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I have no idea what you expect the government to do about this. Our society has continued to become more complex. Hardly anyone outside of the 3rd world is making a living with subsistence farming or other low tech occupations. The is an endless need for skilled, educated workers. Unfortunately it seems a lot of people either do not have the opportunities for advancement or just don't care. We cannot do much about fat, dumb, and lazy but as a society we should do something about opportunities. All of us will benefit. I am not much of a Obama supporter, nor do I support any other politician, but I do like his idea about extending access to junior college education.
Well, I suppose "the government" could ban all scientific research and further automation, or better yet, force removal of all technological innovations that have occurred since 1960 ... or 1830. I'm sure that would please all the Luddites posting here ... at least until they realized that they'd lose their PCs, smart phones, etc.
Eventually it will be illegal for humans to drive.
If self driving cars could eliminate stop lights at intersections by being able to coordinate their speeds so they don't impact even in perpendicular directions imagine how much gas would be saved by millions of cars not having to stop.
Of all the unrealistic ideas I've encountered in the four years I've visited this site, this sort of "thinking" scares me the most.
The American nation was built and developed by free thinkers, rebels and outcasts -- people who came here to escape the inertia and stagnation of wherever it is from which they escaped. Many of mine came her after losing family members in the senseless wars of Napoleon's Europe, and when the flames of Civil War, broke out a few years later, they stayed home.
The new resentment against the private vehicle seems to be driven mostly by scared overgrown children; people who literally are afraid of freedom. Never mind that the personal vehicle can easily be downsized, or adapted to sources of power other than petroleum; or that the personal auto is color-blind -- and can harbor no prejudices beyond those of the nut currently behind the wheel.
Too much of what I encounter here -- especially at the Urban Planning and Green Living forums -- seems to fit the mentality of a self-righteous, supposedly-enlightened few; people who think they and their clique know what's best for all of us, and will sacrifice anyone else's individuality to have things their way. There was a lot of thinking like that in Europe back in the Thirties, and God help those who've forgotten the result.
If the power-mad ever succeed in placing serious restrictions on personal mobility via outlawing the automobile, it will be time to mark the American Experiment as a failure, and move on, at any cost.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 05-24-2015 at 06:04 AM..
people who came here to escape the inertia and stagnation of wherever it is from which they escaped.
Escaping "inertia and stagnation"? The industrial revolution was anything but! Economic disruptions from this and an expanding population led some to seek greener pastures... literally. A place where they could scratch out a living in the dirt.
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The new resentment against the private vehicle seems to be driven mostly by scared overgrown children; people who literally are afraid of freedom.
Is there resentment against private vehicles? I haven't noticed it. I thought the poster was just stating that driverless cars would work so much better than human drivers that there would be no point.
Quote:
Never mind that the personal vehicle can easily be downsized, or adapted to sources of power other than petroleum
I've a proponent of this for a long time. We've had the tech for decades to make cheap and simple small and light vehicles that would be great for moving a single human around town. It would be more efficient, faster, and cheaper than any public trans, and could use existing roads. We would however need to restrict the movement of larger vehicles to make that practical, and no one wants to give up being "king of the road" in their 3 ton behemoth.
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people who think they and their clique know what's best for all of us, and will sacrifice anyone else's individuality to have things their way.
Our transportation infrastructure has always been the result of some clique who decided what we were all going to get. It serves large special interests and typically makes little sense for the rest of us.
Of all the unrealistic ideas I've encountered in the four years I've visited this site, this sort of "thinking" scares me the most.
The American nation was built and developed by free thinkers, rebels and outcasts -- people who came here to escape the inertia and stagnation of wherever it is from which they escaped. Many of mine came her after losing family members in the senseless wars of Napoleon's Europe, and when the flames of Civil War, broke out a few years later, they stayed home.
The new resentment against the private vehicle seems to be driven mostly by scared overgrown children; people who literally are afraid of freedom. Never mind that the personal vehicle can easily be downsized, or adapted to sources of power other than petroleum; or that the personal auto is color-blind -- and can harbor no prejudices beyond those of the nut currently behind the wheel.
Too much of what I encounter here -- especially at the Urban Planning and Green Living forums -- seems to fit the mentality of a self-righteous, supposedly-enlightened few; people who think they and their clique know what's best for all of us, and will sacrifice anyone else's individuality to have things their way. There was a lot of thinking like that in Europe back in the Thirties, and God help those who've forgotten the result.
If the power-mad ever succeed in placing serious restrictions on personal mobility via outlawing the automobile, it will be time to mark the American Experiment as a failure, and move on, at any cost.
I agree with a lot of this post. Especially the outlook of the new urbanists, who seem to believe it is reasonable to insist we all live next to each other. And they just don't get why it is wrong to be dependent on government for seemingly everything.
Self driving vehicles are a long ways away from becoming mainstream. The software that programs them cannot be trusted for a long time. But I do believe they will eventually become common. When they do - the nearly pathological opposition to suburbs by many will be weakened. We won't have road gridlock when the movement of vehicles can be coordinated. Parking can be something done in concentrated areas because you can have your car drop you off when you want to go and it will fetch you when called.
I enjoy driving and expect in my lifetime to never be forced away from driving. I will quit driving when I am no longer able to safely.
I am not sure if this is happening but it should. It has never made sense that we shutdown the railroads and replaced that low cost capability with millions of trucks and truck drivers. Of course, the reason was clear. The power of the featherbedding unions killed the viability of railroads. Before the unions, the rails were in the hands of a few robber barons. That did not work either.
Next time you see a train, stop and look at the cars. You'll see intermodal containers with trucking company logos painted on the side, and you'll see semi-trailers. The simple fac,t is that it's more economical and perhaps less risky to ship via rail, but it's more timely to ship via truck, particularly trucks operated by team drivers.
My belief is that trucks will eventually become like airplanes. With air travel, the pilot is responsible for takeoff, landing, and ground maneuvers, but the autopilot system flies the plane while at cruising altitude. I think that trucks will have an automatic navigation system when on rural highways, but driving will be dine by humans in metro areas, foul weather, congestion due to accidents or construction, and on surface streets and private property.
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