Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:06:02 -0400
From: Claire Kane
Subject: taking positive action
Anyone, a-n-y-o-n-e, who has dreams and ideas that cannot be achieved in the short term, but still takes action is vulnerable to the “delusions of grandeur” accusation. Yet, where would we be without big picture thinkers? Our forebears dreamt big. The tendency to think and conceptualize on a broader scale is a human characteristic, just like being detail-oriented, or having a sense of humor, or an aptitude for math or writing.
Why is it that when we encounter those who possess that quality in our daily lives, we deride and malign them? It’s just as valid today as it’s been – the Renaissance, before cars and planes, or before computers, or whenever.
Some of us have always been detail-oriented and some: the opposite.
Some are struggling with big daily challenges and inspire us all on a personal level. Some are fortunate to be more comfortable and can afford to use their talents and aptitudes to make a positive difference, not just for themselves, but for others.
In Chatham County, we are blessed with all types and we need everyone.
What about those little children you hear about every once in a while who start a charity http://www.trevorscampaign.org/ that goes nationwide. Their hearts are touched by suffering and they had parents who supported these impulses and feelings. Are they just too big for their britches and trying to get attention?
I have seen this dynamic before on this chatlist and I just don’t understand it. Why do we need to mock? 🙂 I really don’t get it. Or maybe I just refuse.
The mayors of Cary, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel HIll got together last week to discuss how to take the next step to upgrade and increase transit connectivity in the Triangle. Many mayors and chancellors have signed on to the American Colleges and Presidents Climate Commitmenthttp://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/. As the president of one community college said,
“We are in the middle of one of those rare moments when the right thing to do is also the economically smart thing to do.”
At UNC-Chapel Hill, we just got finished submitting our Climate Action Plan for becoming climate neutral by 2050 to support our Chancellor’s goal and the goal of the surrounding community. This plan is alot of trouble and implementing it will involve things not being done the way they always have been. But it’s worth it for our grandchildren. I am proud to have been a very (very 🙂 small part of that effort.
Although honestly, if it was up to me, I sure would not have been able to dream up such a broad initiative. That’s not my strong suit. I’m better at research and implementation. We all can’t be everybody.
Transit is not just about improving the quality of the air. It’s about connecting people in the community to employment – people who never considered it before, because they had no way to get there.
All public bus systems MUST make an orderly transition to hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles to continue to receive federal funding. Chapel Hill Transit already has several hybrids. So worrying about the fuel efficiency of buses should not be a major concern!
It will take time for everyone to find out that they can get to Chapel Hill, consider the ramifications, find opportunities, pursue them, and then begin adding to the tax base instead of taking from it. It will take time for folks who live elsewhere to realize they can take a day trip, shop til they drop and have lunch at the S& T Soda Shoppe But this is time worth investing – both for the sake of individuals and for the sake of the health of our community.
In the meantime, there are some very happy people (only judging by smiles) reading, snoozing and looking out the window on the bus every day. There are about to be more as the many of the folks who got together for 12 years to drive to UNC in a vanpool start riding. Now they have a little more choice as to when they can leave for work and a little more latitude if they are running late. In the future, maybe they will have even more choice! Gene, I saw you there the other morning asking the driver what the fuel consumption was for the bus. Too bad you snapped your shot inside the bus before it was done loading. And yeah, that first bus stays empty. We may have to adjust the time table.
What is the goal here? Do we just want everything to stay exactly the same for all (or as the song goes, “The rich get rich and the poor get poorer”) ? Even if we did, it can’t. The one thing we can count on is that things will change. So why just get mad about it? Why not try to make it a positive change?
Claire Kane
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:32:18 -0400
From: randy E
Subject: Voller’s Pittsboro Express Bus will end world hunger and bring us world peace
When asked what payoff we might see from the Pittsboro Express Randy Voller responded –
I would imagine in no particular order:
Enhanced property values
Wage increases
Lower unemployment
More workers covered by insurance (better jobs)
Greater velocity of capital in the local market (multiplier effect)
Increased sales tax revenue
Better air quality
New businesses created in Pittsboro because we have transit
Greater demand on properties because we have a link to UNC
Less cars on the road
Less need to widen 15-501 (The initial widening cost over fifty million
dollars, perhaps more.)
Better productivity
Opportunities to link to Sanford, Raleigh and Siler City
Greater opportunities for mobility
Enhanced prestige for the Town and County (goodwill)
Less need more asphalt = better water quality
More opportunities to attract the “creative class” and “entrepreneurs”
Less stress
Certainly not comprehensive, but a start.
Best Regards,
Mayor Randy Voller
Wow! Delusions of grandeur. $360,000 in taxpayer money is being spent on this “magic” bus and he can’t even get more than a handful or two of riders
on this thing.
Randy E