Ahhh, a nit-picker in the works.
Well I’m still probably using more of my own muscle turning the hydraulic than I was the electric ps.
The amount of muscle you use steering doesn’t depend of the type of system used. It depends on how much boost the manufacturer feels is appropriate to provide.
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Naw I sometimes just call out “misleading statements” and such wherever I read it, so nothing personal. 
My 1976 power steering with a much smaller then stock wheel is still easier to turn the steering wheel then my 2009/2017 EPS vehicles… On my 76 I can put one finger in the hole of the wheel and turn it… Now when I am moving it around in the garage for whatever reason with smaller tires on the front at all times, it is very hard to turn the steering wheel due to the much smaller steering wheel when the engine is not running…
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Back in the '60s, most of my friends drove mid to late '50s cars and some made the mistake of replacing the large steering wheel of their manual steering cars with those small diameter, chrome, plated steering wheels like the image @DavesMopar posted in #63… Some even re-installed the old steering wheel since it was so much harder to steer in tight quarters. That was how I got mine, I bought it used, tried it for several days, and sold it to someone else, but they had a newer car with poser steering…
Our experiences are the complete opposite! Guess it depends on the kind of cars we drive, pressures we keep in the tires, etc
Most EPS equipped cars to me feel numb and over boosted. And I read all the conspiratorial-style comments about ‘slop’ in conventional hydraulic power steering system.
I can go out right now, to my 2010 Honda Accord, reach in the drivers window, turn the steering wheel, and see the front left wheel move in reaction to my inputs - with the engine OFF. So I don’t want to hear about ‘slop’.
If I ever own an eps equipped car, I’ll figure out how to hack into the steering programming, and reduce the amount of electric boost myself.
Actually, it’s not hard to figure why people in Nordic countries are happier. The taxes they pay provide services they value.
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I’m pretty sure that you are correct.
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That’s part of the reason. I expect however there are other reasons afoot as well . For example, most of the residents share a common religion and common culture going back hundreds of years. When I visited Norway about 20 years ago, the one thing that most impressed me was that folks riding their bicycle to the store to shop didn’t feel the need to lock their bicycles. Very common to see 10-20 bicycles in front of a store, resting on their kickstands only, no chains, no cables, no locks. .
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In front of the main RR station in Amsterdam, one can usually see thousands of bikes that are not secured in any way. I think the biggest problem that those bikers have is actually finding their own bike, in a sea of mostly identical ones.
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I don’t see that happening anytime soon in the USA. Here, internet-flash-gangs rob the hardware stores just to get hammers, so they can use the hammers to rob other stores … lol … have to wonder if something might be a little amiss in the USA?
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European values and US values have always been quite different, but now they are becoming even more distant from each other.
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Not everyone values those services and some would refuse to put up with the insanity of paying more to drive an old car.
Back in 1960 my dad lived in Amsterdam. He was 30 years old, had a bad marriage that ended in divorce, 2 young kids he rarely saw, was living in a small basement apartment, and had a job that offered little excitement. One evening he was commiserating with a friend about how he saw few prospects for himself and wondered how he would provide a great life for his kids. His friend said “Don’t worry about it. If the kids need food or clothes social aid will be there to provide. If they need a roof over their heads the housing authority will help. If you lose your job government assistance will provide money for you.” That was the most depressing thing Dad ever heard and figured there was nothing left to do in life but roll over and die. That night he decided to emigrate to the US where he was free to succeed or fail all on his own.
Mom’s family lived in the Netherlands as well in the early 60’s. One day the housing authority notified my grandparents that they would have to move. It seems they made plenty of money and they could easily afford a larger flat, and a less fortunate family needed the place they were living. Grandma said hell if the government is going to tell us how to spend what little money we have left after taxes, and that family decided to come to the states as well.
And finally Grandpa could drive the big Buicks he always dreamed of instead of the crappy little Opels he was stuck with in Europe!
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Returing to "Old Car Tax ", conceptually would anyone have an objection to paying the cost of doing what you decide to do?
If you decide to burn pig carcasses wouldn’t it be reasonable to expect you to pay for the resulting nusance for your neighbors?
Not saying it’s exacly the same, pig carcasses yield sweet smelling BBQ while vehicle emissions yield pure stink but you get the idea.
The point is that we’re all responsible for cleaning up our own mess, whether it’s a 2023 EV, a 2020 Lambo, a 1950 Classic Cadillac or a 2012 Hoopdie
High Polution Emissions vehicles costs 3rd parties money and if you’re not willing to pay the cost up front, well in the US there’s always Class Action lawsuits. 
On another note, electric vs mechanical assisted PS, it’s not the source of the energy but the design of the steering.
Having driven everything from no PS on cars and Semi’s, to “numb nuts PS '” on 60’s cars, it’s just a matter of preferance and adaptation.
The no PS on the 1960’s MG was great, changed lanes if you even thought about it but so was the PS on the 1970’s 4bbl V8 Cutlass Supreme which you could wind up with your thumb.
Both great cars and admittedly modern cars are much better but wouldn’t mind having either today.
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The reason many are upset is mainly the scope of the expansion of the zone, In 2001 it was expanded beyond the area where you’d pay the congestion charge, It was expanded as part of a funding deal for the transport system for London,
I get what you’re saying but this hit a nerve with me. My last house was not far from a farm that raised pigs, cattle etc. Smaller operation but they still raised animals for slaughter and sale. One year, they got the bright idea to burn the carcasses rather than pay to have them disposed of elsewhere. You would not believe the resulting stench. It was awful and lasted for about a week. Burning hides and bones along with waste protein does not smell like a BBQ and yes, there was talk about if they ever did that again, there would be lawsuits for diminished value and loss of enjoyment. Living near a farm- no problem. Burning carcasses- big problem.
Agreed.
It depends on what that tax money is spent.
Some countries spend a high percentage of each tax dollar on defense. Education and healthcare suffer, accordingly.
It’s all based on a specific country’s priorities - high rates of education, employment, solid transportation infrastructure, and health, or, a global show of force to, ostensibly, preserve the peace, or world order, etc.
My gas jockey days were spent at a large station adjacent to the NJ Meadowlands (a large marshy area). There had been dumping of household waste in this area for many years, and the discarded bird seeds from some homes had taken root and formed a virtual forest of HUGE marijuana plants.
The “genius” who was the county sheriff at the time decided that the best way to rid the area of the pot plants was to set them on fire. Depending on which way the wind was blowing, it was possible to get a mild “high” just from going outside and breathing.
After a few days, the sheriff realized that his idea wasn’t such a good one, but before the fires were extinguished, we had a lot of very happy customers (and employees) at my gas station. 
Don’t forget there is that small group of countries where the leaders prioritize nepotism, cronyism, favoritism, discrimination, partisanship, graft, greed, bribes, blackmail, exploitation, extortion, and so many more adjectives…
Bless America where none of this exists… (NOT…)
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