Comments on: Out of Focus http://ourpdx.com/2008/07/out-of-focus/ Collaborative coverage of news and events, with a focus on community. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:46:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jeremy Towsey-French http://ourpdx.com/2008/07/out-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-256 Jeremy Towsey-French Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:34:07 +0000 http://ourpdx.net/?p=123#comment-256 i'm currently working on another piece that discusses the dynamics of water usage in portland -- thought you might be intrigued to know that it takes about 1,916 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. yikes. i’m currently working on another piece that discusses the dynamics of water usage in portland — thought you might be intrigued to know that it takes about 1,916 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. yikes.

]]> By: Steve Rawley http://ourpdx.com/2008/07/out-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-255 Steve Rawley Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:14:04 +0000 http://ourpdx.net/?p=123#comment-255 Or we could just tax the hell out of meat, and use the revenue to fund health care, mass transit and a subsidy on the price of beans. Simple, fair, and no invasion of privacy. Now, if we could just find a way to capture all the methane produced by vegetarians.... (toot) Or we could just tax the hell out of meat, and use the revenue to fund health care, mass transit and a subsidy on the price of beans.

Simple, fair, and no invasion of privacy.

Now, if we could just find a way to capture all the methane produced by vegetarians…. (toot)

]]> By: Jeremy Towsey-French http://ourpdx.com/2008/07/out-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-254 Jeremy Towsey-French Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:09:24 +0000 http://ourpdx.net/?p=123#comment-254 i love your last suggestion, steve (a tax credit for vegetarians). if only it could be as easily tracked/validated as buying a car. but hey, with payd (pay as your drive) insurance making its way into the market, we will likely also see the option of payl (pay as you live) health insurance --which would then provide further opportunity to offer a funky health-based + carbon-based state tax credit. privacy concerns? hell yes, but manageable if offered as optional. fair? maybe. the whole topic intrigues the heck out of me. i love your last suggestion, steve (a tax credit for vegetarians). if only it could be as easily tracked/validated as buying a car. but hey, with payd (pay as your drive) insurance making its way into the market, we will likely also see the option of payl (pay as you live) health insurance –which would then provide further opportunity to offer a funky health-based + carbon-based state tax credit. privacy concerns? hell yes, but manageable if offered as optional. fair? maybe. the whole topic intrigues the heck out of me.

]]> By: Steve Rawley http://ourpdx.com/2008/07/out-of-focus/comment-page-1/#comment-253 Steve Rawley Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:59:30 +0000 http://ourpdx.net/?p=123#comment-253 My first response to the WW piece was that we should just put this money into transit. Hybrids are a fraud, in my opinion, especially when you consider their potential efficiencies (up to 50 mpg) are generally offset by size and performance requirements of US car buyers. With downsized power and size requirements, we could easily have 50 mpg cars <em>without</em> expensive hybrid technology. Remember the three cylinder Geo Metro (a.k.a. Suzuki Swift)? (Not to mention the considerable environmental impact of buying a new car vs. maintaining an existing vehicle.) At any rate, $5 million dollars sounds like a lot, but it's petty cash compared to, say, TriMet's three quarters of a billion dollar budget. Dispersing that kind of change to the state's numerous transit agencies would be a drop in the bucket for them, and wouldn't even cover their increasing fuel costs -- much less the cost of adding service to entice new riders. So how better to spend this $5 million? How about helping the City of Portland fund its bus pass program for students in grades 6-12? How about a tax credit to help the working poor maintain their vehicles? No, I've got it... a tax credit for vegetarians, since switching to a plant-based diet prevents more carbon emissions than buying a hybrid car. My first response to the WW piece was that we should just put this money into transit.

Hybrids are a fraud, in my opinion, especially when you consider their potential efficiencies (up to 50 mpg) are generally offset by size and performance requirements of US car buyers. With downsized power and size requirements, we could easily have 50 mpg cars without expensive hybrid technology. Remember the three cylinder Geo Metro (a.k.a. Suzuki Swift)?

(Not to mention the considerable environmental impact of buying a new car vs. maintaining an existing vehicle.)

At any rate, $5 million dollars sounds like a lot, but it’s petty cash compared to, say, TriMet’s three quarters of a billion dollar budget. Dispersing that kind of change to the state’s numerous transit agencies would be a drop in the bucket for them, and wouldn’t even cover their increasing fuel costs — much less the cost of adding service to entice new riders.

So how better to spend this $5 million? How about helping the City of Portland fund its bus pass program for students in grades 6-12?

How about a tax credit to help the working poor maintain their vehicles?

No, I’ve got it… a tax credit for vegetarians, since switching to a plant-based diet prevents more carbon emissions than buying a hybrid car.

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