Posted by
ARestlessMind on Thursday, August 07, 2008 11:42:21 AM
Those of us who study and teach ethics know there are times when a person can say something that is untrue, yet not be lying. On the other hand, there are times when a person can make a true statement, yet be lying. Politicians are masters in the use of these ethical conundrums.
Barack Obama’s statement about keeping tires inflated is an excellent example of a true lie. That is, he made a true statement, but the message he communicated is a lie. It is true that keeping a vehicle’s tires inflated properly improves the fuel mileage the vehicle can achieve. The lie is the implication that everyone can easily achieve this standard.
Mr. Obama’s comment made it sound like this was an easy way to save gas. His tone was flippant, dismissive and incredulous. Why, if we’d only keep our tires inflated, we could reduce fuel consumption more than 3 percent. Given his flippant tone, it is unlikely Mr. Obama has ever tried to maintain recommended tire pressure on his vehicles. Perhaps, a little education is necessary.
Tire and automobile manufacturers state that tire pressure must be checked when the tires are cold. In practical terms, this means tires should be checked when a car has not been driven in at least four hours, or before it has been driven more than a mile. After a mile of driving, heat begins to build up, and heat causes tire pressure to increase. Once this happens, trying to inflate tires may result in over inflation. Or, tires may appear over inflated, and lowering the pressure may leave the tires under inflated.
The bottom line is this. Keeping tires inflated is not rocket science. It is not however, as simple as Mr. Obama seems to think. Drivers wanting to follow Mr. Obama’s advice need their own equipment, or they need to live less than a mile from a place that has the equipment. Additionally, they need to check their tires regularly. Or, as in Mr. Obama’s case, they can have their drivers check the tires on a regular basis and make certain they meet manufacturers’ specifications.
Flippancy aside, the truth of the matter is this. Maintaining proper tire pressure takes more effort, time and money than most people are willing to spend. So, Mr. Obama is right, but his advice is simply political rhetoric. The average car owner is simply not willing or able to check their tires and keep them inflated properly. Of course if Mr. Obama is elected, maybe he can set up a new government agency to provide tire inflation services to those who cannot do it for themselves. After all, we’d save enough money on oil imports to fund a lot of government jobs!