The other rental car licensing Mecca seems to be 8B. As in Bonneville County (Idaho Falls). Perhaps another concern is where do the local road maintenance taxes go? Bonneville County, ACHD, or ….? Does anyone have some info on that?

Registering your personal vehicle in Valley County because you have a vacation home there or at a relative’s home in Canyon County because you get better hunting access in some parts of the state (1A plates are said to have killed many a hunters chances to hunt on private land) is one thing. Registering a fleet of rental cars to avoid local emissions tests or highway district fees is another. But it does add to the rental car company bottom line doesn’t it?

Shiny Happy People Mentality

Perhaps the local media have picked that up from the local politicos who continue to deny, with increasing frequency it seems, that anything is wrong or out of place. I agree with Sisyphus.

The “shiny happy people mentality” may sell more newspapers, which puts more eye balls to the ads, which generates more revenue from both readers and advertisers, which adds to the corporate bottom line. And that’s the really important thing.

When Knight – Ridder took over The Statesman, it first appeared the paper might be moving more toward in-depth local news and investigative reporting. Hasn’t happened very much yet as far as I can tell. Except for the very top, the staff (and the local culture) seems to have remained the same. Some reporter reassignments, but not much more. In-depth reporting and investigative reporting only detract from the bottom line. Perhaps the “shiny happy people mentality” is the mantra of the new owners – McClatchy. After all, who wants to read negative news?

JQP

The Statesman apparently thinks the smiley face approach to news gathering is the best way to deliver their product to the customer. It seems to have gotten worse since the new owners took charge.

But by the same token there are ample sheep out there who’d rather endure the occasional inversion when they can actually see the dirty air rather than be required to amend their habits in contributing to it.

I think that until we have a regional air program (not just Ada Co.) the city should consider taxing these outfits for each car that has no emission test that is rented out or delivered for use in Boise or at the airport. The tax charged should be high enough that would make it more economical to get emission testing done instead. This action would be consistent with Team Daves goals to reduce air pollutants from vehicle use in the valley. I know that the city is using bio-diesel in its big trucks and is encouraging other ways to reduce the pollutant loads from vehicles.

However, I bet this idea goes the way of the motorcycle parking suggestion.

Just because downtown boise is turning into a parking lot while the inversion in the valley can be cut with a knife is no reason to junk that prestigious SUV that gets 12 MPG. Think of the luxury and you beat the Jones’s. Their SUV is only half the size of your Tank!

Well, maybe I’m a wimp, but illogical logic, as popular as it may be in the treasure valley, just isn’t logical.