Irony in the Golden State

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't know it, but every time he gets in the car and drives he's breaking state law.

That's because Arnold drives a Hummer H2, which, at 8600 pounds, is too heavy to legally drive on most California residential streets. The legal limit, created before these mega-SUVs became all the rage, is 6,000 pounds. And Arnold's not alone: such mainstays as the Chevy Suburban the Ford Excursion, the Lincoln Navigator, and the Range Rover are technically illegal.

The weight limit was created because cars that weigh more than 3 tons can damage roads. Ironically, the drivers of these heavy vehicles actually get tax breaks by calling them "commercial vehicles." As long as the law is not enforced, these drivers actuallt contribute less to the tax money that repairs the roads while contribting more to the damage.

Yesterday in MSN's Slate Magazine, Andy Bowers wrote a much more detailed article on this subject. He proposed a solution which would be unpopular but very effective in terms of solving the problem:

"Why not classify SUVs under 3 tons as passenger cars and regulate them accordingly? Make them meet car gas mileage and safety standards, and let them drive anywhere cars can drive.

"For vehicles over 6K, classify them as trucks, pure and simple. Let their drivers use more gas, roll over more often if they want, and take tax breaks. And ban them from residential streets."

Mega-SUVs are bad for the environment, bad for national security because of our reliance on mideastern oil, and bad for consumer safety. It's never going to happen, but enforcement of this simple law might prove a much needed wake-up call to a nation that has gone Hummer happy.