I must admit that I was (and still am) a bit nervous about the Obama presidency due to age and experience, but today I discovered something that gives me renewed hope for the future. A new page has been launched on the Change.gov site called Open Government where the American people can ask questions and vote for their stance on all issues, including Energy and Environment.
It’s about time! So far, the response appears to be positive, from the site:
90,053 people have submitted 64,645 questions and cast 3,976,522 votes…
The top two running questions (according to popular vote) so far in the Energy and Environment category are:
“William McDonough has designed self-sustaining communities and cities with green technology. Will the new administration seek innovators like Mr. McDonough to help pave the way for infrastructure building in the 21st Century?”
And…..
“Will transit and intercity rail projects be a major component of the infrastructure stimulus package, rather than focusing on highway projects?”
These are both excellent questions, and I firmly believe that if we are to practice what we preach with respect to green economics, we MUST improve our public transportation systems. In Europe, you can get anywhere you want to go using public transportation. Here in the Silicon Valley, the BART doesn’t extend from the East Bay down to San Jose and the voters have been arguing about it for ten years. It is very difficult to get from point A to point B using public transportation in the Bay Area.
It will be most interesting to see what new questions get posted, and the new administration’s answers to these questions. It does feel like at last, the American people are being listened to.
