Two decades ago Ronald Reagan vetoed a highway bill that had some 150 earmarks, that is, special appropriations to specific projects that would be exempt from the normal enactment process and regulatory scrutiny.

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Finally, there are some real costs that the rental companies are passing on: Airports charge high rents to tenants like car rental agencies, so the cost of maintaining a special area for refueling is somewhat higher than it is for a typical highway gas station.

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It will be interesting to see if Chrysler can also strike gold with the new Dart, set to get 41 mpg on the highway with a 1.9-liter four, a manual transmission and a special aerodynamic-enhancing eco package.

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