Things Going Right

In a world - okay, a country - where nothing is going right, it's a good idea to celebrate what does:

New Jersey became the first state to outlaw the death penalty since the Supreme Court allowed executions to resume in 1976. Governor Corzine signed the bill into law earlier this week. He gave the Garden State an early Christmas present, as this state became just a little more humane and little less hypocritical. No longer do we condemn convicted murderers top die to show that killing people is wrong - or risk killing the wrong person for the crime.

Congress passed - and George W. Bush signed - an energy bill that mandates that automakers achieve a average fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon for their product lineup by 2020 - the first such increase since 1975. Our highways will have fewer SUV's and more sensible cars. General Motors's Robert Lutz - whose company makes fuel-efficient Opels in Germany - has already whined that GM will have to redo its U.S. product line as a result. Too bad. It's a new era, and GM has to design better, smaller cars for its American brands. If they can do it Russelsheim (home of Opel), they can do it in Detroit.

"Legacy costs" will not be a viable excuse.