Sunday, September 19, 2010

No conspiracy. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I was amazed last week to hear callers to Lars' show insist that there is no government conspiracy against the automobile. You may choose to call these "plans" something other than a conspiracy but clearly our government masters don't want us driving our cars.

NOTE: SOV = single occupancy vehicle

CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES May 8, 2000
"establish modal targets for non-single occupant vehicle (SOV) person trips for all Metro 2040
design type areas in Lake Oswego."

SALEM TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PLAN ELEMENTS
"decrease reliance on the SOV as the dominant means of travel."

"It is an objective of this Plan for the Salem Urban Area to achieve a minimum of a 9 percent increase in work trips, a total of 25 percent, using modes other than the single-occupant vehicle (SOV) by 2015."

City of Bend Transportation/Parking Strategic Plan
"active discouragement of SOV use, such as higher pricing for parking in desirable spots or during desirable hours."

Multnomah County Health Department
"Public transportation is a preferable alternative to SOV trips."

19 comments:

Kaelri said...

And I suppose the Transcontinental Railroad was a conspiracy against stagecoaches.

Anonymous said...

These people are morons!

IMO what triggered the rescission was fuel cost reaching $5.00 a gal making it too costly to drive, and driving for a lot of people is a necessary means of transportation.

people were having to make a choice between food and fuel for their cars.

I know, because I was on of them. in fact I currently spend $200.00 a month for fuel, and my last job when fuel was $5.00 a gal, that jumped to $400.00 a month.

These examples that Daniel listed just shows again how the people in government are out of touch with reality.

DAVE01 said...

All public employees should take the bus to work. Let's first start with them. We could make it a condition of employment that they have to take mass transit to work. We need a law that the legislators cannot operate or own an SUV or any other gas guzzler. We need to do this immediately to save the planet for our children.

ANON 5:43 AM, what the hell is wrong with you? Government knows best, don't you know?

Anonymous said...

My little Jeep gets 24 mpg, my wifes mini-van gets 27 mpg. The local bus gets about 4 mpg and I see it driving around empty (except for the drive) all the time. Let demand that all bus routes that cannot support an average of half the busses capacity during all of it's runs be eliminated. Wouldn't that make far more sense then worrying about my drive to the supermarket?

Anonymous said...

ANON 10:58 AM
That is another good idea. We the citizens have better ideas than the government.

Anonymous said...

Good point, Kaelri. And I'm sure the national freeway system was also a conspiracy against something, to force people into cars. Miglavs' head is somehow stuck in the mid-20th century ... unlimited room for growth, unlimited room for freeways, and unlimited oil. When he finally figures the shit out, the 21st century is going to hit him like a ton of bricks.

FP said...

Single occupancy vehicles, huh?

So, they're planning on discouraging bicycle use? The weather around here automatically does that for them. I know of no other single occupancy vehicles on the road today.

Bobkatt said...

Kaelri-I'm sure you would agree that the Trans. Railroad was a conspiracy against the Indians, ranchers and immigrant Chinese and Mexicans. It also was a conspiracy against the American people for the benefit of a few in the granting of land right aways and cost overruns.

Stay tuned for the next conspiracy: High Speed Rail. Billions will be spent to upgrade and install new rails with the promise of high speed rail replacing the airplane. When the ridership doesn't materialize the new infrastructure will be handed over to the major rail companies for free or at fire sale prices.
Warren Buffett is rarely wrong.

Anonymous said...

And in Miglavia, the government-conceived and built Internet was a conspiracy against the telephone companies, realtors, dirty magazines and ... well, everything!

Anonymous said...

At the current rate of resource depletion and population growth, Americans will need approximately four or five other similarly-sized planets to maintain our current insane rate of consumption, which includes everyone luxuriating in glorious solitude in their own vehicle.

I assume that one of those planets is Miglavia.

Daniel: For the benefit of the rest of us, could you identify the other four?

FP said...

Anon 8:13, if you have problems with the current rate of population growth and resource consumption, then why don't you do the world a favor and off yourself? Leadership by example is a powerful thing, you know.

If you don't commit suicide, which is the logical end of your belief system, then you don't believe your own crap... ergo, you are a hypocrite and a liar.

Anonymous said...

You are a fool, FP. From your snotty comments about my observation, I can only conclude that you think that economic growth and commensurate levels of consumption can continue at its current rate. I don't know how old you are, but if you're 50 or younger, I'd say you'll be in for a very rude awakening soon enough to how totally wrong you are. What will it be that makes the light bulb go off for you, I wonder? Gas at $15 per gallon? $10 for a head of lettuce?

Not my concern. I'll be ready. You won't, and that's really not my problem.

FP said...

You're a laugh riot, anon. No wonder you don't put a name to your comments.

Behold, the Prophet Paul Ehrlich:

By 1985 enough millions will have died to reduce the earth’s population to some acceptable level, like 1.5 billion people.

Must be that new math everyone's talking about.

Speaking of math, here's one for you:

Population, when unchecked, increases in a geometrical ratio. Subsistence increases only in an arithmetic ratio.

Hence the government paying farmers not to grow certain crops, right?

Bonus points if you can name the doomsday prophet the above quote belongs to.

Bottom line: your ilk have been making similar doomsday predictions for not only decades, but centuries. Yet they somehow never come to pass. But I'm sure you can regale me with excuse after excuse as to why that is.

Remember the logical end of a belief system such as yours. When you reach it, there are hotlines available to help. You can find the number at the top of any tall bridge.

Anonymous said...

I'm not predicting "doomsday," you idiot. I'm saying that we're going through a massive economic and social transformation (which has happened before, in case you were totally ignorant of the last 200 years of history) and that Daniel's desire to go on as if we're living in the 1950s is a fantasy that's about to meet a cold, mean bitch called Reality.

I've never even read Paul Ehrlich and am, in general, not very familiar with or even interested in "doomsday" predictions. You, however, evidently are.

FP said...

You're so cute, what with your namecalling and condescending attitude.

***pats little anonymous on the head***

Tell you what, when you can get your story straight, do some growing up, develop a context, and use a handle so everyone here can identify you, then you can come back and we can have a real discussion, mmmkay?

Anonymous said...

FP, I have no illusions that even if I were to provide you with my real name in its entirety and a current photograph, that you would be any more willing/able to seriously address comments than you are now.

MK said...

Looks like FP is trying to emulate the adults in his life again. "Mmmkay?" Who says that to you more, FP? Your wife, or your mom? Get back to me on that, mmmkay? ;-)

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