In a message dated 11/12/00 2:33:19 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< Texas is the most polluted state in the union, and people in
places like Odessa have the highest blood and lung cancer rates in the
country, a result of Bush's laxing pollution regulations. Putting oilmen
like Bush and Cheney in the White House is like putting wolves in charge of
the flock. >>
I quoted both of the above statements because I agree that the second
statement is probably true, the first statement is patently false. I could
in no way be described as a defender of either Dubya or his father, but there
is no way anyone could possibly blame high blood and lung cancer rates on the
actions or policies of any CURRENT administration. Cancer rates like that
take years, if not decades, to develop.
<>
I have no appreciation for the Libertarians, except to say that I believe
they do not have the obviously selfish interests that they have. Libertarians
are predomiantly white middle- to upper-class folks who want to protect what
they have. And while they believe everyone else should have the right to
"bootstrap" themselves, they would actually limit the opportunities of the
less fortunate to do so.
What the Libertarians do not understand, in my view, in that their
philosophy of personal responsibility goes against human nature, as proved
100 years ago by England's "Tragedy of the Commons" experiment with dairy
herders.
The difference is that now the stakes are much, much higher.
<< ... If we are honest with ourselves, the real reason
we drive cars is because of the status they lend to us, just as medieval
nobles all had to ride on horses, and never walk like the "pedestrians."
respectfully,
Clark >>
Not being an L.A. person, and never having had the desire to live there, I
cannot speak about the automobile as a status symbol there. Personally, I've
always believed in form following function and in 24 years have owned three
cars -- a 1977 Toyota Corolla, a 1983 Volvo DL and a 1997 Ford Taurus. All
were purchased new and all were green.
That said, I must disagree again with Clark.
The REAL reason Americans have embraced the autombile is the personal
freedom and space it allows. To some people, a fancy car is a status symbol,
but to most people, I believe it is the ability to go where they want, do
what they want and bring with them whatever "stuff" they want, away from the
beaten track of bus and train lines.
Paul I
