穿州過省的超級公路(interstate super highway)是世界二次大戰之後美國最重要的基建計劃之一，但等到1956年才付之實行。在它建成的半個世紀內，除了帶給美國巨大經濟效益之外，並增強道路安全使用的保障和改善人民的生活質素，對未來戰爭軍需之運送也起到革命性的突破。
凡事有其利必有其害：自從高速公路大量投入服務之後，美國人開始從城市遷移到郊外去，使城市人口銳減。人口減少了對各種勞務和物資的需求自然降低，商人為求適應這一變化便隨着人流而轉動。超級公路兩旁的大城小鎮之商業區幾乎十室九空，蕭條之況不忍卒睹。代之而起的是一些巨無霸之連鎖店，小生意則一蹶不振。大魚吃小魚的現象將會變本加厲，小商人將被無情淘汰。往日令人嚮往的綺麗浪漫小城風光，亦將成為歷史之陳跡。
超級公路大大改變了美國人的生活方式，汽車成為不可或缺之交通工具。他們出門不論遠近都以車代步，無車不行。過份依賴汽車等於過份依賴石油作為推動汽車的燃料。美國為爭奪石油的供應，前後不知動過幾次武和打過幾次仗，犧牲了幾多寶貴的生命！
以車代步之後遺症豈止於石油爭奪所引來之糾紛？它是環境污染的主要來源之一：據統計，造成全球空氣污染的責任仍以美國為首。大量代替石油的能源之發現仍遙遙無期，石油貽害人類生存環境還在延續，急待解決。
如今安步當車成為不切實際之要求，人人摒棄，似乎四肢不動而無遠弗屆才是優質的生活享受，人人樂此不疲。殊不知缺少體力勞動會令人發胖甚至癡肥，百病叢生。每年政府為醫治因體重超標而引起之疾病須付出龐大金額，而且在逐年增加。
等到燃油價格漲高十倍之後，人們或會考慮重新改變以車代步的生活方式。
黄啓樟 2012/2/10於Fort Myers
www.davidkcwong.blogspot.com
2012/3/9 星星生活週刊 第545期
always a price to pay for modern life.
ReplyDeleteDavid:
ReplyDeleteLike I said before, Uncle Sam’s family likens one huge rich and extended family with hundreds of branches of wives and children. Each fighting hard to get a piece of the family pie. Right now, a high school diploma could only open the door to joining the military or other insignificant jobs. A university Bachelor’s Degree is a must, and a Master’s a basic. While a Ph.D is for teaching at universities. Generally speaking, of course.
While back in Hong Kong before the 1960s, knowing a few words of English would ease the way to finding a pretty good job. For example, qualification to joining the police force was elementary school graduate, finding a junior job with the government is having attended Class 4, a clerk in a bank or an articled clerk with a law firm, etc. Class 2, and a police sub-inspector, Class 1. (Based on the old Hong Kong “Shu Yuen” system , from Class 8 onward to Class 1). For those who have a degree with the Hong Kong University means a road to high officialdom like Chan Fong On Sang did. She was my acquaintance or a friend in the passing who became the Number One government official just below some Kwailo. (I called her grandma 方伯母, the widow of 方振武上將).
I still remember when I was prepared to return to Hawaii to attend university before the war broke out in December 1941. My Uncle asked me to learn to become a cook instead of seeking higher education. Now, I’m sure you got the picture why I decided to stay in Asia to pursue a career. One remark before I close. In Vietnam, the Chinese represented the rich and privileged class, that’s why you guys used to flaunt at the locals. For your acquaintance, having fled to Edmonton with a bundle without the need to make a living is Heaven to him. Ha Ha!
Joe
Uncle David,
ReplyDeleteVery nice article! You are absolutely right about the price of car and highway in the US. Your comments about how the entire US foreign policy is centered on getting access to cheap oil in order to sustain the life style is so accurate. For the price of Iraq war, Uncle Sam could have created a huge subsidy to the auto companies to mass produce high efficient hybrid cars for replacing all the cars in US. If we have done that, we would not have to fight Iraq war, double the fuel economy of the cars, reduce the dependency of foreign oil (thereby reducing the corruption of oil-rich governments), and most importantly, slow down the global warming rate by a significant percentage.
Unfortunately, the typical American is too ignorant and self-centered, nor has the ability to change this issue... They will only act when the reality hits them, when the price of oil doubles after the economy recovers. All we can pray is that China is not and would not follow US's policy to create the same amount of high ways.
Phillip
Freeway, railway and aerospace technology change life style, commerce and internaitonal trade drastically. Some can say that the American creative trmendous pollutants and exploit the less developed countries in the name of international trade. On the other side of the coin, trading did help to lift quite a few countries out of the proverty, China included. Needless to say that people now can claim the US further exploit the less desveloped countries by exporting the manufacturing jobs and pollutants to the those countries too. Who win who lose? Who to judge?
ReplyDeleteNORMAN QUAN
Hi Uncle David:
ReplyDeleteYou have many solid points. I have the following thoughts. For a large country like US, owning a car is a necessity and not a luxury, it is mobility and not dependability, and it is sustainability and not disregarding/negligence. Necessity because for many working classes, driving the car to and from work is the only viable option. Mobility because one can live in one city while his job is in another. Sustainability because the US has put continuous efforts towards minimizing the environmental impact from automobiles. Putting all of the above together, they easily out-weigh other negatives.
Cheers
Jack
大衛叔叔：
你有很多的固體點。我有以下的想法。對於像美國這樣的大國家，擁有一輛汽車是一件必需品而不是一件奢侈品，是表示流動性而不是依靠性，是代表持續性而不是疏忽。必需品因為許多打工一族，駕駛汽車上班是唯一可行的選擇。流動性因為工人可以在一個城市生活而他可以在另一個城市工作。持續性因為美國已經很努力地減少對環境的影響。把上述所有拼起來，他們很容易地將其他的負面比下去。
乾杯
Jack