First, I did miss his first line that said he was from Peru. OK, no Federal offense for him.

Next, I am not a tree hugger. I hunt, fish, belong to the NRA, and did not vote for Al Gore. I actually do not like Diane Feinstein or Barbara Boxer. Nor am I an environmental nut. I do not live in LA.

What I am? I have a degree in Chemical Engineering, and am a licensed Professional Engineer. I have worked in the power plant, petrochemical refinery, and transportation (specifically automobiles, trucks and buses) industry for over 30 years. I have designed and installed their processes and designed and installed the systems to clean their effluent streams. I also have four family members who are doctors or nurses. Perhaps more importantly, I have four close friends and one relative who either have died or are dying of lung or throat cancer. They were active individuals who never smoked a day in their lives. Studies show conclusively that pollution is primarily responsible for such cases. I know many others with similar connections. We moved to where we are now to escape the pollution that killed those I care about, and so our baby would not have to go through what the 4 year old next door to us when we lived in Texas did.

So, excuse me for being so passionate about such a prevalent killer as air pollution. I just hope that the information I’ve provided will prevent some people from removing their cat. To those who don’t care, you are part of the problem.

I repeat: DON’T ENDANGER MY TWO YEAR OLD BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SAVE A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS.

I DO take it personally if someone knowingly does so.

NOTE: KlausC, you are not correct. People do not live 20 years longer than they did in the 60's, though here in the US we do like a couple of years longer, primarily through advancements in medicine. But people in some other countries, most of them very polluted, actually live less. Also, one of the primary reasons that cars are 95% cleaner than they were is specifically because of the catalytic converter. And most catalytic converters are recycled, the precious metals in them are worth money. While you are right that a hotter engine creates more Nox, the engines are not made to run any hotter to accommodate this, they are hot enough already. If the cat can not be placed to take advantage of the engine heat, then a supplemental cat heater is installed.