For the Record

In my blogging I often add a few throw away comments that get under the skin of some readers. I have been accused of being against:

• Anthropogenic Climate change
• Electric Vehicles
• Connected Cars
• Rapid Transit
• Most City Government
• Bike Lanes
• Bird type scooters
• Bicycles
• Most reporters
• Organizations in General
• Autonomous Vehicles
• Urban Development/planning

In fact, this list, incomplete as it is, misrepresents my feelings and frankly I’m a bit hurt. Lets check them off one by one

Anthropogenic Climate Change – You can’t be for it or against it. It either is or it isn’t. It’s just that to date I haven’t seen anything that has convinced me that it’s happening. When so called scientists have to cook the books to make their point, I think its time to move on.

Electric Vehicles. I’m all for them. I have said time and again that the Tesla may be the greatest car ever made. I just don’t think my tax dollars should go to support the companies that are making them, nor do I think the government should require companies to manufacture them (See CAFÉ standards.)

Connected Cars – The concept of having someone know everywhere you go and track everything you do is a bit anathema to me. Having information at my fingertips about your trip, your vehicle, and your route and if you want, your Alexa hooked in to your car is a good thing. Note: If you want.

Rapid Transit – I love trains. I’m just not sure they are the solution of all our ills. The first question is: If we are going to get all these cars off the roads and people into trains, who is going to pay for the trains?

Most City Government, in fact most government – guilty as charged. The larger the government the less responsive it is to the needs of the individual citizens.

Bike Lanes – Great idea, except when they take away lanes for the majority, the vast majority, and provide for a very small minority. See Bicycles.

Bird Type Scooters – actually I rather like the idea but think they need to be licensed and controlled much like our vehicles are.

Bicycles – they are super. And work well in Amsterdam and Copenhagen but not so much in cities like Houston, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. The distances are just too great

Most Reporters – They have an agenda and it comes through in the questions they ask and how they couch their stories.

Organizations in General  – See reporters. Naturally they are agenda driven, and as long as they are my agenda, they are OK.

Autonomous Vehicles. I’m all for them, I just don’t believe they will be taking over our streets and highways in the next five years, more like the next thirty years, and then they will be buses, taxis, long haul trucks, and not private vehicles.

Urban Development/planning – Once again, agenda driven, mostly to do away with vehicles. The planners know better what people want than the people themselves. It’s ok the plan for the future, but not at the expense of the present.

There – I’m on the record. If you think I’m wrong, let me know.

JVH