Christoph Reuss wrote:
>
> Brad wrote:
> > As far as I am concerned there has been no
> > computer revolution, and certainly no Internet revolution,
> > so long as almost everybody has to drive (or take Metro North)
> > a loong distance, wasting lots of energy and lots
> > of precious *life time*) COMMUTING.
>
> Right! And much time is wasted not only during driving, but even during
> *waiting* in traffic jams
[snip]
I think traffic jams are "waste squared": waste built on waste.
I couldn't agree more. Indeed, I have long been impressed
by the tantalizing (as in Tantalus) frustration of driving:
Sometimes you have a 300 horsepower car that cannot go > 0
miles per hour because of the other cars (Remember the
beginning of Fellini's film 8-1/2?). Other times you
*can* get where you want to go: maybe at 80 miles
per hour (unless a cop gets you...), *but* then there
is no place to park for miles, so you have to drive
away from the destination you've already reached, to try to find
a place to park the car.
Eric Severaid said (on CBS news):
"America has taken the automobile into its heart,
asnd the automobile has taken over America."
>
> Add to this
> - the stress of powerlessly having to wait while being in a hurry
> (without physical exercise, this strongly raises stress hormones), and
> - the toxic fumes that accumulate in the cars (from the exhaust pipe
> of the precedent car in the jam),
> and you have a major public health crisis....
>
> > Question: Why can't we all work from home (except for
> > EMT personnel, etc.)?
> >
> > Answer: Because bosses like to see "asses and elbows".
>
> Control is an important aspect of the inertia towards telework, yes.
> Other aspects are the lack of "de-centralisability" of many production
> processes
[snip]
Well, there was a possibly hopeful note in the most recent
EDUPAGE mailing:
> PROPOSAL AIMS TO ENCOURAGE TELECOMMUTING
> A House proposal introduced yesterday would provide incentives to
> companies that encourage their employees to telecommute. The
> measure, introduced by Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), is designed to
> reduce traffic and improve air quality in the nation's five most
> congested areas by encouraging employees to work from their
> homes. Companies in cities such as Los Angeles and Washington,
> D.C., would earn pollution credits for their efforts in reducing
> smog. The credits, determined by the vehicle miles eliminated by
> telecommuting, can be kept, bought, or sold by the businesses.
> Companies have found that in addition to the environmental
> incentives of telecommuting, programs encouraging employees to
> work from their homes have reduced office lease costs by millions
> of dollars. It is estimated that 40 percent of 133 million
> workers nationwide perform duties that could be done by
> telecommuting. (Washington Post 07/20/99)
Anybody remember the guy Fred Harris who ran
unsuccessfully for the Democratic Presidential
nomination a couple decades ago, and one of his
platform planks was to use government
intervention (zoning, etc.) to get housing to be
closer to where people work?
More of "The Sorrow and the Pity"....
\brad mccormick
--
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21)
Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED]
914.238.0788 / 27 Poillon Rd, Chappaqua, NY 10514-3403 USA
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