Well, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney declined to get into details about his plans for the nation's transportation system during his big speech in Tampa last night. Romney has been tight-lipped about actual policy recommendations throughout his campaign, although a platform released by the GOP this week was basically a worst case scenario for sustainable transportation and had the hallmarks of a Big Oil-fueled propaganda campaign.
But last night's speech was telling at the same time, particularly the last line: "President Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and to heal the planet… My promise is to help you and your family."
James Rowen at the Political Environment says what's so outrageous about that statement is suggesting that the two are somehow mutually exclusive:
Big laugh line. Big laugh from the floor. But how funny is it tonight near New Orleans? Or to the north, where the flooding is headed?
Are the insurance companies laughing? With facts and science on their side, they've been warning against rising sea levels for years because they have billions and billions of dollars of property insured along threatened coastlines.
Rising seas, melting Arctic ice, extreme and changing weather, fires, drought, and crop losses are all related and are not getting too many chuckles from Central Wisconsin to the plains to fire-riven Colorado and Texas.
Romney can make fun of science, but the joke is lost on the rest of us.
Elsewhere on the Network today: In Seattle, a court ruling delaying the construction of a bikeway threatens the safety of cyclists, PubliCola reports. Oregon Live reports that a bike enforcement blitz resulted in a stop sign-running ticket for Portland's transportation policy director. And Urban Milwaukee comments on the state of Wisconsin's cars-only approach to transportation and the procession of legal challenges that have resulted.
