Patterico's Pontifications

6/14/2013

Government-Designed Gas Cans Surprisingly Suck

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:56 am



I think J.D. will appreciate this.

113 Responses to “Government-Designed Gas Cans Surprisingly Suck”

  1. Ding.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  2. I recently got a new gas can unaware of the helpful upgrades demanded by our benificent betters.

    As the saying goes, I had an improved gas can once. It was awful.

    I had to wrassle it. Gas everywhere, or the grass, really. And my hands, because it was a surprise and it lurched out of the can wildly. Also A metal spring broke and popped out and I have no idea what it was for.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  3. I’m considering a hack – though I need to make sure there’s a plug that seals properly and that I won’t forget to put back. It used to be there was a handy vent with a cap for it stuck on the back of the can.

    I need a hack kit. I wonder if anyone make one yet.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  4. So the new improved “spill-proof” cans are leaking far more gasoline into the environment than the old fashioned ones ever did.

    Such an improvement! I can’t wait to see what they do to medical testing….

    LibraryGryffon (06c781)

  5. AMEN!!!!!!!!

    This started in CA, by the way 😉

    JD (b63a52)

  6. I suggest the old fashioned galvanized metal “watering cans”

    JD (b63a52)

  7. My advice. The weekend is here. Start skulking estate sales for the old kind of gas cans in decent condition and snap them up. Do this now–before the reputation of the new cans becomes more widely known and the old kind become ever harder to secure at a reasonable price in the secondary market. If you’re extra lucky you may find some very nice light bulbs that way too.

    elissa (136423)

  8. It’s a fine day for an estate sale tour.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  9. Bought one of the new cans last year, was sort of odd and it took a little getting used to. (like 2 or 3 fills). Hasn’t really been a problem. Maybe the people struggling with it are just idiots?

    time123 (bec298)

  10. i don’t want to do anything the government would disapprove of

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  11. and neither should you, commenters 2, 4, 5, & 7

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  12. Civil disobedience can mean different things to different people and can be performed in ways both big and small, feets. That’s America.

    elissa (136423)

  13. that was cute, time123. I forgot that leftists are simply superior beings.

    The new cans suck. The ventless spout cannot be controlled to any degree by the operator. It gurgles, glugs, and spills. Ironically, they claim to be spill proof. It is especially fun to try to use one to refill a hot riding lawnmower. The ventless POS has spilled more gas in 1 year than I did in several decades prior.

    Surplus jeep gas cans work great too.

    JD (b63a52)

  14. The EPA has now completely Sovietized our consumer products.

    Add the gas can to the list of formerly great US products now ruined by govt interference: water heaters, stoves, dishwashers — all double in price and they don’t work. A guy in the hardware store was freaking out that the new light bulb he needed cost $45!

    I got a new stove and dishwasher 14 months ago and am now up to 7 repair visits. Both companies have extended my warranty but I’m suing if this continues.

    Patricia (be0117)

  15. commenter 7 is showing signs of a reflexive attitudinal opposition to good governance measures

    this is troubling and bears further observation

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  16. I bought a few vent plugs from Amazon, drilled a hole, and ended my glug-glug-splash problems.

    I just checked, and found that the same plugs I ordered just went up in price eight-fold, so I suggest using Patrick’s Amazon search link to find gas can or water can vents.

    Brian Epps (2f898a)

  17. Estate and garage sales. In the thrift shops, they’ve figured this out.

    The new cans suck. If you can’t fill your tank without spilling with the old ones, you probably should not be using those tools.

    htom (412a17)

  18. Instant Maltov cocktail.

    Mandated by the EPA!

    Funny. That’s exactly where I could use one.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  19. The Arizona ice tea comes in a gal jug that makes the a very nice gas can. Thick plastic. Semi transparent, so you won’t be surprised by the flow.
    Conveniently located nozzel.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  20. But consider all the legal work that went into proving these gas cans are ideal! How can that all be wrong!

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  21. Well, at least people can still buy old gas cans on eBay.

    And maybe people will use the Arizona ice tea comes in a gal jug

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  22. Maybe the people struggling with it are just idiots?

    — Are you speaking of the public struggling with the new gas cans OR the left-wing “everything the guvmint does is great, because they care about us” crowd struggling with reality?

    Icy (1008d7)

  23. Fortunately, the United States has a ton of lawyers, and there is a ton of ambulance-chasers-in-training at ambulance-chasing schools throughout the country.

    They’ll fix this leaky gas-can problem !

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  24. JD & Icy. Have you tried resting the tip of the plunger switch on the top of the fill tube before you push the latch down? Than the weight of the can pushes down on the spring to open the valve. You lift it up when it’s getting full. My Problem the first couple times was I opened the plunger switch with my hand before I tipped the can in. It was sort of awkward the first couple times I used it. I suppose if I knew it was a government mandate I might have gotten all pissed off. But honestly it’s far from the most annoying thing I deal with when I cut the grass. Feeding the damn cable into the week whacker and getting the kids toys out of the way are much more annoying.

    time123 (bec298)

  25. I think the explanation for these gas cans is pretty simple:

    The EPA was concerned about leaks while the gas can was not being used or perhaps caused by very young children handling the gas can.

    So they mandated some special features.

    They were not concerned about leaks caused by someone inexpertly attempting to use it.

    And they were concerned only about leaks from the can, not the nozzle.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  26. Sammy, you remind me of “Rain Man.”
    You are so devoid of humor.

    The government is the authority which is waiting to slam any private manufacturer of a negligently-designed gas can.
    Yet the government designs a gas can that is flawed, and all you can do is offer bureaucratic-sounding justifications for why it was designed poorly ?

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  27. Like Al Gore’s toilet design, the new cans suck. I could never get it to pour, so I guess in the mind of time123 I must be an idiot. Guilty!!! I traded out the cap with an older can and it works just fine. I hate enviromentalists.

    Ipso Fatso (1e3278)

  28. Gee, thanks, time123. I never once considered that.

    JD (04b3a3)

  29. I can’t wait until the government starts designing medical devices !

    “Oh, we’re sorry, Mr. Smith, but your I.V. keeps leaking for some reason !”

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  30. Comment by Elephant Stone (6a6f37) — 6/14/2013 @

    The government is the authority which is waiting to slam any private manufacturer of a negligently-designed gas can.

    Yet the government designs a gas can that is flawed, and all you can do is offer bureaucratic-sounding justifications for why it was designed poorly?

    That’s not a justification, that’s an explanation. I wasn’t saying that’s the way things should be, which is what bureaucrats do.

    They were just looking at one aspect of the gas can – if anything could spill or evaporate when not in use.

    You didn’t see the humor in that?

    By the way, you have just given the strongest argument against single payer health insurance and for privatization of as much as can be priovatized.

    Politicians and lawyers can seemingly only attack private businesses. They can’t attack government failure.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  31. Comment by Ipso Fatso (1e3278) — 6/14/2013 @ 12:53 pm

    I hate enviromentalists.

    You might want to read (for ammunition maybe)

    No Turning Back: Dismantling the Fantasies of Environmental Thinking by Wallace Kaufman (Basic Books, 1994)

    Long out of print.

    http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Back-Dismantling-Fantasies-Environmental/dp/B008TFMPIS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1371240719&sr=8-5&keywords=%22no+turning+back%22+1994

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  32. Comment by elissa (136423) — 6/14/2013 @ 8:45 am

    If you’re extra lucky you may find some very nice light bulbs that way too.

    The old light bulbs still seem to be available, or maybe I’m not looking for them any more? I have plenty of 75-watt Sylvania light bulbs.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  33. time123–Some people are just naturally resistant to change and I admit to being one of them. But I find the folderol of new procedures, new packaging, new formulas, new instructions and new skills being required in order to utilize the most basic simple products to be especially annoying. I’m not talking about fantastic new medical procedures or learning new technology for a vehicle or device. I’m talking about being forced to use products that replace old products that worked perfectly well and performed the exact same function but are no longer available. We are talking about gas cans here. The government involving itself in the design of gas cans. It boggles the mind.

    elissa (136423)

  34. Wait till the cars are filled with even more lightweight plastic to meet the CAFE standards.

    *crunch*

    Patricia (be0117)

  35. It should be renamed a “gas-can’t.”

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  36. Spring loaded, huh. NOT ANYMORE.

    SarahW (b0e533)

  37. Spring loaded, huh. NOT ANYMORE.

    Comment by SarahW (b0e533) — 6/14/2013

    LOL. One thing I love about American culture is that so many of us have garages full of tools and at least the passing thought “I can fix this myself” when most problems pop up.

    When my washing machine broke I was so stubborn about not buying one of these new “green” washing machines that I figured out how to rig the old one to keep working. When they ruined dishwasher detergent, a friend told me where to buy phosphate to add back to the soap, keeping everything working correctly.

    Over time, there’s going to be a culture of tips on how to de-sovietize our stuff (to steal Patricia’s term, which I love).

    Dustin (303dca)

  38. Speaking of government-run healthcare, it so happens that earlier today, coincidentally, the company for which I work received the sad news about the hike in our premium costs for our group health plan. 35%. Not 3.5%. Thirty-five percent. And we’re among the lucky ones.

    Word on the street is there are 40%-50% Obamacare-derived hikes out there in premium costs for group coverage.

    And if you think healthcare is expensive now, and that costs radically are rising, at least for those of us who aren’t already retired on public money or are hell bent for leather running for a public money retirement, just wait until non-voting conservatives give Hillary two terms in the Oval Office. Single payer will make Obamacare look like a game of hearts.

    William Scalia (4fc30a)

  39. (shaking head) Where to start … ?

    time123 #24 has a “week whacker” … (I couldn’t make that one up !)

    elissa #34 … one of our current problems is the gross over-use of the over-encompassing term “the government” … which is usually used so that a Dem Senate and Dem White House can blame “the government” for mistakes, knowing that the MF’inM will keep telling folk it’s the GOP making the mistakes …

    It’s not “the government” mandating the counter-effective gas can – it’s the current Obama EPA doing it …

    It’s not “the government” spying on the Associated Press – it’s the Obama Administration in its various shady spook ways …

    It’s not “the government” which screwed up Benghazi so badly that an actual US Ambassador was murdered during the compromise of actual US territorial integrity – it’s the Obama Administration and Secretary of State Clinton that managed *that* particular feat …

    As long as we accept and embrace the locution that it’s “the government” doing these stupidities, then, sadly, we deserve it when the current Administration compounds then and exacerbates them …

    Next time, however, that you hear someone say that “the government” told the FBI to keep hands-off the mosques (Boston bomber source, anyone ?), don’t let them get away with it … ask them which part of “the government” did that – and then keep pinning them down until they change the subject (or admit to the specific idiots who did whatever it was/is) …

    Alastor (cb73bc)

  40. Alastor, do you have a website where I may send my comments for your approval and editing before posting them? Thanks. You should probably know, though, that I’ve been pointing out government idiocy in actions from both parties, many agencies, and from successive administrations for quite a while. Sometimes shorthand such as I used in the phrases “The government involving itself in the design of gas cans. It boggles the mind.” works just fine, I think.

    elissa (136423)

  41. We are getting increasing numbers of regulations written by regulators who have no idea of the real world application of their regulations and literally do not care.

    It does not matter if a regulation fails, and makes a problem worse. That’s not the regulator’s fault, nor their problem. Its yours.

    SPQR (768505)

  42. In the wake of Sandy’s gas shortage these gas cans became part of dialy life for about a month. Basically it takes forever to get it into pour mode, and invariably you spill gas all over yourself. Why would you make a product a child would NEVER use childproof?

    Bugg (b32862)

  43. They’re coming for the cheese mites, now! Fighting for innocent mimolette.

    http://reason.com/blog/2013/06/13/heroic-cheesemonger-fights-fda-crackdown

    elissa (136423)

  44. oh i see

    cheesemonger is a hero whilst our exiled friend edward

    who sacrificed everything for to advance the principle that freedom is precious and worthy of sacrifice

    is a traitorous fiend who should be shot at dawn

    good to know

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  45. Cheesemonger is the only hero mentioned on the thread.

    Snowden is just another stripe of traitor. Everything he’s done and said shows he thinks the world needs to be protected from America. So he goes to the CHICOMs to betray his country.

    Snowden may have done the country a service, but then so did Benedict Arnold before he sold it out entirely.

    Steve57 (1ca8bb)

  46. there is nothing wrong with thinking the world needs to be protected from an increasingly fascist and arrogant and lawless and desperate state

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  47. One wonders how many children are unintentionally splashed with gasoline due to the use of these “child proof” containers.

    htom (412a17)

  48. 46. there is nothing wrong with thinking the world needs to be protected from an increasingly fascist and arrogant and lawless and desperate state

    Comment by happyfeet (8ce051) — 6/14/2013 @ 9:48 pm

    So tell me, Mr. Feets, when’s the last time an American had to accept a Nobel Peace Prize by proxy because he was a political prisoner serving a decade plus prison term?

    Steve57 (1ca8bb)

  49. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/press.html

    For over two decades, Liu Xiaobo has been a strong spokesman for the application of fundamental human rights also in China. He took part in the Tiananmen protests in 1989; he was a leading author behind Charter 08, the manifesto of such rights in China which was published on the 60th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 10th of December 2008. The following year, Liu was sentenced to eleven years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights for “inciting subversion of state power”. Liu has consistently maintained that the sentence violates both China’s own constitution and fundamental human rights.

    Yeah, that’s just the country I’d pick if I was interested in protecting the world from a “an increasingly fascist and arrogant and lawless and desperate state.”

    Steve57 (1ca8bb)

  50. the chineser ruling class is crude brutish and tone deaf

    the failmerican ruling class is slick nuanced and unctuous

    in this respect the chinesers are more honest

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  51. 46. there is nothing wrong with thinking the world needs to be protected from an increasingly fascist and arrogant and lawless and desperate state

    Comment by happyfeet (8ce051) — 6/14/2013 @ 9:48 pm

    And as an aside, there is actually something wrong with thinking the world needs to be protected from the fascist, arrogant, desperate, and lawless US.

    Which is why Nidal Hasan can’t use that very argument as a defense at his murder trial.

    http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-fort-hood-defense-rejected-20130614,0,2164795.story

    Osborn said Hasan’s “defense of others” strategy “failed as a matter of law,” according to a Ft. Hood statement, since no soldiers at the Central Texas base posed an immediate threat to anyone in Afghanistan.

    “She ruled that as a uniformed soldier in the U.S. Army, Hasan had no justification to kill other U.S. soldiers,” the statement said, and ”that she will not allow Hasan to present any evidence or argument relating to the defense of others.”

    Steve57 (1ca8bb)

  52. how on earth he ever thought that argument could be applied to workplace violence has yet to be explained I think

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  53. He had Awlaki advising him on his legal strategy.

    Steve57 (1ca8bb)

  54. So he goes to the CHICOMs to betray his country.

    When the US military, on one hand, is giving deference to an anti-American-spouting, pro-Islamic fanatic who murdered several of his fellow enlistees, and when, on the other hand, “patriot” and “Tea Party” arouse resentment and suspicion among various insiders throughout the federal government, I admit to having an increasingly harder time knowing who is betraying whom.

    Snowden may be as bad as charged, but the entire system has become so drunk with “goddamn America!” sentiment (including political correctness run amok) — thanks in part to the wisdom of the electorate in placing a Marxist-sympathizing (Hi, Bill Ayers!), community-organizing bisexual (probably and likely) into its presidency — that the nation is morphing into a peculiar, underwhelming joke, sort of a northern version of corruption-plagued, interminably-dysfunctional Mexico.

    theblaze.com, June 14, 2013: At an event at the White House on Thursday commemorating [GLBT] Pride Month, two third-grade children introduced President Barack Obama. Zea and Luna, nine-year-old twins, read appeals from a letter that they apparently sent to the nation’s leader last December.

    “We told the president that we would like for him to make some changes this year,” Luna said, going on to highlight the aforementioned elements that were included in the note. In addition for asking Obama to make it “harder for bad guys to get guns,” the girls also said that they wanted “more funding for schools.” And last, they urged the leader to support same-sex marriage — a stance that he publicly took during the 2012 presidential campaign (reversing his prior opposition).

    “We asked the president for his support for gay marriage, because we have two moms and they are just as good as other parents,” Zea added. “They love us a lot.”

    The crowd applauded after the girls made this proclamation — and the president then took the stage to praise same-sex couples and to urge that the nation embrace gay matrimony.

    wnd.com, May 12, 2013: A recent military report on sexual assault in the military shocked many in Washington and around the nation, but a leading expert on military personnel revealed the prevalence of men assaulting other men is one of the major headlines in this study.

    “The number of reports of sexual assaults among military personnel have actually increased by 129 percent since 2004,” said Center for Military Readiness President Elaine Donnelly, who pointed out the number of formal reports of sexual assault jumped from 1,275 to 2,949 in just eight years.

    Women are identified as the attacker in just two percent of all assaults, meaning most men who suffer assault are targeted by other men.

    “So we’ve got a male-on-male problem here. The Department of Defense doesn’t want to comment on this. They know that the numbers are there. They say that they care, but all the attention is usually given to the female members of the military who are subjected to sexual assault,” Donnelly said.

    The Washington Times article also includes analysis from Aaron Belkin, who heads The Palm Center. He said the rise in male-on-male sexual assault does not reflect the increase of homosexuals in the military but, rather, those assaults are ”somewhat similar to prison rape.”

    “Well, that’s a great slogan to use for recruiting young men into the military, isn’t it? It’s outrageous. And yet, the Department of Defense doesn’t quite know what to do with these figures, and so they just sort of put them in there and hope nobody notices,” said Donnelly, who points out The Palm Center is a homosexual activist organization.

    radio.foxnews.com, June 5, 2013: An Army master sergeant was punished after he hosted a promotion party and served Chick-fil-A sandwiches in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act. The unidentified soldier was investigated, reprimanded, threatened with judicial action and given a bad efficiency report, according to the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty.

    [Chaplain Alliance Executive Director Ron] Crews said the soldier decided to hold a party to celebrate his new position. The invitations read, “In honor of my promotion and in honor of the Defense of Marriage Act, I’m serving Chick-fil-A sandwiches at my promotion party.”

    After the party, the solider received a letter of reprimand. Crews said at issue was the combination of the sandwiches and the soldier’s support of DOMA (which happens to be the law of the land).

    “There was initially some talk of bringing judicial punishment against him,” Crews said. “He had a letter put in his file and an investigation was initiated to see if he had violated any policy.”

    “He was at the pinnacle of his career,” Crews said. “To make that rank means you’ve done very well throughout your career. He wants to finish serving his time honorably.”

    Crews said stories like this are becoming commonplace in the military post-repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

    One service member received a severe reprimand for expressing his faith’s religious position about homosexuality in a personal religious blog. A chaplain was relieved of his command over a military chapel because he could not allow same-sex weddings to take place in the chapel.

    And a chaplain who asked senior military officers whether religious liberty would be protected in the wake of the repeal of the law against open homosexual behavior in the military was told to “get in line” or resign.

    Mark (d1328f)

  55. that just doesn’t set right with me

    this is an open shut case so let’s open it and shut it I think

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  56. Where’s the American can-do spirit? It seems to me that the EPA has created a performance spec not a detailed design. The fact that the spec is a piece of horse manure doesn’t change the fact that there is the potential for a clever design that would simultaneously work and satisfy the fools in the EPA. And I say this having dealt with at least two of the new designs, both of which are horribly flawed. The one that works the best, after you’ve spilled a cup or two of gasoline learning how to press the valve key against the tank opening, has a closure mechanism that is very difficult to check. If you only have one tank it is best to invert it to see if you’ve actually closed the damn thing. I have two tanks, and I can compare the one I’m using with one that has previously passed the test and verify that the valve key is in the right place. But this is chancy … what if a child broke into the storage area and did whatever children do when confronted with a fuel tank? So I occasionally invert my hopefully-closed tank just to reassure myself. I would be more abusive of these tank designs if I hadn’t had minor difficulties with the previous generation of tanks. But those problems resulted in occassional spills that were measured in fractions of a CC, not cups. So I am of the opinion that progress could be made in this area, particularly with the high precision plastics we routinely use every day.

    This is a bit like the original EPA automobile mileage requirements in the early 70’s fostered under the leadership of famed environmentalist Richard Nixon. Our dinosaur auto industry spent a fortune unsuccessfully lobbying to reverse the rules, while Honda figured out how to satisfy them and make a vehicle that many found a superior buy irrespective of the higher fuel economy.

    My point isn’t that these rules are good … one shouldn’t forget the number of innocents killed by air bags … or the calamity that cap and trade holds in store for us if Hte One embraces it with some kludge using executive orders … or the folly of outlawing 100 watt incandescent light bulbs … or a thousand other meddlings that cost the country enormous losses in productivity … rather, it is that the rules provide an opportunity for novel engineering that could put us in a better place in the future. The problem is that the proverbial 1000 monkeys pounding on keyboards are more likely to hit upon a useful rule than the tens of thousands of EPA environmental activists. And each time we divert our limited engineering talent to solving nonsensical problems, we deny ourselves the useful things they might have come up with responding to market demands. Frivolity does not sit well with us. One must question the leadership in the EPA when they make such a trivial issue a national priority. If this is the best they can do, maybe they should just go home and leave the rest of us alone.

    bobathome (c0c2b5)

  57. @ Comment by Steve57 (1ca8bb) — 6/14/2013 @ 9:58 pm
    Minus 5 points for using the Nobel Peace Prize as an example for anything.

    I’d be more impressed if the Nobel committee didn’t use the Peace Prize as a gig to spear political rivals, or as an official blessing bestowed when they like the outcome of an election. Seeing as they have their heads up their asses mostly.

    Would the Norwegians be above awarding a prize to someone wide left of deserving? We know that for a fact. Would the Norwegians award the prize to a blowhard opportunist scamming the world just to gig a sitting president? Hell yes they would.

    What makes you think they wouldn’t do the same to the Chicoms?

    Pick a cop killer or some such moral reprobate serving a stretch in the pokie just to give the Chicoms a black eye?

    As for running to China – think about the other choices available. What liberal shitholes are there on this planet that wouldn’t gladly hand over whatsisface hog tied with an apple in his mouth, if it would help Obama in his distruction of the American middle class?

    Can you think of any? I guess Mexico – since people are talking about shooting the dude – but that’s just rhetoric right.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  58. If this is the best they can do, maybe they should just go home and leave the rest of us alone.

    Yes, that’s what they should do. But they don’t. Which leads to my next question.

    Frivolity does not sit well with us.

    Since when?

    Steve57 (1ca8bb)

  59. They’re using phone aps to locate toilet paper in Venezuela. They have toilet paper in China.

    They probably invented toilet paper.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  60. So you rinos are sending Jebby boy after my vote, G.F.Y.

    mg (31009b)

  61. Osborn said Hasan’s “defense of others” strategy “failed as a matter of law,” according to a Ft. Hood statement, since no soldiers at the Central Texas base posed an immediate threat to anyone in Afghanistan.

    “She ruled that as a uniformed soldier in the U.S. Army, Hasan had no justification to kill other U.S. soldiers,” the statement said, and ”that she will not allow Hasan to present any evidence or argument relating to the defense of others.”

    The judge very likely did not say that, either some idiot Army press releaser or LAT layer of oversight said that. If you see a fellow US soldier about to bayonet a baby, you can kill him, actually the rules of war say you must stop him even if you need to kill him or you’re just as liable. Hasan should be able to introduce evidence that his victims were bayonetting babies.

    nk (875f57)

  62. It’s almost as if they are trying to fit in Mark’s taxonomy;

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article/351120/big-politically-correct-brother-mark-steyn/page/0/1

    narciso (3fec35)

  63. only private industry can come up with useful products. Take, for instance, “JiHawg Ammo”, which “promotes peace through the natural deterence of pork-infused ballistic coating”.

    Unclean Hadji does not pass Go and does not collect 72 virgins.

    Colonel Haiku (f8768b)

  64. heh Venezuela
    one asswipe of a country
    don’t squeeze teh Charmin

    Colonel Haiku (f8768b)

  65. Bobathome, the search for a perfect gas can, when adequate ones already existed, is not the search for longitude.

    The government has not much business to insist in reformation of the gas-can industry. If there were unmaneagable safety or convenience issues the market would solve them without orders from washington.

    If some engineer were to make a nifty self-closing can that worked for lawnmowers as well as it did for cars, that gave even, non-spill flow, that protected against but gave no false security with regard to leaks or fumes, it would sell itself, at the right price. It would already exist and the extra-safety or leak concerned persons would already buy it.

    Dustin mentioned the phosphate debacle – phosphate happens to be a very superior cleaning additive – it is simple and cheap and among other manifold cleaning advantages in controlling alkalinity and breaking calcium bonds in a range of temperatures most often used to clean – and consumer use had almost nothing to do phosphate issues in the environment – Pig farms far outdo household cascade use.

    Worst of all it was a sop to chemical manufacturers who have not-quite as good but several times as expensive phosphate replacements – bundles of buffers and enzymes that now only have a consumer use because the stupid cheap foolproof phosphate is restricted.

    It’s another Obamacare analog – pay more for something many times as complicated to get less to solve nothing, and pay off friends.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  66. Oh goody – once again the EPA hired Rube Goldberg to design a fix for a problem that doesn’t exist. The EPA is a living, breathing example of why you should approach the slippery slope government authority to regulate with great care and caution – would that there was a governmentally mandated written warning about that danger.
    Well, I guess the Constitution is that warning, but who pays attention to that?

    Walter Cronanty (d16f1a)

  67. Steve, (#57) I think that there is a very good chance that regulatory over-reach will make enough of our fellow citizens aware of the frivolous inclinations of these meddlers that infest our government. Have you tried to hire a contractor to replace a window recently? It’s a three alarm hazmat drill with journeymen carpenters dressed up in space suits supposidly to protect everyone from Pb in the old paint. Nevermind the danger of operating power equipment on scaffolds while encumbered with a space suit. This policy, which is not backed up with routine measurements that would verify the usefulness of the rules, could logically result in the mandated destruction of all old buildings. And I’m sure Hte One has any number of economists who would advocate just such a policy as a simulus for the building industry. This sort of frivolity would really alarm owners of these properties. Frivolity is fine if it just hits people you don’t know, like taxing the top 1%, but as the deadening weight of DC-follies descend on all of us, there will be an opportunity for change.

    bobathome (c0c2b5)

  68. speaking of hazmat – I dropped one of those twisty lights in the chicken coop, and it shattered into a thousand or so pieces, contaminating my turkeys with mercury vapors.
    So when my birds loose the feeling in their extremities due to nerve damage, who do I sue?

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  69. The guy who installed the floor of your chickencoop, of course.

    nk (875f57)

  70. Sarahw (#64): You are on target in everything you mentioned. But the problem is complex because we need some way to control the use of non-market entities like air quality. The basic idea behind having something like an EPA would be good if men (and women) were angels. But the EPA tends to retain a different class of animal. The agency should be much more closely monitored by Congress. For example, every rule they make should be submitted to Congress for passage by normal procedures. This could limit their reach and cause them to focus on important problems if Congress has the gumption to look closely at the agencies work product. Ditto for any number of other agencies that have been left free to graze on the private economy for the benefit of powerful friends who are able to use government regulations (often written by these powerful friends) to limit competition.

    bobathome (c0c2b5)

  71. Goodbye Ahmadinejad. Welcome Hassan Rouhani!

    The Emperor (18bb13)

  72. “So when my birds loose the feeling in their extremities due to nerve damage, who do I sue?”

    papertiger – Anybody and everybody you can think of. This is America!

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  73. You didn’t build that gas can !

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  74. RE : Comment by nk (875f57) — 6/15/2013 @ 9:19 am

    A sea of lawyers and all I can find are paragons.
    That’s not going to cut the mustard.

    You know what this party needs?
    More shysters. Less thinking about what is “right”, and more thinking about what is possible.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  75. heroic cheesemonger is heroic

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  76. Who is heroic cheesemonger?

    nk (875f57)

  77. heroic cheesemonger lives inside all of us nk

    he’s that little voice what tells us to resist encroaching fascism

    heed the cheesemonger my friend

    heed him well

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  78. I’m with you, happyfeet, and I will honor him with poesy:

    Sweet dreams are made of cheese.
    Who am I to diss a brie?
    I’ve traveled the world and ate feta cheese.
    Everybody’s looking for Stilton!

    nk (875f57)

  79. that was inspired Mr. nk nice work

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  80. heroic cheesemonger @43, nk.

    elissa (b478e4)

  81. or maybe you wuz bein’ all who’s john galt. I don’t know.

    elissa (b478e4)

  82. Mr. Snowden went Galt in a big way

    he’s so cool that way

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  83. we should have him over for fondue

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  84. he mite like that

    elissa (b478e4)

  85. does anyone have a preference for Swiss Cheese ? or are you neutral about it ?

    Elephant Stone (6a6f37)

  86. “You know what this party needs?
    More shysters. Less thinking about what is “right”, and more thinking about what is possible.”

    Mr. papertiger – You might start by considering suing the evil person who sold you the defective non-mercury vapor resistant turkey seeds.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  87. this is a good read you should click it with your mouse

    http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/joan-rivers-why-johnny-carson-398088

    happyfeet (8ce051)

  88. there is the potential for a clever design that would simultaneously work and satisfy the fools in the EPA

    There probably is, but it costs money to hire engineers capable of turning a manufacturing process on a dime. So they do the least they can to satisfy the feds. Why bother with more, when they are going to change the standards every couple years, like they did this year with energy use in dishwashers? That’s what the Frigidaire guy told me.

    Dustin, where can you by phosphates?? I know where to get TSP but not that.

    You know, I remember reading that life in Greece consists of avoiding the government or trying to cash in on it. Sounds like life here.

    Patricia (be0117)

  89. Last time I bought white gas for camping it still came in the old timey one gallon metal container with the screw on lid, although the screw on top was child proof and has been for years. I think Sammy’s evaporation theory is a bunch of hogwash. The 2 1/2 gallon gas can I used to store my lawn mowing gas when I still had a lawn had a screw on tight metal cap and a flexible plastic vent that I only opened to make pouring easier. No evaporation was coming out of that sucker.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  90. “I think Sammy’s evaporation theory is a bunch of hogwash. ”

    There. Fixed it for you.

    elissa (b478e4)

  91. Basically turned out as well as this;

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWn0R68yFKQ

    narciso (3fec35)

  92. elissa – City dwellers are known for their expertise in gas can design because of their high SAT scores.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  93. Look carefully at that package of TSP. Some of them are “TSP cleaner” or “TSP brand” or “TSP powder” and when you read the label’s tiny tiny print it says something like “Does not contain hazardous tri-sodium phosphate.”

    It seems that always government acts to protect some small group — children drowned in gasoline cans — at the expense of many other groups.

    htom (412a17)

  94. htom – Children drowning in gasoline cans is a national shame which this great country should no longer have to face!

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  95. Steve, (#57) I think that there is a very good chance that regulatory over-reach will make enough of our fellow citizens aware of the frivolous inclinations of these meddlers that infest our government. Have you tried to hire a contractor to replace a window recently? It’s a three alarm hazmat drill with journeymen carpenters dressed up in space suits…

    Comment by bobathome (c0c2b5) — 6/15/2013 @ 8:53 am

    That will probably happen when the EPA mandates that homeowners comply with their Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule when working on their own houses. Not just contractors like those replacing your window.

    But by then it’ll be too late. We’ll have put up with the frivolity for too long to roll it back.

    Steve57 (1ca8bb)

  96. we should roll back the frivolity starting monday

    happyfeet (4a4502)

  97. Mr. Feets – I belief this site needs some twerking videos for important journalistic purposes, as long as they do not contain Miley Cyrus.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  98. believe

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  99. There are chemical supply houses, google STPP because that’s what you want.

    SarahW (b0e533)

  100. Steve, I asked my contractor about installing pot lights in the living room of my 60-year-old house.

    He launched into the new eco rules…and 15 minutes later I interrupted and said, forget it.

    Patricia (be0117)

  101. elissa #89 “There. Fixed it for you.” (big grin) Seems we all do it, hmmm ? (It’s part of the charm of this blog – the back and forth and tangentials …)

    daleyrocks #93 – seems like it’s almost time for the next resurgence of the Movement to Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide … it kills thousands of Americans every year, and far too many people go into withdrawal after as little as a day if it is withheld …

    Alastor (2e7f9f)

  102. Who can afford enough gasoline to drown a child?

    That’s one of those rich people problems.

    This gas can thing is another case of welfare for the wealthy.

    papertiger (c2d6da)

  103. I thing the change in gas cans is to prevent vapors that KILL, just like in CA when they changed the gas pumps to something difficult to use because VAPORS ARE DEADLY AND WILL KILL US. MAYBE.

    It’s the “something must be done” syndrome, executed by people who have nothing to do all day except to think up “something.”

    Patricia (be0117)

  104. “It’s not ‘the government’ mandating the counter-effective gas can – it’s the current Obama EPA doing it”

    That’s only sort of true: This bureaucratic tyranny started long before Obama, and I’m betting that the gas can rule was originated before Obama took office–and that the process to create the rule started *long* before he was elected. I’ve never met a EPA person who would admit that the EPA is in any way running roughshod over the rights of citizens.

    pst314 (ae6bd1)

  105. Gas can… OK. Not long ago I saw some writing about this but for the life of me I can’t recall where. It sung the praises of the old jeep can. Here is my best recollection: The new gas cans and spouts suck. There is a solution in the EZ-POUR replacement spout. Both the writer and the EZ-POUR people state that the spouts are designed for the gas cans manufactured and sold before January 2009. [That they probably fit cans of more recent sale/manufacture is beside the point.]

    This company also makes a vent plug that can replace the old one on your pre-Jan09 unit. The blogger whose post I read noted that these spouts and vents also fit water cans that are not subject to the EPA restrictions we discuss today. He also noted that there are several brands of spray paint in aerosol cans of varying colors, red and yellow were mentioned, in case the neutral color of the water can did not work for you. Hopefully this information will help out. I must make it clear, however, that I would never counsel or assist anyone in circumventing government regulations… that would be wrong.

    I am guessing that the Patterico amazon thingy will work should you wish to replace that damaged spout on your pre-Jan09 containers.

    gramps (13e453)

  106. Evaporation is not my theory – it’s what that news report said.

    And I didn’t mean to indicate that there was any significant reduction in evaporation. I know you’d need scientific instruments to detect it.

    But that’s enough for an environmentalist.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  107. Comment by elissa (136423) — 6/14/2013 @ 8:45 am

    The weekend is here. Start skulking estate sales for the old kind of gas cans in decent condition and snap them up. Do this now–before the reputation of the new cans becomes more widely known and the old kind become ever harder to secure at a reasonable price in the secondary market. If you’re extra lucky you may find some very nice light bulbs that way too.

    Old fashioned incandescent light bulbs are still available, as I said in comment 33 on 6/14/2013 at 1:23 pm PDT = 4:23 EDT.

    I took this picture today in Shoprite in Brooklyn.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  108. Here’s a solution to the venting problem on the new cans:

    Go to NAPA and buy a solid brass (chrome plated) valve-stem for mag wheels.
    Drill the proper size hole in your red plastic gas can in the opposite upper corner from the spout.
    Take a length of coat-hanger wire, and pass it through the drilled hole, and out the spout.
    Remove the valve-core from the stem, and run the wire through it so that the threaded end of the stem will be the first part that enters the can via the spout-hole.
    Manipulate the valve stem down the wire and out your drilled hole – don’t forget to include that rubber gasket that is supplied with the stem.
    With the valve stem protruding from the gas can, place the washer, and retaining nut onto the stem and “catch a thread”, slowly tightening it until snug.
    Remove the coat-hanger wire.
    Tighten the nut with a handy wrench of the appropriate size.
    Put the valve-stem cap on.
    Your gas-can now has a vent that you can open and close at will – and it shouldn’t spill or vent unless you want it to.

    askeptic (b8ab92)

  109. Thank you for the photojournalism, Sammy. It looks like those are 75s. Its the hunnerts that are hard to find. (But you may want to stock up on 75s while you can if you like incandescents.`

    elissa (7f92c3)

  110. Or you could just buy a funnel at the dollar store and not use the government can’s spout at all?

    nk (875f57)

  111. 110. Comment by elissa (7f92c3) — 6/19/2013 @ 5:25 pm

    Thank you for the photojournalism, Sammy. It looks like those are 75s. Its the hunnerts that are hard to find. (But you may want to stock up on 75s while you can if you like)

    150s are still there. And 40s and 60s definitely.

    I think 100s were there not so long ago. I will check. Are the 100s running out soonest?

    I have a lot of 75s including Double Life 75s. I don’t know how close they might be to disappearing.

    I am going back anyway soon since I got a register slip coupon that says if I spend $75 I get $5 off and also if I buy a total of $75 of Proctor and Gamble items (this also applies to two other companies) by the end of next week I get $25 back. So that’s $30 off possible.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)

  112. Elissa: Its the hunnerts that are hard to find.

    I was in Shoprite last night. That seems to be correct. I saw 75’s and also 60s. Not sure if there were still 40s. I never much wanted the 100s that’s why I didn’t buy much but I think theye were there a few months ago.

    There are buulbs labeled 100 in Shoprite but they are either Halogen or CFL.

    Sammy Finkelman (d22d64)


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