It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum

Topics => World/Foreign Affairs => Topic started by: IronDioPriest on March 28, 2011, 09:39:33 PM

Title: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: IronDioPriest on March 28, 2011, 09:39:33 PM
Frankly, I don't think they'll make it to 2050. If they do, they might be riding camels instead of trains anyway.

EU to ban cars from cities by 2050
Cars will be banned from London and all other cities across Europe under a draconian EU masterplan to cut CO2 emissions by 60 per cent over the next 40 years. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8411336/EU-to-ban-cars-from-cities-by-2050.html)

The European Commission on Monday unveiled a "single European transport area" aimed at enforcing "a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers" by 2050.

The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail.

Top of the EU's list to cut climate change emissions is a target of "zero" for the number of petrol and diesel-driven cars and lorries in the EU's future cities.

Siim Kallas, the EU transport commission, insisted that Brussels directives and new taxation of fuel would be used to force people out of their cars and onto "alternative" means of transport.

"That means no more conventionally fuelled cars in our city centres," he said. "Action will follow, legislation, real action to change behaviour."

The Association of British Drivers rejected the proposal to ban cars as economically disastrous and as a "crazy" restriction on mobility.

"I suggest that he goes and finds himself a space in the local mental asylum," said Hugh Bladon, a spokesman for the BDA.

"If he wants to bring everywhere to a grinding halt and to plunge us into a new dark age, he is on the right track. We have to keep things moving. The man is off his rocker."

Mr Kallas has denied that the EU plan to cut car use by half over the next 20 years, before a total ban in 2050, will limit personal mobility or reduce Europe's economic competitiveness.

"Curbing mobility is not an option, neither is business as usual. We can break the transport system's dependence on oil without sacrificing its efficiency and compromising mobility. It can be win-win," he claimed.

Christopher Monckton, Ukip's transport spokesman said: "The EU must be living in an alternate reality, where they can spend trillions and ban people from their cars.

"This sort of greenwashing grandstanding adds nothing and merely highlights their grandiose ambitions."
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: charlesoakwood on March 28, 2011, 09:53:19 PM
Envision mile upon mile of square multi-story red brick institutional buildings next to a railroad track. The train will come and people, like ants, will flow out of the buildings into the train. In the evening the train will come again and people will flow from the train into the buildings.

The ruling class will refer to them as assets.

 
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: rickl on March 28, 2011, 10:06:22 PM
Quote
Frankly, I don't think they'll make it to 2050. If they do, they might be riding camels instead of trains anyway.

This.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: Pandora on March 28, 2011, 10:09:58 PM
I cannot fathom that in the eyes of the "elite" the height of modernity is to plow headlong into de-industrialization, but it is that which they seek.

They're nucking futz.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: rickl on March 28, 2011, 10:15:41 PM
Dunno if anybody has posted this Day By Day cartoon here, but have a look:

(http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/032711.jpg)
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: Alphabet Soup on March 28, 2011, 10:18:06 PM
I'll be dead by then so I won't have to witness how they degenerated the human race.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: IronDioPriest on March 28, 2011, 10:20:29 PM
I cannot fathom that in the eyes of the "elite" the height of modernity is to plow headlong into de-industrialization, but it is that which they seek...

Quote
Siim Kallas, the EU transport commission, insisted that Brussels directives and new taxation of fuel would be used to force people out of their cars and onto "alternative" means of transport.

"That means no more conventionally fuelled cars in our city centres," he said. "Action will follow, legislation, real action to change behaviour."

They really believe that because they can conceive of a thing in their minds that they believe to be morally superior, that it can be made to work, if only the proper coercion and mechanisms can be applied. They ignore the sum total of human history, and all the accumulated knowledge about human nature, and supplant hard realities with their own ego-fed fantasies. When people end up killing each other because they've f**ked it all up so badly, they won't take responsibility.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: LadyVirginia on March 28, 2011, 10:22:44 PM
Envision mile upon mile of square multi-story red brick institutional buildings next to a railroad track. The train will come and people, like ants, will flow out of the buildings into the train. In the evening the train will come again and people will flow from the train into the buildings.

 
And the people will think it's normal..just like they think about our public education

...fodder for the assembly line...
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: LadyVirginia on March 28, 2011, 10:25:34 PM
They ignore the sum total of human history, and all the accumulated knowledge about human nature, and supplant hard realities with their own ego-fed fantasies.

I know people who really believe that just from the sheer enthusiasm of their cause they can pursuade everyone.

But when that doesn't work they wants laws enacted!
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: charlesoakwood on March 28, 2011, 10:29:54 PM

Tie them on horses and slap it on the rump.

If they survive maybe the ride shall have jarred some sense into them.

Better yet, a mule.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: rickl on March 28, 2011, 10:30:26 PM
I don't have a link, but I seem to recall our own Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood (a Republican) also speaking of "forcing" Americans out of their cars.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: Pandora on March 28, 2011, 10:34:38 PM
I don't have a link, but I seem to recall our own Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood (a Republican) also speaking of "forcing" Americans out of their cars.

Yup, I remember that and I remember thinking of it, as well as the EU bullsht, as "in yer dreams, futhahmuckah".

Rounds for the house, my friends ..........
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: rickl on March 28, 2011, 10:39:12 PM
When you get right down to it, the only way to deal with tyrants is to kill them.

Either freedom-loving people rise up and kill the tyrants, or else the tyrants will kill the freedom-loving people.

It really is that simple.  They leave us no choice.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: IronDioPriest on March 28, 2011, 10:49:09 PM
I don't have a link, but I seem to recall our own Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood (a Republican) also speaking of "forcing" Americans out of their cars.

 ::guillotine::

Transportation Secretary Endorses Anti-Car Agenda
US Transportation Secretary says coercion and government intrusion will be used to force people out of their cars. (http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/27/2789.asp)

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Thursday explained how his policies are designed to discourage the ownership and use of automobiles. LaHood made the unusually candid remarks at a National Press Club speech intended to promote the Department of Transportation's (DOT) stimulus spending initiatives. Although many imagine road building when "shovel-ready" projects are mentioned, the only efforts highlighted by LaHood as worthy of receiving federal taxpayer subsidy included buses, light rail and other forms of multi-modal transit.

"We have $8 billion," LaHood said. "You're going to see new buses; you're going to see ability of transit districts to really have the equipment.... And we'll begin at DOT to set a standard for our ability to get out of the recession, get people back to work in good-paying jobs."

Some of those federally funded jobs, according to LaHood, will involve driving buses for cash-strapped municipal governments.

"Well, I've said that I'm open-minded about transit districts being able to use some of their money for operating," LaHood said. "I think it's a little bit silly to provide all of this money to transit districts to buy new buses if you can't afford to have drivers and employees to use the equipment. And in these hard times, it is difficult sometimes for transit districts to have the operating money."

LaHood insisted that he wanted to "think outside of the box" when searching for a source of operating money for the buses and the bus drivers. Imposing tolls on new and existing roads using the infrastructure bank endorsed by President Obama was at the top of the secretary's list of revenue-raising initiatives.

"Well, now is not a very good time to be talking about raising taxes," LaHood said. "Infrastructure bank is one thing we're thinking about. We're thinking about tolling.... We need to... find ways -- other ways to do it -- perhaps even public-private partnerships that have been used around the country very effectively."

When asked whether this included a per-mile satellite-based tax, LaHood side-stepped the issue with a joke. The transportation secretary admitted that the new fees and regulations are designed to make driving less attractive. He suggested the only opposition to this policy is found in a recent Newsweek column in which George Will dubbed LaHood the "Secretary of Behavior Modification" for his plan to "transform" Americans out of their cars.

"Notwithstanding the fact that George Will doesn't like this idea -- the idea of creating opportunities for people to get out of their cars -- we're working with the secretary of HUD, Shaun Donovan, on opportunities for housing, walking paths, biking paths," LaHood said. "If somebody wants to ride their bike, if -- to work or to the place of employment or to other places -- mass transit, light rail -- creating opportunities for what we call livable communities... And that concept of livable communities is something that we're going to promote and work with the committee on, because we think it's the way forward. It's the way to get people more opportunities, rather than just in their automobiles."

Much of these new opportunities will be paid for by diverting gas tax revenue paid by motorists into general funds that will cover the non-road related expenses. Already, such diversions amount to billions of dollars. In 2003, $18 billion in gas tax dollars were funneled into unrelated projects at the federal level, on top of the $9 billion diverted at the state and local level. LaHood explained his fundamental purpose in response to press questions seeking clarification.

"It is a way to coerce people out of their cars, yeah," LaHood admitted. "Look, people don't like spending an hour and a half getting to work. And people don't like spending an hour going to the grocery store. And all of you who live around here know exactly what I'm talking about.... About everything we do around here is government intrusion in people's lives."
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: charlesoakwood on March 28, 2011, 10:53:26 PM

Republican in the Obama administration?
No, they are Collaborators in the Obama administration.

Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: rickl on March 28, 2011, 10:55:45 PM
Quote
"It is a way to coerce people out of their cars, yeah," LaHood admitted. "Look, people don't like spending an hour and a half getting to work. And people don't like spending an hour going to the grocery store. And all of you who live around here know exactly what I'm talking about.... About everything we do around here is government intrusion in people's lives."


(http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss291/libertasinfinitio/Warnings/pinpoint.gif)
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: Glock32 on March 28, 2011, 11:59:37 PM
They despise the car because it is a symbol of personal autonomy. You can travel to and fro at the time, place, and speed of your choosing. That's anathema to progressivism, because who is to say that the decisions you make are the optimum decisions with the most benefit to society?

I really, and this is an understatement, I really "resent" all of this presumption to plan the existence of people. This is such the hallmark of so-called progressivism, this notion that human existence can be reduced to some sort of glorified Ant Farm. It's what I always say to people - a managed economy necessarily means a managed population. Their argument seems to be that because some people prefer the saaaafety of having everything decided for them, we're all just going to have to accept that that's how it's going to be. Sorry, I'm not indulging the proglodytes' SimCity fantasies. I'm with Rickl and I only ask when, where? Soon, please!

But yes, as an aside, my first thought about an EU plan for 2050 was the same as everyone else's: they will have successfully outlawed Europeans by 2050 before cars.
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: Sectionhand on March 29, 2011, 04:08:53 AM
Europe can go to hell ... if it's not already there .  ::laserkill::
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: Libertas on March 29, 2011, 07:05:37 AM
Proglodytes, craddle-to-grave control of all human activity, SSDD!

 ::seagalvseals::
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: ToddF on March 29, 2011, 07:33:12 AM
A question to the leftist trash out there.

Quote
The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail.

Who is that 50% to be?  The "rich?"  Or the typical dumbass leftist voter?
Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: IronDioPriest on March 29, 2011, 08:13:55 AM
A question to the leftist trash out there.

Quote
The plan also envisages an end to cheap holiday flights from Britain to southern Europe with a target that over 50 per cent of all journeys above 186 miles should be by rail.

Who is that 50% to be?  The "rich?"  Or the typical dumbass leftist voter?

Who in the hell takes a train to go 186 miles??? You hop in the car and you're there in 2 1/2 hours.

Driving to the train station, parking, waiting (security & buffer time) embarking, waiting for everyone else to embark, traveling, any stops along the way, disembarking, finding destination transportation... that sequence of events will take an entire day. That means driving to Mum's for a three day weekend will involve two full days of travel and one day at Mum's, when it could be three days at Mum's. That means a week's vacation at the nearby oceanside will instead be 5 days, with two days of travel that simply don't need to be.

And you're exactly right MNHawk. The elitists conceiving of these policies have no intention of letting it affect their lives.

Title: Re: EU Plans to outlaw cars in cities by 2050
Post by: LadyVirginia on March 29, 2011, 09:17:33 AM
Who is that 50% to be?  The "rich?"  Or the typical dumbass leftist voter?

the rich leftist will get a waiver don't ya know

they'll need to get around to tell the rest of us how to live

 ::rockets::