Warning, this is going to be a bit of a rant.
I was at my credit union the other day (move your money!) and as I was signing the receipt I noticed something a little odd that bothers me still. Beneath the signature line was a line labeled “Driver’s License Number”. Innocent enough, you say. But those three words speak volumes about our American society.
Why? It does NOT say “Identification Number”. It says “Drivers License Number”. Who ever wrote the text for those receipts assumed everyone doing business with the credit union would have a driver’s license. You can’t get one without a driving test, so you must have access to a car. Ever heard of someone renting a car for someone else to use for their driving test (you can’t rent a car without a license) ? Didn’t think so. (note: I checked, and they have no problems accepting non-driver’s-license valid government issued ID, state ID cards, passports, military ID etc) There are more people than you realize who don’t have licenses. The very poor, the mentally ill, the disabled or very elderly – by and large they get around by begging rides. And, of course, people convicted of DUI or who have lost licenses for other reasons. I’ll get to public transportation in a bit.
The city where I live is not pedestrian-friendly. Many streets simply don’t have sidewalks. I’ve been out running and seen several places where the sidewalk simply dead ends at a patch of dirt. Wonder where the sidewalk ends? Ask me, I’ll show you. I wondered about this, and I did some research; the city was chartered in 1956 – the era of the interstate, of American domination of the world auto industry. The suburbs were exploding, and it was rapidly becoming impossible to get to work or visit friends without driving. Every family had a car (well, almost) and it was a status symbol to have the “two car garage”.
Before I moved to California, I was an avid bicyclist in Boulder, CO. Boulder has an extensive bike/foot path system, and it’s usually faster to bike than to drive because of this. When I showed up at work out here on my bike, after a ride of less than a mile on quiet side streets the first thing everyone said to me wasn’t “good job for going green!” Or “good job, get some exercise”. No, what they said, every one of them, was “What’s wrong with your car?” I’ve since moved several miles closer to the hills. But I don’t ride my bike much out here. Why? I was nearly killed on my motorcycle a couple of years ago. Bicycles are even more vulnerable. During my recovery I got back on the bike to work my leg. I noticed a couple odd things. First, the city lets people park their cars in the bike lanes, forcing cyclists into traffic and second, the bikes lanes on the large streets are also turning lanes for cars. It just isn’t very safe to ride your bike on the streets. I’ve tried taking the local buses. A trip that would take me fifteen minutes or so in my car took over an hour, and I still had to walk about a mile to reach my destination. Round trip? Over THREE HOURS. I really began to pity people who didn’t own a car.
I’m not making this up.
And people are worried that Iran will build a nuclear weapon, start a war, and OH NO! Gas prices will rise! It will cost more to drive my precious car! What about all the death that a war would bring? The destruction and misery?
Wake up, people. We are responsible for much of the strife in the middle east. We still practically drink gasoline. I’m not sure how we can change, but the problem isn’t a lack of oil.
Think about it.
Whew. Rant done. For now.
MJ
Please see “Gasoline Perfume” for more on my thoughts about a war with Iran.
Please see “Your Vote Doesn’t Count – Because You Can’t Place It” for my take on requiring photo ID for access to the voting booth.
The Thinking Viking 