Hey Ken,

Please don't shut up; I'd like to hear anyone's opinion on this, especially from professionals like you who can compose complete sentences ;)

By 11%, I assume that you are citing the state average, since my personal failure rate is about 21% +-6% -- roughly double that. The CA smog check program is in its fourth decade, and accounts for considerable revenues and supports many thousands of jobs and businesses; are we all ready to abandon it? Do we have a better alternative, such as increasing rather than decreasing DMV renewal fees with age until only wealthy collectors can afford to register a 25 year-old car? One of the side-effects of living in a fair-weather state is that older vehicles don't rust into the ground in a timely manner. What are your thoughts?

I confess to being among the foul-mouthed band of ne'er-do-wells over there. It feels good to vent my frustrations in a sympathetic environment, and the alternatives are not as harmless as weeding through a few f-bombs to get to the meat-and-potatoes. There are some very intelligent and creative members over there, and I visit regularly for the entertainment value just as much as the news. It disappoints me that you are so easily offended by the foul language; I guess we all have our standards, and I respect yours.

Take care, and good luck!

Michael Barry
Technician
Quick Stop Smog & More
Sacramento, California, USA