Why I don't talk about National Politics or Climate Change.

As a rule, I left out the topics of climate change and political parties of my blog because I found that it was a turn off to potential allies. When you told a Political Party Members the truth that their political party did this to transportation, you were met with utter disbelief. I met Democrats who fought that public transit was a waste of money and everybody would be better for everyone if the government brought cars. On the flip side, I met Republicans who said that we need a commuter train to Floresville. According to other Democrats and Republicans when told about this they told me that this wasn't possible, that my chain was being pulled. Climate change is different. If you make a mention that you believed in it, the people who say that it's a conspiracy theory just shut you off and vice versa. And People are wondering where I sit on the fence, which political party that I vote for.  I'm not sorry to say that I don't care about your party membership, I care about the policies that you're for or against especially when it comes to bicycles and transit. 

Climate Change:
     In the history of my blog post, there was never a time I talked about the subject of climate change.  This was true until I wrote "Why this cyclist is voting for VIA." I mentioned it in the part about the myth about how buses aren't green.  For the record I never took a stance on whether I believe that climate change is real or not and I'm not going to. But in that post, I asked all those who do believe in it on why where they getting their info from people who deny the science of climate change. I found that it's a waste of time to even bring up the subject. You either believe in it or not and there's nothing I can do to change your opinion and feel freely to tell me otherwise in the comments. 
     I can show you a Joe Rogan episode where he interviewed a scientist who denied man made climate change, and then I can show you when he interviewed a scientist who says man made climate change is real. But that doesn't matter if you believe in the science and you're against protected bicycle lanes and expanding transit because at the end of the day, that's what reduces carbon emissions. And What about all those people who are for more mass transit and deny man made climate change, doesn't that make them better climate defenders?
     Here's something you need to know if you are for protected bicycle lanes and don't believe in Climate Change. I'm beginning to notice a trend in conservative think tanks that routinely deny climate change while at a the same time being anti-transit, they are starting to go after the humble bicycle. When someone says in these paid positions that they don't believe in climate change, it is usually double-speak for "I'm against policies that restrict the use of carbon base fuels." It's my opinion that communities, large and small across North America are going to look into protected bicycle lanes because they're the cheapest improvements that can be made. Despite the passage of the infrastructure bill and promises from the Biden administration to put more resources towards transit infrastructure, communities are going to be more desperate to improve their situations and I guarantee that there will be no money for traditional big projects like light rail or transit centers.  If I do mention the subject of climate change in the future, it will be in the context of double-speak for being against laws that restrict carbon base fuels and against protected bicycle lanes.   

Image 2022-8-1

Political Party Nonsense:
     What if I where to tell you that a Republican Mayor helped to create a city that is very bicycle friendly? What if I told you a Democrat mayor voted to remove a bicycle lane?  The better question, would you believe me? That depends on where on the aisle you stand, but that's exactly what happened with Republican Mayor Greg Ballard who built the Indianapolis Cultural Trail which was completed in 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Image 2022-8-1)  In 2014, Democrat Mayor (And Presidential Candidate) Julian Castro voted to removed a badly needed bicycle lane down South Flores in San Antonio, Texas. A few weeks ago, a Democrat, Amy DeGise who sits on the city council in Jersey City, New Jersey committed a hit and run on a cyclist who ran a red light. Now me personally, I would have sat behind the last car instead of running that red light.  For the record, I do run red lights on my bicycle, but that's not the point here. The point is that DeGise didn't stop and render aid like you're suppose to. She just drove off. 

But enough about Democrats, what about Republicans?  And that's a good point because Republicans as a rule aren't even friendly towards transit and bicycles. Right now, Republican Governor Abbott is preventing a protected bicycle lane on Broadway.  Now this ain't the only thing that Abbott is doing. In Houston, he's supporting the removal of 5 churches for interstate I-45 expansion. Republicans hold a stereotype that Democrats are going to remove churches and black ones at that. But here we have a Republican doing it. So does that make Governor Gregg Abbott a Democrat?  Well according to Trump Jr, he is a Democrat and did so in a tweet during power outage caused by freezing gas pipes in February 2021. 

Image 2022-8-2

     In the blog post "The Politically Correct Streetcar", I mention why I don't talk about national politics.  "Back in 2014, I attended a townhall hosted by Tommy Adkisson to test the waters to see if he should run for mayor. I was just 34 years old and the youngest dude in the crowd.  Back then, we were still talking about the Streetcar and I told the crowded in attendance what I wrote about in Streetcar Part III, No Need for Streetcars Down Broadway about how it's just there for development but I was still for it.  After the meeting was over, I walk over to this person and who wanted the bike lanes removed from South Flores and I told her that "you know, when you ride a train, you don't have to fold up your stroller like when you board a VIA bus."  Her reply was this, "well they should just suck it up and deal with it" and then went on  to describe how we need more car lanes. Now if I were to ask my friends who vote for Democrats, does this sound like a Democrat? They would have said no, that's a Republican.  But in reality, this is an average Bexar County Democrat voter; she pro-car, anti-bike, and the most important thing to our Mayor, is that this is the type of person out of all of the eligible voting population that is guarantee to show up and vote in every city election."   

So what's the point of pointing out a person political party when they themselves have a stereotype of what their party is suppose to be and what the other party is suppose to be Many who are so "party militant," that if you mention basic facts of what a person did and their political affiliation you'll be reprimanded because it won't meet the expectations of the behavior that they have for a fellow party member but that's what will happen. I personally find it a waste of time for I don't care if it's a Republican pushing for bicycle and and better transit. I'm too the point that I'll take anyone who will help make San Antonio bicycle friendly and work to have more frequent bus or even rail services.  But don't worry, The Texas GOP platform will keep my finger safely away from any Republicans for the forseeable future. Right now, what we have is that both parties will find excuse to keep bicycle facilities and more transit access from being built.  If you don't believe me, let me tell you the story of the picture below.

Image 2022-8-3

     In the town of Mythlandia, the Democrats proposes a light rail line along the busiest corridor called Commerce. The Republicans not trying to be outdone used quotes from Randall O'Toole and offered their proposal, the "Multi-Combination-Vehicle Bus Rapid Transit."  The Democrats who hold hold a majority of the city council but not the majority of the state house, decided to go along with the Republican proposal because they were promised state funding for the project. The very next day, the Republicans come out against the  the "Multi-Combination-Vehicle Bus Rapid Transit." because  Republicans said that it's a "Liberal proposal." Now there's no deal from either party to even to improve transit or the pedestrian safety of the Commerce Corridor in Mythlandia. 

Image 2022-8-4

At the end of the day there's no point in using or mentioning political parties. For only one of these statements will only hold true to the ones who identify with their political party. (Image 2022-8-4)

My Political Views: 
     Now many of you are going to ask, "what are my political views?" The answer to that question is this:  

• Capitalist will eventually run out of other people's stuff to sale.
• Communist will eventually run out of other people's money to spend.

It's not hard to understand. The Communist example has happened in the past and few years back when oil prices were low and Venezuela had a hard time finding money to pay for it's welfare state.  The Capitalist example is all around us and we are blind to see it.  That's because we just take it for granted that you can go to a grocery store and buy water.  How many who are reading this, remember when there was no bottle water for sale at a convenience store let alone a grocery store?  Just as communist eventually run out of resources to use, Capitalist eventually create monopolies keeping entrepreneurs out of corners of the market forcing new capitalist to steal from the commons to make money.  There's a reason why back in 2005 there were proposals for Private Toll Roads and it's simply because capitalist eventually run out of other peoples stuff to sale. Just as the communist will fight against others in the distribution of resources, the capitalist will fight against others to distribute those resources.  And I haven't gotten into the concepts of 'depletion' and 'finite'.

     Now I could go into detail how car drivers are the real communist and how bicyclist are the real capitalist, but I won't. All I will say is that TURF is against a private company operating and maintaining our roadway system. Sounds like what a bunch of communist would do; just saying. 

 

Conclusion: 
     At the end of the day there's no point in mentioning a political party for when you do, you just turn off half of the voting population.  I don't care what party you're proud to be a member of, I care if you're for more transit, sidewalks and protected bicycle lanes over cars. And judging by our high gas prices, I not holding my breath that any political party will lower gas prices without either making peace with Russia and reducing the daily oil consumption nationally. The same thing with mentioning "climate change." It's pointless to mention this at all because you either believe in it or not. It's that simple.

  

Images:

2022-8-1:  A woman riding a bicycle on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Picture was taken on July 28 in the afternoon.  

2022-8-2: A Tweet showing that Trump Jr called our Republican Governor a Democrat.

2022-8-3: A meme that I found a year ago.  The creator is unknown, but it did inspire me to write that story.

2022-8-4: A screenshot of a story that I shared on Facebook that told the story on how useless sharrows were created.  Link to story:  https://denverite.com/2022/07/26/denver-sharrow-symbol-bike-arrows-street/

Sources:

Give my regards to SL 368? Why Abbott killed San Antonio’s Broadway plan:  https://sanantonioreport.org/why-abbott-killed-san-antonios-broadway-plan/

Texas largely relies on natural gas for power. It wasn’t ready for the extreme cold.:  https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/natural-gas-power-storm/

Venezuela's future? 'Barbarity and people looting':  https://www.cnbc.com/2014/12/01/falling-crude-oil-prices-crush-venezuelas-ailing-economy.html

New Texas GOP platform condemns ‘road diets,’ complicating path for Broadway: https://sanantonioreport.org/greg-abbott-broadway-renovation-lane-reductions/

TxDOT gives cold shoulder to San Antonio’s latest plan to remake Broadway: https://sanantonioreport.org/san-antonio-broadway-renovation-plan-txdot/

Why this cyclist is voting for VIA: https://aatblog210.blogspot.com/2020/10/why-this-cyclist-is-voting-for-via.html

TxDOT gives itself go-ahead on $7.5B rebuild of I-45, and critics pounce: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/transportation/article/TxDOT-gives-itself-go-ahead-on-7-5B-rebuild-of-15925954.php

The Politically Correct Streetcar:  https://bikesanantonio.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-politically-correct-streetcar.html

Why this cyclist is voting for VIA:  https://aatblog210.blogspot.com/2020/10/why-this-cyclist-is-voting-for-via.html

Donald Trump Jr Tweet:  https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/1362620802634379266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362620802634379266%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fdonald-trump-jr-greg-abbott-democrat-ted-cruz-1570574

Mayor Greg Ballard: Making Bicycling a Priority in Indianapolis:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksRf7ZiqwuE

Indianapolis Cultural Trail:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_Cultural_Trail

City Council Removes South Flores Bike Lanes:  https://sanantonioreport.org/city-council-votes-remove-bike-lanes-south-flores-street/

#1776 - Steven E. Koonin The Joe Rogan Experience:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/76RdMG5Tne7H9jaP7mhkdk

#1777 - Andrew Dessler The Joe Rogan Experience:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SvYrFlHAU2QbGamJebp3B

Transit funding in the infrastructure bill: what can it do for me?:  https://t4america.org/2022/01/25/transit-funding-infrastructure-bill/

Shocking Video: Democrat Official Smashes SUV Into Cyclist, Speeds Away Without Stopping https://ijr.com/shocking-video-democrat-official-smashes-suv-cyclist/

Jersey City councilwoman in hit-and-run says she has received death threats:  https://www.nj.com/hudson/2022/08/jersey-city-councilwoman-in-hit-and-run-says-she-has-received-death-threats.html

Nobody really understands or likes this street symbol, so how’d it get made?:  https://denverite.com/2022/07/26/denver-sharrow-symbol-bike-arrows-street/

Founder of San Antonio Toll Party launches statewide group, TURF:  https://tollfreehighways.com/founder-of-san-antonio-toll-party-launches-statewide-group-turf/

(PDF Download) Platform and Resolutions as Amended and Adopted by the 2022 State Convention of the Republican Party of Texas:  https://texasgop.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-RPT-Platform.pdf

Boris Johnson’s £2 billion ‘cycling revolution’ – here’s what you need to know: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/boris-johnsons-2-billion-cycling-revolution-heres-what-you-need-to-know-460776