This one’s a few days old, hadn’t popped in to Grist for awhile, but, it’s a hoot, and exactly what one would expect from Delusional Democrats. Said Grist story, which boils it all down, comes via DC Streets Blog, which opens thusly
Members of Congress of all stripes are trying to show that they’re concerned and responsive to the financial strain caused by high gas prices. Some are recommending more oil drilling. Some want to end subsidies to oil companies. Today, members of the Congressional Livable Communities Task Force suggested that providing more diverse transportation options to more people might help.
“Here in Washington, DC, when gas prices spike, people have choices,†said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), chair of the Task Force. “They can take a bus, Metro, bike, Capital Bike-share, walk, cab, drive. It’s a wide range of [choices] and it actually minimizes some of the sticker shock. But unfortunately, about half the American population doesn’t have an environment they live in that provides those choices. Too much of America is dependent on a pattern that imagines that we will always have an unlimited supply of inexpensive gasoline, and government policies in housing and road transportation reinforce that.â€
Blumenauer and other members of the Task Force introduced a report this morning called “Freedom From Oil: Policy Solutions From the Livable Communities Task Force.†It’s an impressive product from a Congressional task force, many of which exist in name only. The more than two dozen members of the Livable Communities Task Force, all House Democrats, strive to make the federal government a better partner with communities to promote “cost-effective, environmentally friendly solutions to infrastructure problems†and “coordinate transportation, housing, and environmental policies and investments.â€
So, these Democrats have suggestions for things that do not actually exist? Shocker!
The lawmakers of the Task Force said increasing oil drilling in the U.S. will never have an appreciable effect on world oil prices, because the price of oil is determined globally and the U.S. supply won’t be sufficient to make a significant difference.
Yo, chumps, we aren’t concerned with lowering world oil prices by drilling our own oil: we’re attempting to lower American oil prices and become less dependent on foreign oil. Democrats really do live in alternated worlds.
Anyhow, much of what they are pushing is about creating bike lanes, getting people to take the bus (increasing your commute time exponentially), increase federal spending on buses, and, here’s a good one
Use the tax code to encourage businesses to offer comprehensive commuter benefit programs that level the playing field for alternative, non gas-dependent transportation.
So, screw certain people through taxation. Not Congress Critters and the President, who use enormous amounts of oil, of course.
Increase funding for “Safe Routes to School†programs so that parents and children have the option to get to school safely without driving.
Interesting. It was liberal criminal justice policies, along with busing kids all over counties (which liberal are fighting against ending here in North Carolina’s Wake County), that made it difficult, and unsafe, for kids to walk or bike to school.
Grist sums it up
Rep. Earl Blumenauer and the congressional Livable Communities Task Force are still patiently trying to explain to the rest of Congress that it might be a good idea for people to be able to move around without cars. Yesterday, the task force put out a report outlining the startling concept that people might be less affected by gas prices if they didn’t have to drive as much. Instead of drilling for more oil to address gas prices, we could just use less! Â SHOCKING.
Personally, I just don’t understand why Conservatives say Democrats have no idea how the economy works, and want to limit people’s movement. /sarc
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
this is nothing but liberal crap trap designed to take over how towns and cities are designed in order to do away with “gas-dependent transportation”.
Portland, OR is trying this. They envision a city where people don’t drive in it. They see people taking trams, buses, electric trains, subways, bikes, jogging, etc.
I’m sorry. You telling me that you want to prevent driving in a city that is 30-50 miles wide and force people to get around primarily via bus and tram!?!?!
In Portland, about one person a month dies from being run over by the trams as they were built over existing sidewalks. They also had to shut down their arial-tram due to safety concerns and budget issues.
They want people to live in sky-high apartments and be condensed into mouse-holes so that “livable” places stay wild and “unspoiled”. They see people living in the city they work, shop, play, school, and die in.
It ain’t happenin people. Still most of this country is country. You want to do away with gas-transportation…. people are now starting to ride their horses to school. You like that idea? And how in the world can you create a “Safe Routes to School†programs so that parents and children have the option to get to school safely without driving.
How is that even possible? City buses? How many cities can afford that? Can you really trust putting kids on a public-city bus? People in Chicago have a word for that. COFFIN!!
Liberals have a mental disorder. It is in no way based in reality or on personal freedom. Hey liberals. Instead of trying to change this place that everyone was happy with before you decided to fix it, why not just move to Cuba or Venezuela. They have already implemented most of what you want. heck, I’ll even pay to move ya.
Just leave us the FRACK alone!!
(breath deep… breath slow… easy easy…)
“Portland is trying this.”
And what they not tried in the most libtarded city on the left coast, next to Santa Kruz. The idiots who populate Portland are among the worst of the far left mouth breeders. It is rapidly overtaking Eugene as the Berserkely of the Nothwest.
CaptainFish is spot on here.
This city is so full of itself we can smell its rot and foul stench in Central Oregon, where I THANKFULLY am. I’d like to see this democrat moron try to drive less here where NOTHING is close by. There is no public transportation except a
pathetic mismanaged ‘bus line’ that only survives because of gov’t funding. The voters defeated this three times and it was still forced upon the voters in Bend. The city promptly blew almost a million bucks on some used buses without having them inspected first and then really paid the price when every one of them had to taken out of service. Bend later sold them at a horrendous loss. Here they expect the railroad to relocate trackage to accommodate traffic flow and future commute options that make zero sense here. Thank the Lord I do not live in Bend.
These dumb twaddles want to create a utopia for all of us. Yeah, good luck with that one. Portland has climbing crime rate and is a pit of every gaia green vision that has ever popped up.
Drive less, yeah right. Almost funny if the comment was not so stupid.
And I am sure you know this Patriot. Many people work in Portland, but refuse to live there. They live in the suburbs (the bain of liberal socialist ideology). They even live in Vancouver, WA – just across the river. They do this because of the no sales tax in WA (I think that was what it was).
Either way, as in any normal non-mega city, people like to live in the less-populated suburbs and travel to work. And yes, there are some that take the trains in to work.
But, as is the case everywhere, their fares are heavily subsidized by the rest of America. They should pay for their fair fare. Support that which they depend upon.
Captain:
Yes, all of that is true and what a shame all those interurban trains and trolleys were wrecked and destroyed by our love of the car, among other things. Of course that was back in the days when railroads were in the black with intercity, urban and suburban rail systems.
We have friends(I have one or two at last count, really I do!) that refuse to live in Dorkland and drive in to work. Where they live has gotten quite bad though, Run over by illegal aliens who flock to our state as we are basically a ‘sanctuary state’.