On Fri, 02 Aug 1996, "ppp:pbailey" <pbailey@qnet.com> wrote:
>I disagree about poo-pooing the so called paranoa.I am old enough to remember
d I
>bet he wouldn't believe you and say"Not in THIS country"And are we actually
>better off because of all the laws and regulations?People are worse drivers
>than before because they feel safe in their regulated blimpmobiles The smog
>doesn't seem much better for all the costs involved So don't tell me not to
>be a little concerned about what they may have planned for us I think they
>have every intention of doing these things and a lot more.Vice Pres Gore has
>written in one of his books that the automobile is the worse thing to happen
>to the world>with people like these in power I don't think it is a stretch to
>wonder if indeed we could be destined for the scrap heap..Pat
>
>Like any other mass or universal phenominem the car has been a mixed
>blessing.I
have been raised in the post war era, but I am sure those raised in the first
four decades of this century could have written the same response and protest
in
the 1950,s.
Since we have a society in the U.S. that is universally tied to the automobile,
everyone must drive, and the laws and cars are designed for the least common
denominator. My new car warns me if I leave my directional signal on after 3/4
of a mile. It turns my lights on at dusk in case I forget. I hate these
features. I have never used cruise control in any car. Once you take your foot
off the gas you have little connection to the road.
Maybe the mistake was making the decision that transportation had to be by car
and we abandoned the railroad and bus system. As a kid these forms of
transportation were still good and relatively cheap. My early adventures in
Europe and Great Britain in the 60's allowed endless travel at reasonable cost
by public transportation. It is sad to go back in the 90's and see the
Americanization of Europe with the same problems and traffic jams and lowest
common denominator cars.
Why we love lbc's is their personalities and individual traits the cars had in
the past. England was great because of all the diverse marques and
manufacturers. Now look what they have.
The present laws are not a result of sick politicians and legislatures who wish
to destroy our personal freedoms, they are a result of the automobiles success
in killing everything else. 3/4's of all laws and court cases are a result of
the automobile. If there were no cars all you lawyer haters would be happy as
there would be 75% less lawyers, and 75% less laws.
Except for groups like us , who goes for a Sunday drive in the family
automobile, as my family did in the 1950's?
There is no fix other than the high cost and traffic may force a return to
public transportation in the next century. The genie is out of the bottle and
that is that . Now let me off my soap box.
Mike Leckstein
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