Friday, June 8, 2012

Paying Through The Nose

First, let me note that I really don't get a chance to post to this blog often enough.  There are a whole lot more stupid political things that happen in New Mexico than I have the time to write about.  Unfortunately, not just on the left side of the political spectrum.

But, today, I want to tell you how much money I had to blow keeping the "tree huggers" happy.

My wife and I own a very old vehicle - over 30 years old to be exact - and it has all the pollution controls that were applied to the vehicle intact.  I maintain it well, and it has passed the so-called smog test every time since the County of Bernalillo and the City of Albuquerque decided it had to be done.  Today it cost me a total of $55 just because the gas cap rubber didn't pass.  I mean it.  This is a vehicle that had a complex system of vacuum hoses to capture and keep all traces of fuel vapor out of the atmosphere, but the fill pipe wasn't designed for a pressurized gas cap.

But the gas cap o-ring didn't seal on their little test thingy.  So:
I paid for the first smog test, which failed.
I paid for a new gas cap.
I paid for the second smog test, which passed.  Had to have them do everything over again and waste about 20 more minutes because they can't just test the cap.  Hello?  If everything else is all right, why not?

Yes, I could have driving 14 miles round trip downtown and gotten the second test for free, but that would have been at a "govermint" facility.  The difference being that employees at Jiffy Lube are at least tactful, courteous, and conscious.

Now I can pay to register the vehicle.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.