ten blocks away to another facility owned or operated by American
>born individuals it always passed. Must be something to do with attitude.
>
>Stan Wilder
>83 Westfalia Air Cooled
>
>
>On Wed, 20 Mar 2002 12:11:57 EST Chuck Mathis <CMathis227@AOL.COM>
>writes:
> > Stan,
> >
> > The news the past couple of nights has been full of this for the
> > Houston area
> > as well.  Down here the tests will be done at privately owned
> > facilities --
> > they're having a little trouble finding facilities to pony up the
> > extra $41K
> > for the new dyno machines (many are still paying for the 'old'
> > machine).  The
> > state wants to have a thousand test stations down here but has
> > managed to
> > locate on 500 so far.  The local news also reported the cost for the
> > new
> > tests will be $39.
> >
> > Ohio went to a similar test a few years ago.  These were done at
> > contract
> > facilities and were a great source of amusment.  I watched the
> > highly trained
> > technician park the front wheels of my van on the rollers after he
> > had done
> > the underbody check with the mirror!  He got the most surprised look
> > on his
> > face when the van lurched forward as he reved the engine.  One of
> > the
> > stations managed to launch a newer Mustang out the back door,
> > through some
> > bushes, down a hill and into a pond without realizing where it
> > went!
> >
> > I was happy to leave those inspections behind when I moved down
> > here.  Looks
> > like I didn't move far enough.
> >
> > Chuck
> > '85 Wolfsburg Westy - 'Roland the Road Buffalo'
> >
> > In a message dated 3/20/2002 8:23:19 AM Central Standard Time,
> > LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
> >
> >
> > > Date:    Wed, 20 Mar 2002 08:23:25 -0600
> > > From:    Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
> > > Subject: State Inspection
> > >
> > > Recently the State of Texas, in an effort to please the EPA, has
> > mandated
> > > intensive vehicle inspections for the Counties of Dallas, Denton,
> > Tarrant
> > > (fort Worth) and Collin counties.
> > > From what I've seen on TV the inspection involves a wheel dyno,
> > four lost
> > > looking State Employees, $32.50 and guaranteed no waiting in long
> > lines.
> > > The last time Texas did this it turned and bit them. Only about 1
> > in 8
> > > brand new cars could pass the inspection (blamed on defective
> > software).
> > > They took a 700 million burn on liquidating locations and
> > equipment.
> > > To enhance the confusion they start this procedure on May 1st. (We
> > got
> > > notified on March 18th)
> > > Looks like they could have given us warning, like when they
> > started
> > > building the inspection centers a year or so ago.
> > > So far they haven't told anybody in the driving public what the
> > > inspection consist of and have offered no web site referrals to
> > > investigate the requirements to pass testing.
> > > I'd estimate that 60% of vehicles in Texas are SUV's, MPVs,
> > Pickup
> > > Trucks, 33% Passenger Cars, 7% Other (1 ton and over trucks,
> > busses,
> > > motor homes are excluded) they failed to install the equipment to
> > test
> > > larger vehicles.
> > > Texas is really great place to live; 10% of residents are either
> > on
> > > probation or parole, the Texas Prison system is the States
> > largest
> > > employer, we have more people in prison in Texas than the nation
> > of
> > > Russia.
> > > The Dallas Independent School district claims that 40% of the
> > population
> > > in Dallas is Hispanic while the US Census bureau claims 22% are
> > Hispanic.
> > > We have the highest quality Bureaucrats available anywhere in the
> > world.
> > > My Westy is registered at my farm that does not fall into the
> > intensive
> > > inspection area but I'm sure going to have fun watching all of the
> > Note
> > > Lot Car Dealers meeting these requirements. Graft is going to be
> > abundant
> > > at these inspection stations.
> > >
> > > Stan Wilder
> > >
> >
>
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