We don't use force to "secure" the oil supply, wheat supply, chip supply, or car supply. The only action we've taken that might be plausibly related to securing oil supply is Kuwait, which is also quite rationally the defeat of totalitarian expansionism. If we really had intended to secure an oil supply, we would have taken Iraq and Saudi Arabia while we were at it, thrown out their governments, and installed Unocal protectorates. So, the argument that we wage war to "secure" oil is B.S. All we want is free people and free markets be allowed to work.
Just to be clear: I think we should consume as much oil as possible as quickly as possible. It happens to be the least expensive source of energy right now. When it runs out, we'll move on to the next least expensive energy source, whatever that may be. No government dictates, market distortion, or forced busing will be required.
In the old west, people were shot for horse stealing, because the ability to move freely was the essence of freedom and a requirement of life. I wish cars were guarded as jealously.
Nonsense. US takes role in Colombia to new level
Furthermore, you would have to be extremely naive to believe that simply overthrowing Saddam Hussein and "liberating" Iraq is going to magicly defeat "totalitarian expansionism" in the Middle East. The religious/ethnic conflicts in that region date back for millenia. There's no expectation that will ever change in our lifetimes. As long as there is oil in that desert, it will be a focal point for malcontent zealots who utilize terrorist tactics for whatever adgenda thay advocate.
I noticed in today's paper that use of mass transportation is DOWN substantially. People love their cars. When you can repeal human nature, we'll all get on the bus and be forced to smell our neighbors.
Amtrak's Acela Express service is currently experiencing some highly publicized mechanical difficulties, but those are being quickly addressed. Overall, the trend toward greater utilization of mass-transportation continues:
GROWTH IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RIDERSHIP
SETS RECORD FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT YEARWashington, D.C., April 17, 2002 – More and more Americans are riding public transportation as public transportation continues to rewrite the history books with new and higher ridership records for the sixth consecutive year. In 2001, nationally, public transportation ridership went up by 2 percent, compared to the previous year, according to statistics released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). APTA reports that Americans rode public transportation a record 9.5 billion times in 2001.
Last year, public transportation use grew twice as fast as car use (1 percent). In the past six years, the number of trips taken on public transportation grew by 23 percent, growing faster than the U.S. population (8.4 percent), highway use (14.7 percent), and domestic air travel (12.5 percent, or 19 percent prior to 9-11-01).
"The fact that more people are riding and more American communities are embracing public transportation clearly demonstrates the necessity of continued support and increased investment in our public transportation infrastructure," said William W. Millar, APTA President. "It is truly remarkable to have these ongoing increases in public transportation ridership, considering the sluggish economy and the effects of the September 11 terrorists attacks."
The continued growth in public transportation ridership is attributed to higher levels of investment by federal, state and local sources, expansion of service with new lines and extensions, and enhanced customer services by the nation´s transit systems to meet the needs of today´s traveling public.
American communities are responding to improved infrastructure and investment in public transportation. Examples of the highest ridership gains for multi-modal systems (bus and rail) include the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (15 percent), Denver´s Regional Transportation District (6.7 percent) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in Washington, D.C. (5.9 percent). Modes of transportation showing the largest percentage increases in ridership for 2001 were demand response or paratransit, 7.6 percent; light rail, 3.5 percent; commuter rail, 2.3 percent, and bus systems at 2.1 percent.
Examples of ridership gain by mode include – for heavy rail or subways -- Los Angeles MTA, 60 percent; WMATA, 6.8 percent; and the Chicago Transit Authority, 3 percent. For light rail systems: New Jersey Transit, 141 percent; Denver´s RTD, 36 percent; and Los Angeles MTA, 16 percent. Among commuter rail systems: Seattle´s Sound Transit, 535 percent; Dallas Area Rapid Transit, 75 percent; and the Altamont Commuter Express in San Jose, CA, 26 percent. Among the largest bus systems, Los Angeles MTA, 11.7 percent; Phoenix, 11 percent; and Orange County, CA, 9.8 percent. Among smaller bus systems: Corridor Transportation Systems, Laurel, MD, 53 percent; Kankakee, IL, 44 percent; and Bloomington, IN, 41 percent served more riders in 2001. (Both Los Angeles MTA and the city of Phoenix experienced labor disputes that halted service during late 2000, which decreased ridership that year.)
For further information on the benefits of public transportation, visit APTA´s web site – www.apta.com and www.publictransportation.org.
Study Proves Increasing Public Transportation Is the Best -- and possibly only -- Non-Regulatory Strategy for Major Environmental and Energy Gains
WASHINGTON, DC (July 17, 2002) - A new independent study by three top economists demonstrates that increasing public transportation use is the most effective, and possibly the only way to improve air quality and reduce energy consumption without imposing new taxes, government mandates or regulations.
Based on the findings of the new national study, energy and environmental savings have been calculated for more than a dozen major metropolitan areas in the United States.
"Conserving Energy and Preserving the Environment: The Role of Public Transportation," released today in Washington, DC, concludes that public transportation generates 95 percent less carbon monoxide (CO), 92 percent less in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and about half as much carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), per passenger mile, as private vehicles.
The report was authored by: Dr. Robert J. Shapiro, Managing Director of Sonecon, LLC, and non-resident Fellow of the Brookings Institution and the Progressive Policy Institute, Dr. Kevin A. Hassett, Resident Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute; and Dr. Frank S. Arnold, President of Applied Microeconomics, Inc.
In energy conservation, the study shows that public transportation already saves more than 855 million gallons of gasoline or 45 million barrels of oil a year. This number is equivalent to the energy used to heat, cool and operate one-fourth of all American homes annually, or half the energy used to manufacture all computers and electronic equipment in America annually.
"We all know that a rail car or bus carrying 40 people is far more efficient than a car moving just one person. What people may not realize is exactly how much energy is being saved, and how these savings add up to millions of barrels of oil conserved and millions of tons of harmful emissions avoided each year," said Dr. Robert J. Shapiro, co-author of the study. "Increased use of public transportation is an important answer to two national challenges -- greater energy independence and a cleaner environment -- that our nation has been grappling with for decades."
The study also shows that if one in ten Americans used public transportation regularly, U.S. reliance on foreign oil could be cut by more than 40 percent. This is nearly equivalent to the amount of oil we import from Saudi Arabia every year. Environmental benefits would also be significant. Without any new government mandates, regulations or taxes, the United States would be able to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 25 percent of the standard set under the Kyoto Agreement.
Among the study's other major findings:
Even small increases in transit usage would help many of the 16 major U.S. cities, which currently fail to meet EPA air-quality standards for CO or smog, improve air quality.
For every passenger mile traveled, public transportation is twice as fuel efficient as private automobiles, sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and light trucks.
If one in seven Americans used public transportation for their daily travel needs, they would help prevent global warming in the United States by cutting CO2 by the equivalent of nearly 20 percent of the CO2 emitted from fuel burned for residential uses and more than 20 percent of all CO2 emitted by commercial enterprises.
If one in five Americans used public transportation daily, it would help reduce CO pollution by more than all the CO emitted from the entire chemical manufacturing industry and all metal processing plants in the United States.
"This study clearly shows that more energy is used getting people from place to place than in producing all goods or running all the homes in America," said William W. Millar, President of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the non-profit organization that commissioned the study. "We can continue to debate domestic oil exploration, emissions requirements, and the stability of foreign sources of energy, but any serious plan to reduce oil dependency and clean up the air must include ways to increase public transportation use. This is simply our country's greatest opportunity to conserve energy and improve the environment."
"Increasing the use of public transportation needs to be an essential element of our national energy and environmental policies," said Millar. "If we don't make transit a national priority by increasing investment, America's enduring economic and environmental health will be in jeopardy."
Noting that the report is especially timely because of today's designation as a "Code Red" day, Washington Metro Chief Executive Officer Richard A. White said, "Our Washington Metro region is on the verge of reclassification by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a "severe non-attainment area" for air quality. Unless the region can show it can meet federally imposed air quality standards, construction of new transportation projects will be postponed. I believe fervently that the Metro system offers our region the most immediate opportunity to improve our air quality. If we get can get more people out of their cars and onto the Metro system, we will notice a marked improvement in the region's air quality."
To view a full copy of the study please visit www.apta.com or www.publictransportation.org.