Beerina Sarcastic Conqueror of Notions



Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 30,119

latent aaaack Originally Posted by

1. 40,000 car deaths in the US every year.



2. 500,000 deaths in the US from cardiopulmonary disease linked to breathing fine particle air pollution. If cars are responsible for even 1/5 of that pollution then that's another yearly 100,000 deaths traced to this invention. Also for those that don't die, they are a big reason why 60% of Americans live in areas where the air is dirty enough to endanger lives and moreover, I can only assume, be a noticeable effect on quality of life (that is, if a dirty-air breather knew what they're missing).



sources for that:



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0429131158.htm



http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...-nda072308.php



Plus note some of the headlines linked to from that Science Daily article:

Traffic Exhaust Can Cause Asthma, Allergies And Impaired Respiratory Function In Children

Air Pollution Shrinks Fetus Size, Study Suggests

Air Pollution Linked To Premature Birth In Pregnant Women

Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air



3. Cars are a major reason suburbia exists [shudder]. This also leads to the next point.



4. Cars are a major reason urban sprawl exists and contribute to the decay of urban centers.



5. Cars, compared to bicycle or feet, are noisy, smelly, and make populated areas feel more dehumanizing and depersonalizing compared to areas where people walk or bike.



6. People act like animals when driving cars - based on first hand observation they are far more likely to act selfish, upset, and aggressive compared to when those same people aren't driving and compared to walkers and bicyclists. Plus scientists have lent credence to the obvious fact that this highly impersonal and competitive activity brings out the animal in us.

http://articles.latimes.com/2006/feb...e-territorial6



7.



8. Cars contribute to global warming.



9. Cars are a substantial cause of high obesity rates, and thus more preventable deaths and societal costs from disease.



10. Car culture and infrastructure has left the US, for one, highly vulnerable to oil shocks and 'peak oil' if you believe that's a threat.



11. US military deaths from Vietnam and WW2 combined equal about 500,000, a death toll replicated about every 5 years in America because of cars and affecting, not military personnel, but ordinary men, women, and children. It's insane to react with horror and disapproval at perceived 'unjust' wars or wars that you wish somehow weren't necessary to begin with when the same situation, on a greater scale and often for less justifiable, rational reasons exists with the large scale effects of individuals' choice to use cars.



So, might it all be worth it?



Pros:



1.They enable faster emergency services response times. (sick irony)



2. Faster mail service. (oh joy!)



3. They enable commercial trucking, which gives us a greater range of products to buy and indirectly make us all a little richer by beneficial effect on overall economy.



4. They make it easier to travel to remote wilderness and/or recreational areas.



5. They make it so you don't have to live near where you work which increases employment opportunities.



6. Lack of a moon buggy would've made it harder to rub it in to the Soviets.



So there you have it - if a Terminator-like time traveler went back in time to assassinate anyone attempting to invent a car the net result would be millions of lives saved and a more intact fabric of society - but we'd have less products to choose from. Am I wrong? Some things were only invented because their inventors were smart enough to solve an immediate problem but too dumb to be able to predict its long term effects.



Anyway, to give my thread some kind of argument to defend - in my opinion people should vote to gradually ban and shift away from the reliance on personal automobiles except for emergency services and commercial trucking but they are too uninformed and illogical to. Cons:1. 40,000 car deaths in the US every year.2. 500,000 deaths in the US from cardiopulmonary disease linked to breathing fine particle air pollution. If cars are responsible for even 1/5 of that pollution then that's another yearly 100,000 deaths traced to this invention. Also for those that don't die, they are a big reason why 60% of Americans live in areas where the air is dirty enough to endanger lives and moreover, I can only assume, be a noticeable effect on quality of life (that is, if a dirty-air breather knew what they're missing).sources for that:Plus note some of the headlines linked to from that Science Daily article:3. Cars are a major reason suburbia exists [shudder]. This also leads to the next point.4. Cars are a major reason urban sprawl exists and contribute to the decay of urban centers.5. Cars, compared to bicycle or feet, are noisy, smelly, and make populated areas feel more dehumanizing and depersonalizing compared to areas where people walk or bike.6. People act like animals when driving cars - based on first hand observation they are far more likely to act selfish, upset, and aggressive compared to when those same people aren't driving and compared to walkers and bicyclists. Plus scientists have lent credence to the obvious fact that this highly impersonal and competitive activity brings out the animal in us.7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cars#Environmental_impact 8. Cars contribute to global warming.9. Cars are a substantial cause of high obesity rates, and thus more preventable deaths and societal costs from disease.10. Car culture and infrastructure has left the US, for one, highly vulnerable to oil shocks and 'peak oil' if you believe that's a threat.11. US military deaths from Vietnam and WW2 combined equal about 500,000, a death toll replicated about every 5 years in America because of cars and affecting, not military personnel, but ordinary men, women, and children. It's insane to react with horror and disapproval at perceived 'unjust' wars or wars that you wish somehow weren't necessary to begin with when the same situation, on a greater scale and often for less justifiable, rational reasons exists with the large scale effects of individuals' choice to use cars.So, might it all be worth it?Pros:1.They enable faster emergency services response times. (sick irony)2. Faster mail service. (oh joy!)3. They enable commercial trucking, which gives us a greater range of products to buy and indirectly make us all a little richer by beneficial effect on overall economy.4. They make it easier to travel to remote wilderness and/or recreational areas.5. They make it so you don't have to live near where you work which increases employment opportunities.6. Lack of a moon buggy would've made it harder to rub it in to the Soviets.So there you have it - if a Terminator-like time traveler went back in time to assassinate anyone attempting to invent a car the net result would be millions of lives saved and a more intact fabric of society - but we'd have less products to choose from. Am I wrong? Some things were only invented because their inventors were smart enough to solve an immediate problem but too dumb to be able to predict its long term effects.Anyway, to give my thread some kind of argument to defend - in my opinion people should vote to gradually ban and shift away from the reliance on personal automobiles except for emergency services and commercial trucking but they are too uninformed and illogical to.

Hmmm. I wonder what the death rates are in countries where the government outlaws cars, or where the government is so intrusive that essentially no domestic industry exists in spite of inviolate importation laws?



Oop, I forgot. This is about the fantasy of having your cake and eating it too. Where some "fine tuned" law helps capitalism along, in our minds, rather than hindering it, out in reality. Hmmm. I wonder what the death rates are in countries where the government outlaws cars, or where the government is so intrusive that essentially no domestic industry exists in spite of inviolate importation laws?Oop, I forgot. This is about the fantasy of having your cake and eating it too. Where some "fine tuned" law helps capitalism along, in our minds, rather than hindering it, out in reality.