On the free lunch of cheap oil, capitalism has triumphed in the US. After dismantling the urban streetcar system, a wasteful sprawl orgy of growth generated profits for decades.
Now, the people of the US are learning what that innocent-sounding word "unsustainable" really means.
Americans work all day Monday to feed the government, all day Tuesday to feed their cars, all day Wednesday to feed the bondholders, all day Thursday to feed their over-priced housing. Then they have Friday to catch up where they are behind on health, education, and repairs.
This all could be sharply mitigated by unwinding the sprawl machine. Start with fare-free urban buses. This will start a culture change with more room in the city, more political support for buses, and above all, falling birth rates that go with urbanization.
Now, the people of the US are learning what that innocent-sounding word "unsustainable" really means.
Americans work all day Monday to feed the government, all day Tuesday to feed their cars, all day Wednesday to feed the bondholders, all day Thursday to feed their over-priced housing. Then they have Friday to catch up where they are behind on health, education, and repairs.
This all could be sharply mitigated by unwinding the sprawl machine. Start with fare-free urban buses. This will start a culture change with more room in the city, more political support for buses, and above all, falling birth rates that go with urbanization.
