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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DMaA who wrote (16030)	3/22/2000 9:51:00 AM
From: Brian P.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

I would never want to coerce people as you describe. Such a tax incentive and relative redistribution of tax dollars away from highways and towards intelligent, likeable mass-transit would require broad popular democratic support gained by leadership and persuasion and a vision shared my many and a real popular appreciation of the costs and benefits. It would take a lot of education. It would have to be democratic and grass roots. In some ways its a vision of what cities could be like and a realization of what cars have done to the urban environment. Just think about how much nicer our cities and towns could be if their thoroughfares were built to a human instead of a car's scale and we had really nice subway systems below and trolley cars above that got you around conveniently. Think of those ugly parking decks and parking lots obviated. Think of cities and towns actually structured and growing to accomodate civilization and not the hegemony of the automobile. So much nicer. It could be afforded if people valued it and put towards it a fraction of what they spend, total, on cars and roads. Think of San Francisco with its trolleys multiplied and going everywhere so that a car was much less necessary as a daily fact of life. Think of Manhattan with trolley cars running up and down the avenues and across the island, not choked with cars, cars, cars. It's a matter of values and priorities--but it would take tremendous education and redirection of priorities--an act of national will and enlightenment. A change in the culture.