Political Agendas, Mentioned and Not
Austin-American Statesman: Electric car dealerships appearing in Austin
[T]he City of Austin has budgeted about $1 million for a campaign to convince auto manufacturers that a market exists in the United States for electric cars and to urge their mass production, said Ed Clark, a spokesman for Austin Energy."The goal is to get a plug-in hybrid for all types of travel that not only gives you less pollution, but also gives reliability and range," Clark said.
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A million bucks of taxpayer money allocated to persuade car companies to build electric vehicles. Did anyone in Austin hear about this project from someone seeking elected office? Was this an item on anyone's agenda to accomplish if they won the race? Were the voters made aware that one or some of their candidates were seeking to spend tax money on this?
This is both an honest and rhetorical question. Honest, because a million bucks isn't something to be shrugged off and for those folks who do vote and want to know this stuff, it should be out there for them. Also because I find it darkly ironic that a government entity wants to use money that doesn't belong to them to convince companies a substantial market demand exists for a product. The economic implications alone would be humorous if not so subtly destructive.
Rhetorical, because I already know part of the reason: a vote for a candidate is a vote stripped of context and preferences. Casting a vote for a candidate doesn't enact a well-defined and concrete set of policies, it puts into power human beings who can and will change their minds, allow themselves to be paid off, and make decisions at the critical margin where diverse interests operate and attempt to influence the outcome. The end result are people who lay claim to a "mandate from the community" but aren't legally or physically beholden to either the claims they make or the values and desires of those who voted for them.