Yes! You, too, can extend that half hour commute to a half day bicycle trek!
This signals that the Obama administration has come to grips with the fact the US population will be poor for the near future and is seeking to incorporate this paradigm shift in personal transportation; Put simply folk won't be able to afford gas.
Notice the idiot didn't say anything about efficiency, speed, or even cheap transport, just how we need to spend money on a mode of transport that only the poorest, most miserable folk on the planet are forced to adopt. Fear not for your betters, though, even the Commissars had the Zil.
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Imbeciles. The only reason bikes, walking and mass-transit ever work is population density.
NYC? Chicago? Sure.
Indianapolis? Not so much.
Not that reality ever intrudes on government plans, mind you. An acquaintance of mine is lauding Indianapolis dropping federal tax dollars on a "historical/cultural bike path".
And he considers himself cultured and intelligent, evidence to the contrary.
Had the US developed without fascist government intervention, i.e. a free market, it would look more like the rest of the world with efficient, private mass transit and cities built around it. It was the "special interests" of the time, auto industry, et.al. that were behind building roads everywhere, remote housing, a car-or-two in every garage, and shipping by truck/road and later by air.
Government forced the infrastructure we have now, and it's simply hilarious for them to now call for something else, something that can't work unless we tear everything down and rebuild. It's a combination an demonstration of what I call the "separation of responsibility from authority", coupled with the blinding, shining stupidity that is the government ideal.
Good points, Mikesbo. It's interesting to read about how taxis used to work in the free market. I believe Thomas Sowell has written a few columns on the subject.
I really like the old parts of most cities (some of Chicago, the North End of Boston). Small stores with apartments above, busy but not too noisy. They have a lot of charm to them.
But often we can't have neighborhood shops anymore. We must have strip malls outside of walking distance because of zoning. Too stupid.
After the revolution, I hope I live somewhere where property rights are actually respected.
I hear the "We use too much energy" mantra from lefties who either has no use for modern technological conveniences, or simply don't know they require energy to operate, as in, "That doesn't use energy! It's electric."
The only solution which really makes sense, and it has always made sense but artificially inhibited by government, is smaller cars and motorbikes (which include scooters).
Aside from being 10x more fun than a car, my DL650K9 can not seem to get anything less than 50mpg (60 is common on a trip/highway), and it is not a small bike. Even at 650cc, it would be overpowered if it didn't need to be twice as fast as any car in order to provide the needed "active safety" margin. Scooters capable of highway speeds can still get 100mpg or more.
The way to make the shift is to get the government out of it. Sell the roads and let the owners charge tolls based on wear-and-tear of your vehicle on their roadway, but since that won't happen, tax fuel at a rate that reflects the true cost of the roads (I know, they couldn't be trusted to do that either). Either way, it would take care of itself.
Shipping by rail, the most efficient method we have, would also pick up, and with that passenger trains would return, and with that new development that is centered around train stations, and we gradually start to move to where we would have been if we had just left the market alone in the first place.
Yeah, I get somewhere over 50MPG. I was getting over 60 when I was babying it during break-in.
It's really messed up that motorcycle owners in Indiana pay a much higher rate of excise tax. Lets see now...
My Ninja 250 is 350lbs dry weight, plus maybe another 50 in gas and oil.So at the most, 400lbs for the vehicle.
They should virtually give license plates for motorcycles away if conservation is an actual concern.
Now come on guys, this is a better idea than it sounds. Now that we have socialized health care, and thus our tax rates are directly tied to the health of the citizens, it's our right to insist that our fellow citizens exercise. We shouldn't wait for the government to demand that everyone ride a bike to work, we should insist that everyone start getting regular exercise and eat healthy RIGHT NOW. Next time you're at a McDonalds, and you see Fatty McFatterson ordering a double quarter pounder, large fries and a diet coke - you insist that they order a salad instead. You are an empowered citizen with a strong interest in the healthy habits of your fellow concerned citizens, you have a financial and moral obligation to ensure that everyone is as healthy as possible. No longer can we hide behind a fake "live and let live" attitude, now you have an obligation to ensure that everyone does what is right, we have finally achieved the long-sought goal of Everything Within the State, Nothing Outside the State. We are all connected to the consciousness of our mother earth, and each is his brothers keeper. Our interconnectedness means that it takes a village to raise a child, and your work shall set you free.
You forgot, "From each according to his ability. To each according to his need", "War is Peace", "Freedom is Slavery", "Ignorance is Strength", what else, "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle", oh, she got married, sorry.
... it's for the children...
Mikesbo: "Sell the roads and let the owners charge tolls based on wear-and-tear of your vehicle on their roadway"
Only problem with that is assured access; without it, owners would be allowed to prohibit whomever they wanted.
"Got a motorcycle? Too bad, go around because I don't like 'em or the people that ride 'em."
"RV? Find another route you gas hog, because I'm Green."
And that's assuming there's more than one road to where you want to go; otherwise, you're SOL. Imagine owning land out in the middle of nowhere that's surrounded by land owned by somebody else who wants to force you to sell yours: "Better buy a helicopter, boy, 'cuz that's the only way you're getting there."
So because it could go bad in one instance out of a million, we should all endure an overall lousy system?
To secure property rights and ensure Liberty for all? Sure. It's one of the few legitimate functions of government. And free market economics do not work when there's no supply.
Government isn't perfect, but neither is Man. I try not to put too much stock in either one, but in this case it goes to the government.
"<span>So because it could go bad in one instance out of a million"</span>
<span></span>
<span>Only one in a million? You certainly have a higher opinion of people than I do....</span>
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