Radical Avenue

“The earth has always been the center of the universe”, common sense, circa 1508.

“We can tell if someone is a witch by throwing them in the river to see if they float”, common sense, circa 1708.

“Nothing will ever replace the horse and buggy”, common sense, circa 1908.

“Our government needs to take a more common sense approach to solving problems”, nonsense, circa 2008.

Science v. Mythology
“Common sense” is a phrase from those comfortable old TV shows like Father Knows Best. “Common sense”, as in “You small children have no common sense. Why not let daddy take care of everything for you?” In a democracy, the people know best.

Fortunately we already have an excellent tool which we can use to evaluate and improve public programs. It’s called scientific analysis and design. High school students know all about it. You develop a hypothesis. You test the hypothesis, measure the results and then make conclusions.

American engineers don’t rely on common sense to build bridges, cars or spaceships. Americans politicians rely on common sense to mislead voters about what’s best for our country.

Proof v. Theory
In the US, politicians will say anything to convince us to ignore facts. If a group of efficiency experts recommend closing some Air Force bases, then the representatives from the districts where those bases are located will tell everyone that the experts got it all wrong. That’s why voters must be especially vigilant about identifying objective standards which all public officials must follow. Spin has no place in good government.

Drive east along Highway 50 toward South Lake Tahoe, California and you’ll spot some unusual looking pine trees among the tall timbers of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In fact these aren’t trees at all. They’re cellular phone towers adorned with fake bark and branches in order to blend in with the surroundings.

Wind turbines won’t melt into the background as easily as cellular towers. They have too many moving parts and tend to dominate the open prairie. But if they won’t blend in, why not make them stand out? After all, aren’t these things really just giant pinwheels? Paint the towers green and the blades orange and we’re in business.

The massive new turbines popping up in windy regions all around the world look cold and imposing. A few candy stripes and polka dots would give them a more whimsical appearance. Some glitter to reflect the sunshine would be even better.

It takes awhile for the artists to catch up with the industrialists sometimes. Yes, the plain colored wind turbines currently in vogue are perfectly serviceable. We could all drive blacks cars and live in white houses too. Weren’t those the original colors? Gray turbines are an eyesore. Who wants to live in a monochromatic world?

Windmills have been immortalized on canvas by many legendary artists, including Van Gogh, Monet and Rembrandt. The hero of Miguel de Cervantes classic tale, Don Quixote, had a few encounters with a windmill. The only people interested in immortalizing our modern day turbines work for the advertising departments at GE and Vestas.

Barack Obama ran a smart, disciplined presidential campaign against formidable political opponents. He won the election by a comfortable margin because Americans believe in his values, his ideas and his leadership abilities. And his astonishing rise from humble circumstances to the highest office in the land serves as an inspiration to all generations of Americans. US voters made a course correction last week.

Jobs, Energy and Health Care
Mr. Obama will have many opportunities to improve the lives of working Americans next year. The Democratic Congress will probably seek to accelerate public works projects as a means of creating jobs. They’ll follow that up with an extension of unemployment benefits and a minimum wage increase. Since unemployment is a lagging indicator of economic downturns, the job market could be shaky for awhile despite these expenditures.

Expect more investment in industries that reduce American dependence on foreign oil. Solar and wind energy producers will benefit. Congress may either require American automakers to build more fuel efficient cars through new regulation, or demand it as part of a federal loan package.

Meaningful health care reform won’t come easily, as the insurance and pharmaceutical industries will fight any legislation that hurts their bottom line. At least Congress can now expand children’s health care without worrying about another presidential veto.

Bush Tax Cuts Set to Expire
Back in 2001, all projections indicated that George Bush’s tax cuts would lead to massive new debt by the end of the decade. That’s why the cuts were given expiration dates. Now that the national debt exceeds $10 trillion, Congress should allow those tax laws to expire on schedule.

Corporate America’s favorite new bank, the US Treasury, has some extra loan applications to process. It seems that now American Automakers need a few billion to get them through the holidays. At least taxpayers will have something to drive away with if these companies go belly up.

New Cars
Large pickup trucks are handy for towing boats and hauling supplies. Sport Utility Vehicles will easily transport three to six passengers in comfort. But stand by the side of any freeway near a US city and you’ll see that most cars are hauling nothing and carrying no passengers.

The vast majority of commuters still drive back and forth to work alone. They need fuel efficient vehicles like the ones Toyota, Honda and Volkswagen have been marketing aggressively for decades in North America.

General Motors has already seen the light. The Chevy Volt is a plug in electric vehicle with a gas engine that recharges the battery. It will compete directly with the highly successful Toyota Prius and other high mileage hybrids.

Continued production of fuel efficient vehicles should be a requirement of any government loans to American car companies. It will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, minimize pollution and help prevent global warming. Lighter vehicles mean less of a pounding on our road surfaces as well.

New Markets
GM, Ford and Chrysler also need to start cranking out more cars with steering wheels on the right. There’s no reason to continue ignoring drivers all across Europe and Asia who prefer this configuration. Competing successfully in foreign markets will help American car makers weather downturns in the US economy.