Agenda 21, Sustainable Living, Mass Transit and the Nanny State

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In between spending time with my Hobbit grandson, home for his first time since beginning college, I began compiling information for my take on the situation. Below are my thoughts:

Agenda 21, Sustainable Living

I found the following U.N. guidelines (shown in quotes) to implement Agenda 21/Sustainable Development on their United Nations Sustainable Human Settlement Development website. As the people of the Shire will note, we are referred to as "human settlements" and they have plans to manage us.

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"Human settlement objective

• A. Providing adequate shelter for all;
• B. Improving human settlement management;
• C. Promoting sustainable land use planning and management;
• D. Promoting the integrated provision of environmental infrastructure: water, sanitation, drainage, hazardous and solid waste management;
• E. Promoting sustainable energy and transport systems in human settlements;
• F. Promoting human settlement planning and management in disaster-prone areas;
• G. Promoting sustainable construction industry activities;
• H. Promoting human resource development and capacity-building for human settlement development.

d) All countries should, as appropriate, facilitate access of urban and rural poor to shelter by adopting and utilizing housing and finance schemes and new innovative mechanisms adapted to their circumstances; g) All countries, where appropriate, should develop and implement resettlement programmes which address the specific problems of displaced populations in their respective countries; B. Improving human settlement management a) Adopt and apply urban management guidelines in the areas of land management, urban environmental management, infrastructure management and municipal finance and administration" New York City has been referred to as one of the "greenest" places on earth and used as a model for the rest of the U.S. Unfortunately being "green" means living atop each other in a mass of concrete. The Mayor has given himself the power to regulate every aspect of the lives of the residents of New York City. While this may be perfectly fine for the people of New York, it is not necessarily the way we Hobbits of the Shire wish to live. Equate the following quote from the website to Obama's Executive Order 13575 creating the White House Rural Council. Hobbits, you're time in the Shire is limited unless Congress acts to stop this in it's tracks. I'm not holding my breath on that happening. "As appropriate, they should also concentrate on activities aimed at facilitating the transition from rural to urban lifestyles and settlement patterns " This is what your life will become if the U.S. continues to take away our sovereignty and place us under U.N. control:

New York, New York

Mass Transit

Moving right along on the U.N. website regarding mass transit revealed the following: "E. Promoting sustainable energy and transport systems in human settlements 7.52 Promoting efficient and environmentally sound urban transport systems in all countries should be a comprehensive approach to urban transport planning and management. For this all countries should:

• (a) Integrate land-use and transportation planning to encourage development patterns which reduce transport demand;
• (b) Adopt urban transport programmes favoring high-occupancy public transport in countries as appropriate;
• (c) Encourage non-motorized modes of transport by providing safe cycleways and footways in urban and suburban centres in countries as appropriate;
• (d) Devote particular attention to effective traffic management, to efficient operation of public transport and to maintenance of transport infrastructure;"

Now, if my fellow Hobbits were paying attention, you took note of the fact the entire mass transit systems in New York and New Jersey were shut down; no trains, no subways and no buses. In Manhattan 77% of households do not even own one car. We out here in the Shire see that as a serious problem. I saw a couple being interviewed who had missed the last subway train and bus state they now had to walk 25 blocks to reach home. If they had owned a car they wouldn't be walking 25 blocks in the rain. As of Monday morning in New York there was limited bus and subway service, but if you were planning on going to the Jets/Giants game, there were no trains running to the Meadowlands as the commuter rail service remained closed. In New Jersey, there was limited bus service, but rail service remained suspended. In order to prevent residents from owning cars, Midtown and downtown Manhattan have instituted median monthly parking rates of $541 and $533 respectively. The daily parking fee in Midtown is $41 and downtown Manhattan is $30. Not to worry, there are plans in the works for more bicycle paths, racks and shelters. Newark, New Jersey has been proclaimed one of the most "pedestrian friendly" cities in the U.S. Looking at the picture below it's understandable you would have to walk. Thanks, but no thanks.

Newark, New Jersey

The Nanny State

After listening to Governors, Mayors, Big Sis Napolitano and other officials constantly repeating to their citizens the need to evacuate, seek shelter, not to go out in the storm and have necessary supplies, I had to ask myself if the citizenry has grown so dependent on Government telling them what to do they had to be told these things. If so one has to wonder who will take care of them when this experiment in socialism/marxism/communism collapses. We, here in the Shire, know enough to get in out of the rain and take care of ourselves. Then, we had the Dark Lord himself state the following: "Continue to listen to guidance and direction from your state and local officials" and "this is an example of how good government can benefit the public". Interpretation: "you aren't smart enough to take care of yourself; only the government can take care of you". A total of seven states have declared states of emergency as the states beg Washington for help. The states have increasingly become dependent on the Federal Government. Over the last 16 years, the FEMA declarations have increased dramatically. Obama has issued 360 declarations during his time in office without there being one hurricane or major earthquake. He has declared 144 in the first six months of 2011, putting him on track for approximately 288 this year; the most in FEMA history. A recent study said the federalization of routine disasters requires FEMA to become involved with a new disaster somewhere in the United States every 2.5 days. In 1968 the National Flood Insurance Program was created. It was voluntary until 1973; when the government saw the opportunity to expand itself and made it mandatory. It is now the largest single-line property insurer in the U.S. and among the nation's largest domestic liabilities. The NFIP has statutory authority to borrow up to $1.5 billion from the U.S. Treasury to cover losses. As of May of this year NFIP owed the treasury $18 billion with no hope of ever paying it back. That's $18 billion that all taxpayers in the Shire are on the hook for. Aren't the U.N. and the Nanny State wonderful, my fellow Hobbits?

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