July 6, 2009 James Oberstar (D., Minn.), chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, wants to establish a federal Office of Livability that will tell Americans when they can drive, where they can drive, what they can drive, and how they will live. And of course, this will include a Livability Czar who will “ensure that States and metropolitan areas achieve progress towards national transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals.” Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood recently said he wants to “coerce people out of their cars.” CNSNews.com - Obama?s Transportation Secretary Says He Wants to ?Coerce People Out of Their Cars?
Where is the rest of this? I'd like to read how he plans to accomplish his goal. All this article really says is that he would like to initiate the advancement of public infrastructure that would facilitate alternate means of transportation, and I frankly can't see how someone wouldn't support such a goal. This very thing is going on in Baton Rouge right now, with Mayor Holden's plan to triple the miles of bike paths over the next year. I'm not saying the guy doesn't have some plan to try and force people out of their cars. But if he does, this article does a poor job of illustrating it.
My reading is that he doesn't plan to make any of this voluntary. Kill this thing at birth. "Give 'em an inch..."
This can be one of those win-win deals. We are going to be needing more mass transit in the future as oil prices become too high for people to do the kind of driving that they do today. But people shouldn't be "forced" out of their cars, they should be motivated to do so, by the availability of better transportation options. It takes decades to build this infrastructure and it is time to get started. but people aren't going to abandon cars, they are just going to be integrating more light-rail commuting and inter-city travel by high-speed rail into their lives. 100,000 people commmute to Baton Rouge from Livingston and Tangipahoa every day. A commuter light rail line from Hammond to BR would be perfect for half of these folks. No driving in traffic, lower costs, a chance to read the paper and have a cup of coffee on the way to work, etc. etc. Families could take a high-speed train through the Rockies to vacation at Yellowstone instead of a long driving trip. It doesn't mean they have to give up their cars. Lots of tiger fans in Shreveport would love to be able to take a high-speed train to BR for a Saturday game and sleep on the way back after the game instead of driving. Ditto Houston. We need to be looking ahead and stop the paranoid fears of "government telling us what to do" when they make plans for dealing with future realities.
A noble cause indeed, Red; but with nationalized health care, continued propping up of failed banks and industry and loss of tax revenues from businesses forced out by cap and trade, exactly how does all of this stuff get paid for?
Obama will talk the Russians into paying for it. :hihi: Seriously, health care will be largely paid for by money from the system it is replacing. The banks are already repaying their loans with interest, we could end up making money off of it as we did with the Chrysler bailout in the 80's. The auto business is entering bankruptcy and facing the music, which is long overdue. Cap and trade has not sent industries overseas, it is cheap foreign labor that has done that. Hard times should not keep us from looking forward and planning ahead.
