Underlying a lot of my thinking these days is one basic thought, which apparently hasn’t occurred to a lot of people- that somewhere around 2020 people are going to realize that to save the world, everything has to change. Everything. To cut carbon releases to the bone it will be necessary to house people close to transit, most of which will still at that time need to be built.
I don’t really understand why young people are not frantic about this and screaming from the rooftops. I don’t understand why parents aren’t concerned about the future of their children’s world.
That, of course, is their own business. Being of a somewhat advanced age. I feel a certain detachment that was entirely absent when they were about to ship my ass off to Vietnam to step on a mine.
I do recommend that people get up to speed on this, especially if you’re going to live through it. I do occasionally make comments or blogposts that some people really think come from way out in left field. Well, now you know why.
Hey, I try my best. Honestly I don’t get it either. There are folks who drive 5 blocks to Whole Foods or PCC, but oppose density because construction emits greenhouse gases.
I suppose in 10 years or so we’ll see articles in the Seattle Times (if it’s around by then) about how surprised they are and someone should have said something.
I’ve started a response to this post 5 times. I have a large handful of reasons why people are the way they are (lack of verifyable threat, slow broken political machinery, having things too easy in life, momentum, corporate run government, corporate run media…). What I don’t have is a realistic solution to fix any of these issues.
When my neighbor talked about blocking construction of a townhouse at the end of our street because they’d steal all of “our” street parking, I talked him out of it by telling him all of the benefits of density. Plus I’ve gone to a few community meetings and voiced my opinion. And I’ve kept up with news and commonly express my opinion on forums. But all of this feels like I’m moving sand with tweezers. I’m still looking for a shovel and a wheelbarrow.
Our best hope is to raise gas prices. Maybe we can do that by a few pennies in Seattle, but for real change we’ll need to convince Olympia. But written into our constitution is that all gas taxes levied by Olympia goes to more roads. So it won’t just take convincing Olympia, but convincing them to the extent that they’d change the constitution. That’s quite a pile of sand, and all I have are these tweezers.
(off topic: why are you so hard on McGinn? I think he’s headed in exactly our direction.)
Well, the best revenge is living well. Between not needing a car to get to work, and not having a television, I was basically able to totally ignore the 70s. Looking at movies from the period now, that seems to have been a wise decision.
I think the real key is not having a car. That hits the oil-industrialist complex right where it hurts, and makes you immune to an absolute ton of worry. It also provides huge amounts of health benefits and, in most cases, an appetite that will make a vegetarian diet palatable.
It is in the nature of our democracy to wait until the last possible minute before doing the right thing. That’s the philosophical reflection, but in practice, of course, you also need people sticking their necks out and demanding the right thing. This can work well if it turns out you were right all along- or maybe not so well, if you get tangled up along the way with a demagogue making hay from an issue.
Hence, my reservations about McGinn.
Aw, just as I’m at the height of cynicism, I read a story about rising taxes on pollutants, effectively adding a tax on gas that doesn’t go to roads. Of course, the story ends with statements not committing to get this passed this session. But it’s something.
Well, this is the same area that voted down a mass transit system paid for mostly by the federal government because everyone alive at the time was afraid that if a BART-like system was built then more people would move here and destroy the Seattle way of life.
Now, exactly how did that work out for everyone?
I really don’t see what this whole thing about the 1970 vote is supposed to mean. Yes, the Sierra Club and others for many years opposed transit because they thought it would stimulate growth. Bad on them.
I’ve heard the 1970 plan got over 50% of the vote, but not the 60% required for a bond issue. How this translates into “everyone alive at the time” eludes me.
And the sad fact is that most of the people who voted, for or agin’, would probably tell you it worked out just fine. They spent their working lives commuting with cheap gas and watching their houses appreciate in value.
And, of course, this may be the “same area” on the map, but without the map, a person lifted from 1970 and dropped in modern Seattle would be totally lost. What would be even better would be to see the expression on the face of a guy lifted from today and dropped at 23rd and Union in 1970. You may not get it, but to me that is genuinely funny.