Buses Were Always The Answer

Dear Mr. Wheeler,

When I was in third grade my teacher asked us come up with greener, more efficient ways to travel. My classmates offered far flung ideas like flying cars and wind powered boats, helium balloons and rocket skateboards. Most of the options were science fiction, highly impractical, or both. But one quiet boy named Adam simply said, Buses. Thirty years later, he's still right.

The core of the American ideal exists in the right of every citizen of this country to pursue their happiness within the confines of the law. But what happens when there is no law to curb those efforts? If I play my music too loudly, my neighbor is entitled to call the police and they in turn may issue a noise citation. But what if my neighbor drives an inefficient car or keeps their air conditioning on when they are not home? What if they refuse to recycle or leave their water running for months at a time? And then, if they are fined, what if they can simply pay those fines and continue their existence?

Our system of freedoms and rights to enjoy ourselves any way we please has bred a climate of pay to play. If I can handle the monetary slap on the wrist, which often does not exist for infractions related to the environment, I can do what I please. Yet, when someone else's actions begin to adversely affect me, it is on the governing body of this country to right that wrong not the affected citizen. For me to breathe a neighbor's carbon emissions is far worse than listening to their noise. Yet we have no recourse as citizens to deal with such issues. It is not my place to police my fellow citizen's consumption habits and, frankly, I don't want to be that guy. My voice is but one, my neighbor just one, my small street just one. I don't have the power to change my neighbor, let alone my street, but you, sir, do. You represent the environment. It is in the very name of the agency which you swore to justly lead. You represent the power of the pen and the law, the ability to put laws into place that address the undeniable ecocide that exists on this planet, in our country, in my hometown.

Vehicle emissions are the single largest polluter in America. Free buses and more expensive tolls are the answer. Making public transportation so simple, so cost effective to the average driver that they would be left with no choice but to take the bus is an inexpensive, easy way to start righting this communal ship in the face of climate (and, thus, economic) disaster. The vast majority of Americans drive out of convenience, out of a belief that it is their right to drive rather than walk or use the bus. But this has led us to where we are now, with five of the last seven years the hottest on record since we've begun keeping track almost 300 years ago.

We must give up a small bit of our freedom for the greater good. There is no other way to solve this climate issue. We cannot keep consuming as we are and expect technology to scrub the environment of CO2. Everyone believes there is a magic bullet in some laboratory somewhere. Let's keep looking for it, striving toward that solution, but in the meantime, let's use what we already have. Buses were designed to move people efficiently. Let's allow them to do what they do best while employing hard working Americans and maybe even fostering a community mindset that would make us realize we don't need to be so separate from one another. Let us realize that commuting and communing with our fellow citizens is a privilege and a great way to get to know someone we may never have crossed paths with. Let's share this burden, on the bus, together.