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| Matthew B. Ackerman,
LEED-AP AIA |
| Jeffrey L.
Zucker, LEED-AP AIA |
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Hi I'm Matt & I'm An Addict…
Me:
Hi my name is Matt, and I'm a Gasoline Addict.
Them: ……Hi
Matt!
Yes… *sigh* this was beginning of my slow and painful
road to
recovery
from a nasty case of PPA (or Personal Petroleum Addiction).
Apparently
I'm not alone. It seems our whole country is addicted to the
stuff.
But make no mistake-- this disease is fatal. Aside from the tens
of
thousands of our nations best & brightest who've nobly sacrificed
their
lives in the name of this dark pursuit (knowingly or not), or the 40,000 or
so Americans who perish every year in automobile crashes right here at
home, many more are set to lose so much more, if we
do not, as a society address
this culturally accepted enslavement.
 It's no wonder though, given the actual choices
that we as Americans have left ourselves. Our public policy,
with the
help of interested big business, has systematically damaged not only
future public
transportation opportunities, but existing mass transit infrastructure
as well. Not long after World War II, Firestone, General Motors,
and
Standard Oil (now Exxon) were actually convicted
of conspiring against the public good, by purchasing and then
dismantling electric trolley systems in a brash campaign of corporate
self-interest.
Contrary to popular belief, we are not the
auto-dependent society we have become solely because of the benign and
"inherent wisdom" of the
marketplace. More accurately, we live the lifestyle we do because of the
longstanding and successful influence of a handful of dominant
corporations on our public policy-- particularly in the realms
of energy, defense, health, and broadcasting.
I am saddened by those who claim that we cannot afford to support emerging green
industries, or public transportation programs, for example, because "they'll
never pay for themselves". I don't think most folks
understand
just
how much of our current lifestyle, or the dominance of the industries
responsible for it's continued delivery, is already the result
of favorable public policy, and massive, ongoing
government subsidization.
Through
myriad tax
breaks and other
financial policy structures-- our federal government is currently providing over $15
billion worth of taxpayer funded subsidy to the oil and gas
industry
alone, every year--
year in and year out. Our state and federal highway system is
another
heavily subsidized (and yes, socialized!) program, that could
never be
afforded on it's own-- without the same ongoing infusion of
government cash. In fact, even with this continuous
flood of socially mandated funding, many parts of the country are still unable to
maintain this taken-for-granted
part of our society's infrastructure.
The Obama Administration has
just unveiled
a modest $2.3 billion (one time) jobs
program for clean
energy. Funding for the program, which comes from the $787
billion American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act, has been awarded to over 180 projects
in 43 states, and is expected to generate tens of thousands of new
jobs. The upcoming "Cash
For
Caulkers"
Program soon to be approved, is yet another forward-looking government
initiative. This $10 billion package is expected to provide up to
$12,000 worth of federal aid per household, creating thousands of
more jobs-- especially in the hard-hit residential construction
sector which has been devastated by the housing collapse.
 While these are necessary and
hopeful initiatives, I expect there will be many
who cry out that our government cannot afford
the resources for these programs. The truth is--
we cannot afford not to. The kind of society we live in, is in
large part the result of the
public policy that our elected lawmakers choose to support. So,
why
shouldn't we
as a nation, reconsider our choices, and choose to invest in programs
that will be of long-term benefit to ourselves, our children, and our
planet.
We do not have to live in a world that revolves around speeding metal boxes,
increasing traffic jams, and never-ending highway
construction, simply because its' supplying industries wish it so for
us. We can choose a better world to live in-- and leave
to our
children,
if we simply have enough courage, and enough vision that such a
thing is possible. If we are willing to kick our own Personal
Petroleum Addictions-- then we
just might have a chance.
Them: Sorry Matt, your time's
up. But
hey, keep coming back……!
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