Hope and change, or oppression and destruction?

Today Barack Obama announced a proposal for a new national automotive fuel economy standard beginning with the 2016 model year, requiring an average fuel economy of 35.5 miles per gallon, or 39 mpg for cars and 30 mpg for trucks. Current standards are 27.5 for cars and 23 for trucks.
It's all part of his plan to stop "climate change" or "global warming" or whatever they're calling it this week, as well as reduce dependency on foreign oil.
While this measure standardizes fuel economy across all 50 states (no more "California emissions" provisions), it also accelerates by four years the timetable for automakers to comply with these new government regulations. Automakers will now be required to raise their average fuel economy performance by 40% in one product cycle, at a time when the domestic auto industry is in or near bankruptcy and barely surviving on government cheese.
How will automakers increase fuel efficiency? There are only a few ways. Reduce size and weight, and restrict power production. For the consumer that means smaller cars that hold less stuff and are less safe. We may no longer be allowed to choose a large SUV that holds all our kids and their soccer gear. Trucks that carry cement blocks and 2x4s to the job site won't be able to carry as much of the materials that make our jobs go. And when that 18-wheeler slams into you at the stop light, you will die.
People drive the cars they want to drive. That's why trucks, SUVs, and large sedans are so prevalent on the roads. If we all wanted to drive microcars, we all would. When gas prices topped $4 a gallon last summer, people still drove trucks, SUVs and large sedans. More small cars were sold, but the market decided which to favor, not government.
Instead what the consumer gets is more of Obama dictating our behavior and controlling our choices, activities and lives.
Furthermore, this is going to cost us all more than a little pocket change. Experts suggest the new regulations will add at least $600 to the cost of production, meaning the consumer will pay at least double that at the lot. Obama claims this added cost will be recouped in lower fuel costs over the next few years of ownership. I would like to draw your attention, however, to one aspect he didn't mention. Government collects revenue from gasoline taxes, both on the state and federal level. If gasoline consumption is reduced, so is tax revenue. What does government do when tax revenue decreases? They increase taxes.
Obama also claimed these regulations will decrease our dependency on foreign oil. What about all the oil we have here in our own backyard? Surely, Barack, you don't think America isn't able to safely and conscientiously utilize our own natural resources in a responsible manner?
Really, how wise is it to impose even stricter, more costly regulations with even less time to implement them on an auto industry that is barely surviving as is? Not to mention the increased costs to consumers in a recession?
Perhaps Barack Obama thinks of himself as a King Midas, of sorts, and everything he touches turns to gold. Except instead of gold it's more like lead.