Issue Stealing

Damn those Republicans! Stealing traditionally Democratic ideals and... well... you know... I mean, there must be something wrong with that, is all.

In an op-ed piece in today's LA Times, Representative Dan Lundgren of California's Third District, wherever that is, proposes "a $1-billion prize for the first American automaker to sell 60,000 midsized sedans that could travel 100 miles on one gallon of gasoline." His stated rationale? "We must conserve.... Replacing our cars with prize-winning vehicles would reduce consumption to about 1.8 million barrels a day. It would also slash carbon emissions.... Our economic lifeblood must be immunized against the dictates of a global petroleum cartel...."

And finally, "Our energy, environmental and national security interests are all converging."

This is a Republican? Sounds more like a conservative.