02/19/08 :: [Election] Only One, and One Only [permalink]
When it comes to thinking, I consider myself as being one of the most basic thinker. I understand the dangers of thinking at a too low level, but most of the time, my mind can't really think in an elaborate fashion.
I have been doing some reading on the energy section of the candidates web sites, and I found one thing missing. Yes they talk about spending in R&D, bulbs and electric cars, ...yawn... but the US (and the world) doesn't really have a clean way to produce electricity. Sure emissions are less because you are not using energy when the car is idle. I actually turn off my car at some select traffic lights that last about 2 minutes (though I am not sure about the effect, my mileage gauge seems to tell me that I am right).
What's missing? I would call it the "Telecommuter's act". It would require that by 2010, in selected industries (obviously not manufacturing or fishing), or better, for selected roles, we require that at least 60% of these roles telecommute at least 60% of their time. I work downtown Seattle, and I love it, I also like better to meet people rather than attending a conference call. But, this is an instant measure that can solve a lot of problems:
- less roads needed
- less car needed
- new square footage for building apartments
- less traffic jams
- Increased disposable income
- More time for parenting and contributing to the community
- Healthier, more vibrant communities
When it comes to the economy, I see it in very simple terms. The goal of an economy is to maximize our capacity to swap our time to meet the needs of society. This is why I find insane that someone could acquire the capability to swap its time against the time of more than 100-1000 person, let alone 30,000. This is also why, when I look at all the crud that our society produces and waste, I often think that we could use our time better. This is also why I am confident that a major change in activity swapping is not likely to create major disruption in the economy.
In the last 10 years, I have seen or heard of major road projects: the Boston big dig, the Seattle viaduct... We are talking I think $15 billion for the Boston big dig, again, based on my calculation, this is roughly the work of 8,000 people for 40 years. Is it really worth it so enslave 8,000 people for a stretch of 4 miles in Downtown Boston? This is also as much as the entire world invested for Nuclear Fusion research (not Nuclear Fission) which is the cleanest and most sustainable way to produce energy. Can you imagine the amount of infrastructure that we are building for nothing? Can you imagine the square-footage of buildings that we are building for nothing?
I know this would be disruptive to a few developers and investors. But, can you imagine converting 40% of buildings into condos? won't you think that homelessness could be reduced to zero, overnight? King county is trying to eliminate homelesness, don't we think it is possible? don't you think there is enough square footage across the country to give a decent roof to anyone?
Can you imagine spending this kind of money on healthcare and schools?
Don't we think that a lot of the world's problems would be easier to deal with if western countries would consume less oil?
At this point, this is no longer a technical problem, it would just take some courage, and to some employer's credit and vision (and economical sense), it is driven by capitalism forces.