A Readership Appreciation & Can We Please Serve West Seattle Without Harassment? War Versus Egypt And Ethiopia? & "My Presidential Platform"

 To My Most Valued and Appreciated Readers

Why any writer writes is to be read, and I thank all of you for weekly tuning into taxi reality as I know yet don't especially love but certainly, at this late juncture, fully understanding an occupation begun  September 1987, my initial innocent introduction manifesting into the unimaginable and unexpected: a journey directly into America's mind, heart and soul, each new passenger teaching me a new curriculum examining our countries' cultural and societal vascular system.  What I am sharing with you is a front row seat upon the human condition, meeting every kind of person in every conceivable life condition: rich, poor, crazy, sane, happy, sad, healing and unfortunately, dying.  As I know too well, taxi will gnaw on you until you are little better than chaff blowing in the wind.  And maybe that's why I saw this week some very emotional commentary posted on last week's post---anger and acrimony disturbing the page.  While not interested in censorship, there certainly must be better alternatives to insult and bluster, tranquil dialogue surely a better option.  If anyone finds that incendiary I request you think again, take a deep breath and realize, as a fellow human residing on this planet Earth, we are in this together, making us all cousins, no matter how distant.   

Cameras Upon the lower West Seattle Bridge 

Due to structural failures, the closure of the West Seattle Freeway Bridge has created limited routes into and out of greater West Seattle.  With the announcement of new repairs upon the southbound lanes of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, the situation is only worsening quick access to important taxi service neighborhoods like the Admiral and West Seattle Junction.  And what is the City of Seattle's response to a crisis not of our making?  Only to install ticketing cameras punishing anyone trying to cross the lower bridge during daylight, prime commuter hours, issuing $75.00 citations.   What it means to us cabbies is that we continue to be treated as non-transit vehicles, to this date never receiving the recognition we deserve.  I have written to the City and County requesting some kind of waiver/exemption but have no faith it will be granted.  Year after year I have been pleading that taxis receive exempt-tagged license plates, knowing that is the required answer.  And do I think it will ever happen?  Yes, I do but perhaps not in my lifetime. 

Mentioning this for all of my Horn of Africa taxi comrades

For those not following news concerning Africa, Ethiopia is nearing completion of a large dam upon the Blue Nile River, Ethiopia the continental source for that mighty, life-giving river.  Like so many dam projects worldwide, water rights has become a heated topic between Egypt and Ethiopia.  Negotiations are ongoing while the building continues but this didn't stop Donald Trump, in a telephone conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister, saying that Egypt is "going to blow up the dam, they are really going to do it." That this was news to everyone, including Egypt, was part of the reaction and story.  Ethiopia's response was predictable.  Can you guess what it was?  

If it was me you could vote for

With my old taxi buddy Bill railing at me, calling my politics this and that, I thought I would take a few minutes and lay out my platform if I was running for president of the USA.   Is the nation ready for a President Blondo?  Maybe, especially if they like somewhat unique solutions to longstanding issues.  By the way, history fans, the terms left and right date from 1789 France during the ill-fated reign of Louis XVI, pro-King supporters sitting on the right, non-King folks to the left, this arrangement continuing through the French revolutionary years.  No, I am not  advocating for the guillotine but clearly during this current election season, many have figuratively "lost their heads." 

Core Belief

All human beings deserve equal opportunity and support to achieve their full potential minus any and all obstacles.  How to achieve that is not simple but certainly a worthy goal.  If achieved, it would end conflict as we know it, everyone happy, wagging their tail instead of telling everyone "to go to hell."

 Samples of my Platform

Transportation Infrastructure

Transition by 2100 to complete non-polluting transportation.  Like Europe and Japan, build high-speed train nationwide system hauling people and freight.  Prioritize road and bridge repair.  Train people from fading industries into the new ones.  

Wildfire Control 

Build massive saltwater desalination plants powered by solar.  Using drone technology, use giant water carrying drones to irrigate dry area and farmland.  90% of the earth is ocean and sea.  Let's use the water that is at our disposal.  Think this is science fiction?  See Jules Verne. 

Health

Emphasize proper diet, exercise and life planning from day one.  Provide generous tax breaks for maintaining health and proper weight.  Create a cultural embrace of maintaining one's body.  Create affordable health care available to everyone, deemphasizing the current societal support for bad eating and lifestyles leading to expensive governmental support in the longterm. Encourage everyone to be healthy and happy and live to 100 years plus.

Conclusion

To include all my ideas would takes hours and days I don't have to give.  In short, all my policies would be based upon commonsense applications.  Freedom of choice and decision would be paramount.  While government support might be greater in the short term, long term  there would be less interference in people's lives.  How would this be possible?  By providing people real options to become wealthy, healthy and wise.  Pipe dream?  I don't think it is.  Be free, live free, and please, in all ways, live contented and be happy.  And if I were dictatorial, make it snappy!

No Sense or Knowledge of History at the Grocery Store

Call this a bonus segment because it says to me so much why America is what it is today.  Yesterday, the nice checkout clerk, upon ringing up my total of $19.39, said "1939 was a much better year than 2020." "It was?" I responded, "That's when WWII started, September 1st, to be exact."  No, the clerk had no idea though he glibly suggested he did, prompting me to recommend checking out the years 1936-39.  A lot was happening then, I said.  

A quick quiz.  Which country did Germany attack on September 1st, starting the war?  If you know the answer, eat some dumplings.  Or better yet, once pandemic travel restrictions are lifted, go to Krakow and eat at one of the 24 hour dumpling joints at 3 in the morning.  Tell them I sent you.