Dear America,
so gas is at $4.59/gallon in my neck of the woods (and that would be for 'regular' -- not the fully loaded version of the same thing).
While I was stalling around the house yesterday, pending an afternoon of running errands, I found myself channel surfing. Right after my heart was crushed, discovering the rain delay for the Daytona 500 (oh darn), I happened to flip onto the face of my fine governor, Jerry Brown (oh joy). So, as you could well imagine, I just had to park it there to find out what in the world he had to say.
Like gas prices, suffice it to say, he was predictable and questionable all at the same time.
Speed racer version (paraphrasing, of course): 'electric cars are great...california is on the cutting edge...gotta go mass transit...nothing to see here, move along' .
Now talk about being out of touch with reality! (just piggy backing on some recent stellar feedback from a critique...see 'anonymous' 2-24...someone who called me "reality challenged") Does Jerry really know how real Californian's do business? Has he been on the freeway lately, and counted the SUV's? Has he counted the number of 4 X 4's on the road everyday -- as construction workers, plumbers, and pick ups get things to market and go to work? (and don't even get me started on the eighteen wheelers...)
He thinks oil is the root of all evil -- all environmentalists believe it is.
Now back in the day -- back in the governor's first go round (1975-1983) -- Californian's were IN LOVE with their freeways; not to be confused with the 'back in the day' when Jerry's father, Pat, ruled as the 32nd governor (from 1959 - 1967). Now, you "Brown's," have had plenty of opportunities -- like sixteen years worth, and counting, to affect change...and yet, how many freeways were saved or created under your lead?
So for kicks and giggles, with a little va va vroom added in for context, we should all recognize that it was long before the Brown legacy hit the scene when the first freeway was built -- the Arroyo Seco Parkway, linking LA and Pasadena. It was commissioned and ready for business in the year 1940.
It is said that the traffic has quadrupled on that little stretch of road, and yet, very little of it has changed over the years; in other words, there has been more tangible changes to the governorship and California's leadership, then in the pavement of over seventy years old.
And yet, here Californian's sit. Addicted through and through ...to their cars, their freedoms, the amenities and surely the wealth of commerce flowing every single day from Pasadena to downtown LA and back again and beyond. And it's a good thing.
The car has probably attributed to creating more wealth and prosperity and freedom for all then most anything else ever invented. Think about it.
The truth is -- we have improved upon the making of our cars and upon the regulations surrounding the industry. Smog checks are up (and standard). Air pollutants are down (as expected). Here's a few charts from a fellow blogspot, including making the following bottom line, circa "Earth Day 2009":
The one thing we Californian's have not done -- is change our ways; nor have we created viable alternatives through mass transit; nor have we altered our lifestyle with regards to where we live and where we work. We have twelve lanes of freeway across one section of the Interstate 5/805 merge here in San Diego.
The governor -- and anybody else for that matter -- is reality challenged if they think we will all be nudged and poked to driving a compact, electric car. Some of us can, and will. But for many people, it just isn't a reality that truly works and gets the job done. WE DRIVE trucks, large and small. WE WORK. WE CAR POOL. WE go on ROAD TRIPS. WE take kids -- and equipment -- to GAMES. And on and on.
And California is not alone.
The president, over the weekend, said that there is no silver bullet to bring down gas prices, that we can't 'drill' our way out of this; while he also retreated to his canned answer calling for "an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence -- gas, oil, wind, nuclear, solar, biofuels and more"
PUBLIC NOTICE:
Due to recent budget cuts,
the rising cost of electricity,
gas, and oil, plus the current
state of the economy,
the light at the end
of the tunnel
has been turned off.
Have a nice day.
(just a funny thing sent to me, but it fits here)
so gas is at $4.59/gallon in my neck of the woods (and that would be for 'regular' -- not the fully loaded version of the same thing).
While I was stalling around the house yesterday, pending an afternoon of running errands, I found myself channel surfing. Right after my heart was crushed, discovering the rain delay for the Daytona 500 (oh darn), I happened to flip onto the face of my fine governor, Jerry Brown (oh joy). So, as you could well imagine, I just had to park it there to find out what in the world he had to say.
Like gas prices, suffice it to say, he was predictable and questionable all at the same time.
Speed racer version (paraphrasing, of course): 'electric cars are great...california is on the cutting edge...gotta go mass transit...nothing to see here, move along' .
Now talk about being out of touch with reality! (just piggy backing on some recent stellar feedback from a critique...see 'anonymous' 2-24...someone who called me "reality challenged") Does Jerry really know how real Californian's do business? Has he been on the freeway lately, and counted the SUV's? Has he counted the number of 4 X 4's on the road everyday -- as construction workers, plumbers, and pick ups get things to market and go to work? (and don't even get me started on the eighteen wheelers...)
He thinks oil is the root of all evil -- all environmentalists believe it is.
Now back in the day -- back in the governor's first go round (1975-1983) -- Californian's were IN LOVE with their freeways; not to be confused with the 'back in the day' when Jerry's father, Pat, ruled as the 32nd governor (from 1959 - 1967). Now, you "Brown's," have had plenty of opportunities -- like sixteen years worth, and counting, to affect change...and yet, how many freeways were saved or created under your lead?
So for kicks and giggles, with a little va va vroom added in for context, we should all recognize that it was long before the Brown legacy hit the scene when the first freeway was built -- the Arroyo Seco Parkway, linking LA and Pasadena. It was commissioned and ready for business in the year 1940.
It is said that the traffic has quadrupled on that little stretch of road, and yet, very little of it has changed over the years; in other words, there has been more tangible changes to the governorship and California's leadership, then in the pavement of over seventy years old.
And yet, here Californian's sit. Addicted through and through ...to their cars, their freedoms, the amenities and surely the wealth of commerce flowing every single day from Pasadena to downtown LA and back again and beyond. And it's a good thing.
The car has probably attributed to creating more wealth and prosperity and freedom for all then most anything else ever invented. Think about it.
The truth is -- we have improved upon the making of our cars and upon the regulations surrounding the industry. Smog checks are up (and standard). Air pollutants are down (as expected). Here's a few charts from a fellow blogspot, including making the following bottom line, circa "Earth Day 2009":
"Consider that since the first Earth Day in 1970, U.S. population has increased by 50.25%, miles driven has increased by 159% and real GDP has increased 203%; and yet air quality is better than ever."
The one thing we Californian's have not done -- is change our ways; nor have we created viable alternatives through mass transit; nor have we altered our lifestyle with regards to where we live and where we work. We have twelve lanes of freeway across one section of the Interstate 5/805 merge here in San Diego.
The governor -- and anybody else for that matter -- is reality challenged if they think we will all be nudged and poked to driving a compact, electric car. Some of us can, and will. But for many people, it just isn't a reality that truly works and gets the job done. WE DRIVE trucks, large and small. WE WORK. WE CAR POOL. WE go on ROAD TRIPS. WE take kids -- and equipment -- to GAMES. And on and on.
And California is not alone.
The president, over the weekend, said that there is no silver bullet to bring down gas prices, that we can't 'drill' our way out of this; while he also retreated to his canned answer calling for "an all-of-the-above approach to energy independence -- gas, oil, wind, nuclear, solar, biofuels and more"
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment