Transit-For-All

This is taken from the book “Thinking Points” by George Lakoff

The way we move shapes almost everything about our nation.

Our dependence on cars pollutes the environment, harms our personal health, restricts social and economic mobility, and chains us to foreign oil. With one multifaceted change over the course of many years, a “transit-for-all” initiative can help slay all the beasts. Simply put, the idea is to take $70 billion a year that currently goes to subsidizing cheap oil--the essential ingredient of our car cultur--and shift it toward building and promoting public transit systems. Additional funding could come from over $250 billion a year that is currently spent on building and maintaining the highway infrastructure.

Transit-for-all means expanding and improving public transportation at the local, regional, and federal levels. It means investing in bus and light rail in urban areas to create clean, convenient, reliable, and accessible webs of transportation. It means making our city cores more bike and pedestrian friendly. It means expanding commuter rail, to connect urban and suburban centers typically served by car transportation. It means investing in high-speed rail, to move people, goods, and services from city to city. Moving within urban cores and connecting urban and suburban hubs, these webs would extend to all auto-dense areas.

Transit-for-all is about values. Improving public transportation is about giving all Americans the freedom of equal access to social and economic opportunities that enhance our quality of life. Investing in alternative transportation is using the common wealth for the common good. It is an expansion of freedom, creating more diverse transportation.

Transit-for-all is a progressive strategic initiative to advance many of our goals at once.

It’s and economic issue. It would increase mobility of goods and labor. It would revitalize neglected neighborhoods. And it would spur growth and attract development.

It’s a labor issue. It would create many jobs--construction workers, engineers, bus drivers, rail operators, administrators, ticker vendors. Many of these jobs are sustainable union jobs. An increase of union jobs empowers labor to negotiate better contracts and helps develop better conditions for workers throughout the community.

It’s an environmental issue. By now the relationship between fossil fuels and the environment is well understood and accepted. Burning oil releases into the atmosphere greenhouses gases that destabilize the climate. Mass transit reduces society’s dependence on oil and helps remediate some of the dangers of global warming.

It’s a public health issue. Our air quality is abysmal and getting worse. The dirty exhaust from cars is driving an air pollution crisis that increases health hazards and claims tens of thousands of American lives, not to mention millions of dollars, every year. And no one needs to be reminded of the physical, emotional, and economic damage of six million annual auto accidents. Better public transportation helps us transition out of this dirty and dangerous technology. In doing so, it could rescue millions of Americans from debilitating health problems and even death, and save the public from bearing the burden of preventable medical expenses.

It’s a national security issue. Kicking our oil habit not only benefits human and environmental health, it secures our nation. Greater energy autonomy frees us from our dangerous dependence on a volatile region.

With a transit-for-all initiative, laborers, economists, environmentalists, and security buffs could walk under the same banner. An investment in freedom, health, the economy, and national security.

It is time for progressives to start thinking strategically. The most effective long-term strategies start with the most common-place activities: eating, traveling to work, and working in a business. Home is where we live. Start there.

After I read this, not agreeing with the term of being progressive, I found I agree with most of what was put forth here. I hope our representatives look at this for more thought towards our future and how they form the futures’ budgets for our transportation needs.

Parking abuses - Second Time Regarding this issue

During the past couple of weeks, I have heard comments at various meetings regarding the need for more “disabled parking” throughout Eureka. It triggered more of a thought from a commentary I listened to on KINS Radio for more disabled parking in Old Town.

It is not more “disabled parking” that is needed, but less abuse of the “parking privilege” that is needed. One only needs to look closer and you see individuals jumping out of vehicles parked in the disabled parking that have no obvious need (Yes, we have good and bad days.). Disabled parking was originally started for those with mobility difficulties.

Instead of looking for additional parking for the disabled, why not address the need for more public transportation that provides a more convenient use in the Old Town area (throughout the community as a matter of fact)? Promote the addition of feeder routes to the larger system, as well as having the transit system provide more service during the hours of operation.

The addition of disabled parking in Old Town is not needed; but the addition of a transit system that is used and supported by the community is what is needed.

Marijuana eradacation program against health

Was there not a news segment very recently about prisoners doing time for meth and cocaine being released 27 months early? This was decided by the Supreme court.

I mention this, because it seems to me that marijuana is a lesser crime, yet there seems to be a large cost expended and more attention with this issue than the other mentioned above. At least, locally, agreed?

CAMP has been in existence for nearly 20 years, I believe. In all the reports we read in the paper, or hear on the TV has only shown numbers of plants and estimated value. As with the currect article publish in the Times-Standard today.

http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_7457610

I bring this view up, because in many views the legalization of marijuana for medical use by the Federal Government should be done, as it already is within 11 States, I believe. It may even be thought to be rightfully just as legal as alcohol is and treated as such.

If CAMP was so important to the eradication and prevention program, why do they not demonstrate in the articles the effects on society, socially as well as medically? It seems this would provide a stronger case against marijuana if it was for anything else but to harrass the public.

Do Kerrigan’s Constituents Miss Him?

The Eureka Reporter had published a Letter to the Editor regarding Kerrigan's absence.
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=30606

Thinking about the letter, it only demonstrated, maybe a lack of understanding how things work today; following old ideas. Not looking at new opportunities and ways of accomplishing common goals. I

t was an opportunity for him to work with the Edwards campaign, Kerrigan's benefit. But it may also turn out to be a benefit (one not seen), in the future to the north coast.

Missing Kerrigan? Probably not, for if it is needed, I understand Email works very well. As well as having other Council-members available to speak with if there is a concern.

Abuse of "Disabled Placards"

was reading a post under "Rants & Raves" in the Humboldt County Section of CL (below).

http://humboldt.craigslist.org/rnr/475476134.html

As a disabled individual confined to a chair from a spinal cord injury, I have used a "Disabled Placard" in various situations. I honestly try not to use it, feeling there are those worst-off.

But this earlier mentioned rant made me consider this issue again. In so doing, I have to agree with the poster. It isn't even funny about the abuse. It is disgusting!

I believe the State of California should color code the Placards. This would kind of identify the sort of disability.

- A blue placard for the non-ambulatory (needs wheelchair, crutches, walker or are leg amputees) and this would be a permanent placard.

- A green placard for the ambulatory conditions(heart poblems, diabetic and so forth), where walking long distances maybe difficult. This may also be a permanent placard.

- A yellow placard would cover all other disabilities that (Broken legs, hips and so on) are short-term disabilities.

This is something the disabled community should consider when addressing our State Representatives.

I can assure you, there is nothing worst to me than seeing an individual with a placard quickly jump from their car or high pick-up and run/walk quickly into a shop and buy something you or I probably could not of even carried without help!

This is just a part of the abuse.

California Prop. 215 Abuse

I was reading a post under "Rants & Raves" in the Humboldt County Section of CL (below).

http://humboldt.craigslist.org/rnr/475476134.html

It made me think about my friends who use marjiuana for its calming effect on their pain, as well as a way to relax with cancer. With the passing of the Prop. 215 has come abuse along with positive views and effects economically as demonstrated in the NorthCoast Journal.

http://www.northcoastjournal.com/110807/cover1108.html

The city of Arcata has had some other problems with how to deal with grows with in the city. This is also somewhat addressed in the above article.

Court Halts Government From Implementing Flawed Social Security No-Match Rule (8/31/2007)

Wow! This surprises me. I thought checking the Social Security Numbers was for ensuring that those being paid were having money credited to the appropriate account. If this is not done and a wrong number is being used, who pays for the mistake?

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has advocated for this effort because it was believed it would be used against "illegal immigrants". We seem to have or take pleasure in taking the ability of our government agencies ability to do their job properly away.

If someone is using a false number, illegal or not, would it not be appropriate to get the situation corrected?

Here is the link to the news release regarding this subject.

http://www.aclu.org/immigrants/workplace/31537prs20070831.html