Here’s a headline you probably didn’t expect to see in your lifetime: "German Lawmakers Vote to Ban the Internal Combustion Engine." According to Gizmoto.com, “The modern internal combustion engine first came from Germany and now Germany wants to put a nail in its coffin. The Bundesrat has passed a resolution to ban the ICE beginning in 2030.” If you are a typical American, I’ll have to do the math for you; 14 years from now suck, sqeeze, bang, and blow is history. Personally, I can’t wait. I am totally tired of exhaust noise. I live in a “destination city” for pirates, squids, and assorted 4-wheel noise maker nitwits. These overfed, pampered, uncoordinated, skill-less biker assholes are nothing but an income source for bars and a pain-in-the-ass for the rest of us. Make them wear helmets, force them to obtain motorcycle licenses, make the licensing test prove competency, and take away their noise makers and they’ll either become motorcyclists or go back to their couches.
This article concludes with, "While larger approvals will still need to go through the legislative process, the fact that the country with the fourth-largest auto industry in the world is spearheading such sweeping change is a big sign of where we’re headed. It’s a road paved with slow-moving politicians making incremental changes and hoping the industry will warm up to the idea of not killing us all." It's hard to imagine our sluggish, lazy legislative process doing anything, let alone something that might actually prolong the life of our species. Most likely, we'll be last to this party like the metric system, rational tax policies, decent education and healthcare, and pretty much anything that could be used to define a 1st world quality of life.
I never thought I’d live to say this, but “Go Germany!”
