🚀 go-pugleaf

>Thanks for speaking for all of us, Dani!  Guess what--I am required to
>have my own car for the work that I do because of all the off-site
>wheelings and dealings I have to take care of.  My work does not pay
>for the gas I use.  So I am not happy about increases in gas prices.
>Fortunately, I'm about to change jobs.  I am lucky to have a degree
>and the opportunities that I have that allow me more freedom to decide
>what I want to do with the rest of my life.  At the same time, I
>remain acutely aware of the fact that there are thousands of other
>people who are not in the position to leave whatever job they have in
>pursuit of something they'd rather do.  So Dani, when gas prices
>increase yet again, will you be around to cheer up all those people
>who do have jobs where they use their car to do whatever needs to be
>done for whatever position they hold?  I sure hope so honey, 'cause
>there's a whole lot more of them than you can guess.
>
>> Unfortunately, a great majority of the US population is sinning by
>> driving 3 miles or less to work every day, which is a leading cause
>> for global warming, and who knows what else...  How can one make the
>> US more like leading countries such as China, Germany, and Japan,
>> where less people use their cars?
>
>I go to L.A. a lot on the weekends to see bands and to be with
>friends.  I do not have time (get off work late in the evening) to
>bike there.  If I need to be there at 8:30, a car is just the best
>way.  The train takes forever, and I certainly couldn't afford to take
>the train all the time.
>
>> How can one tell millions of people that they are ignorant and
>> lazy in a nice way, for the benefit of their children???  Every day
>> I hear complaints of how difficult it is to ride a bike or take a
>> bus.  I've been bicycling ever since I had my own bike, and I've
>> never stopped loving the sport.
>
>We're all very happy for you, Dani.
>
>> People won't ride their bicycles because they are lazy, unwilling to
>> change, and unwilling to make small sacrifices,
>
>I have a friend who had a stroke at age two which left her less able
>to use the left side of her body.  Biking, for her, is extremely
>difficult.  I'll be sure to let her know tomorrow how lazy and
>unwilling to change she is.
>
>Please don't get so didactic, Dani.  It doesn't help your cause.
>
>> and afraid of things that they hear in the media.  Unfortunately, as
>> one of the few citizens who really loves this country enough to make
>> an extra effort to help it,
>
>My god--I never believed before, but it looks like we have a saint on
>our hands!  Just because the country as a whole is not biking up a
>storm does not mean the majority of us counldn't give a rat's ass what
>happens to it.  We all have only so much time in a day, and there are
>a lot of causes out there.  Some rally for welfare reform, some for
>education, some for bicycling.  I had no idea that since I don't bike
>to work that I don't give a shit about this country.  Boy is my face
>red!
>
>> I think that the best thing for me is to leave it so that I can live
>> happily.  There are too many uncaring people, and it'll take too
>> long to change them.
>
>Human nature is human nature.  I hadn't realized Utopia was out there.
>What the hell am I doing here when Eden is just a few short steps
>away!?  Will you biking to your new locale, or flying?  'Cause ya
>know, them airplanes do some pollutin' too.  I'm not sure where it is
>you're going to live that all its citizens live harmoniously, agreeing
>on each piece of legislation passed.  People in the U.S. are not the
>only breed resistant to change.

Dear friend,
Either I worded my last note wrong, or you are very biased against people
who enjoy riding their bicycles.  I used my own bicycling experience as an
example of how one can get around without a car.  Yet, I never said that
everyone should sell their cars and buy bicycles.  That would be absurd.
The whole concept that I was aiming at was to limit the usage of
automobiles.  I was trying to say that one should try to use a car only when
it is really necessary.  Driving alone three miles to work 5 times a week,
or driving around the block to the store, or to a friends house is
completely unnecessary, and destructive.   We have buses, trains, bicycles,
feet, wheelchairs, taxis, shuttles, trolleys, subways, and even people who
will give you a ride to work in a commute.  We have so many different
options in getting around, but most people ignorantly stick with their cars.
In other words, try to take the bus a few times a week, ask your friends to
go on the bus, make usage of your feet, ride your bike around a little, go
get a train schedule, or do anything possible to help get the message around
that a car is not a necessity.
As for your work, that's a whole different topic.
>Germany and China--not exactly countries well known for their freedom.
As a kid, I felt much more freedom living in Germany than I did in the U.S.
Freedom is nothing more than an idea.
At least in China people don't have to worry about not having the money to
buy justice, or not being able to afford a good lawyer.  How many African
Americans were imprisoned because they couldn't afford a good lawyer?  With
about 2 million people in our jails, more than any country in the world, our
people are very "free"!