Interesting evening at the Shawnee City Council tonight.
Because of what happened a few weeks ago I brought something up and this is what I said:
COMMENTS FOR CITY COUNCIL 5/14/07
A couple of weeks ago, a member of the city council was so concerned about the health
of the citizens of Shawnee that an attempt was made to jam an ordinance down the
throats of the people without proper review. Another member of the city council
apparently was equally concerned as that member seconded the motion for the
“jamming”.
Are these two individuals really concerned about the health of the people of Shawnee or
are they just grandstanding ?
Many studies have been done about the effects of fossil fuel emissions. The negative
effects run the gamut from respiratory problems for people, to acid rain affecting soil and
and physical structures. But let’s concentrate on the respiratory problems associated with
fossil fuel emissions. The City of Shawnee and these two council members have the
opportunity to set a precedent that could spread across this great country of ours.
Remember when California first enacted its smoking ban? And recently, in the name of
health, NYC has placed restrictions on trans fats in food preparation.
What can we do? We cannot outlaw cars and trucks. But, we can make it expensive for
polluters of our environment to change their habits. SUVs, trucks, vans and mini vans,
are basically gas guzzling rolling pollutants. Therefore, it is suggested that if these two
council members are serious about the health of the citizenry of this community they will
propose an ordinance based on the guidelines listed below:
PROPOSED ELEMENTS OF A GAS GUZZLER ORDINANCE
It would apply to all SUVs, pick up trucks, vans and minivans registered to individuals with a residence address within the city limits of Shawnee. SUVs that are “crossover” (those built on car chassis) would be exempt.
Each of these vehicles would be required to obtain a “Clean Air Permit” on an annual basis.
The cost of the permit would be $200 if the vehicle is of the current model year. Since vehicle performance declines over time, and pollutants increase, each year after the current model year would increase the cost of the permit by $50
The City would retain 10% of the fees collected as an offset for administering the program.
The remaining 90% would be placed in an interest producing trust fund. Citizens of Shawnee who experience respiratory problems that require medical attention and who have insufficient funds and/or insurance could apply for grants from the fund.
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Personally, I really think that these two individuals should lead the fight to reduce the emissions of gas guzzlers in our city.
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Wow, I must have really rattled Kevin Straub's chains. He said something to the effect that I would have been better off if I didn't start my comments by insulting him. I told him I didn't insult him, I spoke the truth. Heck, he and his buddy boy were insulting the citizens of Shawnee with their little stunt two weeks ago.
Then the other half chimed in, Dan Pflumm. He again brought up that he submitted his ordinance proposal because "due diligence" had already been done. He was referring to the Johnson County survey. I had to remind him that another council member at the previous meeting tried to explain to him that surveys can be manipulated. I offered to show him how a survey can be manipulated and it would only take three minutes. My offer was not accepted.
I think these two are missing the point. If they are so concerned about the health of the citizens of Shawnee they would embrace items like the one I brought up. It takes guts to set a precedent, and also to show that you are sincere about what you say.
Any fool can jump on a "me too" bandwagon.
