I really don’t know who to vote for for Mayor. I’m not interested in telling you who to vote for…I want to provide information and perspective to you so you can make a good decision…
Here’s something I’d like to ask the Mayoral candidates:
Do you know that diesel exhaust is a carcinogen?
If the answer is “No, I didn’t know that”, then that candidate may be too poorly informed (ignorant) to be Mayor.
If the answer is “Yes”, then the question is “Why haven’t you done something about it?” Especially Lee and Brewster, who have recently sworn oaths to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare ( Carole’s oath, last taken in 1981, has probably worn off by now ).
This morning, I went for a walk in the park, my daily constitutional. As usual, I had to dodge the UPS and Fed-ex trucks that constantly criss-cross the neighborhood, spewing toxic clouds of exhaust, poisoning the air wherever they go
Why do we tolerate this? It’s another sign of weakness in the environment movement.
Here’s what a Mayor…or city councilmember…who truly cared about the environment or the health and welfare of the people would do: write a letter to UPS, Fed-ex, and Dhl, explaining that it is unsustainable for them to continue to drive their polluting, carcinogenic behemoths all over town, every day, fouling the people’s air and contributing to global warming. The city could work with them to convert to smaller, battery-powered vehicles. The city could urge them to be the first one to enjoy the competitive advantage of “going green”.
Big Brown…what can you do for me today? Go Green!! Stop spreading that Big Brown toxic cloud coming from your vehicles!
Fed-ex…the citizens of Austin are “Fed-up” with your trucks polluting their air and poisoning the planet. Let us help you make $$$ without poisoning everyone!
The city, which has launched a climate protection program with much fanfare, should calculate the carbon-footprint of these delivery companies and actually DO SOMETHING about it.
But Will wynn doesn’t really care…he’s already gotten what he wanted: his picture in the paper and a puff-piece saying how “green” he is. In the 70’s and 80’s, you actually had to DO SOMETHING to be an environmentalist.
I doubt that any of these Mayoral candidates will do anything about it, either.
We haven’t seen any good strong environmental public policy since I left office in 1996…only a lot of greenwashing. And the big problem with greenwashing, in addition to the hypocrisy, is that the people think something is being done…when it isn’t. The people are lead to believe that things are getting better, when they are really getting worse!
Time is a luxury we can no longer afford!