House Or Hole? Does It Matter?

You know, I actually saw the Commodores in concert long after they were even a D-List ticket (New Year’s is not the same without Kathy Griffin and Andersen, your boyfriend is a dope).

Actually, although I’ve been given free reign to demonstrate my 20 year old vocabulary (I swear, I took an Internet survey!) I have chosen not to. Instead I bring you tales from the North that illustrate why enlightened people are hesitant to allow unrestricted immigration from s___hole countries.

Oh, I’m talking about the United States of course.

Norwegians suffer from desperate shortage of parking, will come to America in droves
by Lloyd Alter, Treehugger
January 12, 2018

The President of the United States, discussing immigration, recently said “We should have more people from Norway.” This is a wonderful gesture; he must have been spending his executive time watching the shocking Streetfilms documentary Oslo: The Journey to Car-free and learned about the tragic destruction of parking spaces there.

Unlike America, where cars are Liberty Machines that give people the freedom to drive and park wherever they want, in Oslo, everybody is walking and cycling. They must be exhausted; when Emma Lazarus wrote “Give me your tired” for the Statue of Liberty, she must have meant Norwegians.

The executive officer of the bicycle program says that “Norwegians are used to using their bodies to get around.” How primitive, that’s what people did a thousand years ago.

Unlike in the United States, where bike lanes provide convenient parking and loading for cars, they can’t do that in Oslo. There appear to be no placard privileges or any of the normal rights that drivers have in the States. Drivers almost seem oppressed. And the buses! There are so many of them, and everybody knows that buses are horrible.

When you look at the people who are forced to walk everywhere because the parking has been stolen, they all look so skinny and pale. And clearly, they have no public education about the dangers of not wearing helmets, of looking at screens, of wearing headphones. It is like they are from another era, before people knew better.

The city is noisy and dirty as they actually take away all the parking and give the space to people who walk and bike. It is like a step back to the 19th century, it’s so primitive. It’s a great thing that the President is inviting in all the tired Norwegians. They will come in droves for all the parking.

Yes, ignore the 40,860 Euro (net after Taxes) median wage, free health care, and other amenities of a modern developed nation, along with the spectacular vistas and excellent skiing. Who wouldn’t trade that to fight for a spot next to a pile of garbage that’s still three blocks away from where you want to be?

Bunch of Socialist Sissies.

Oslo, Norway, is giving residents $1200 toward purchasing an electric cargo bike
by Derek Markham, Treehugger
February 15, 2017

Getting around on a bicycle can be an excellent way to clean up our daily commutes and errand runs, but sometimes you need a little bit of a boost, which is where electric bikes come in. And sometimes you need a little more space to haul groceries and gear with you, which is where cargo bikes come in. Combine the two, and you’ve got an efficient and fun way to not only get from point A to point B, but to also get the shopping home in a single trip without having to stack boxes and bags on your rear rack until you’re wobbling your way precariously down the road (been there, done that).

The capital of Norway, Oslo, is looking to get more of its citizens out of their cars and onto bikes, and more specifically, onto a set of wheels that is made to haul more than just a single person, in the form of grants covering part of the cost of an electric cargo bike. Last year, the city council offered residents a financial incentive toward buying an electric bike, up to 20% of the purchase price of an e-bike, capped at 5000 kroner (about $600). Now that effort has been extended a bit into an electric cargo bike grant program, which will cover part of the cost of purchase of one of these electric workhorses.

According to the Oslo Council, residents can apply for a grant for up to 25% of the purchase of an electric cargo bike, capped at 10,000 kroner, or $1,200, through its Climate and Energy Fund. This subsidy won’t help those who can’t come up with the rest of the purchase price of an electric cargo bike, which can run anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 kroner ($2,400 to $6,000), but it’s certainly a decent incentive to those who might be leaning toward buying one anyway. City Lab reports that Oslo has experienced poor air quality recently, causing the city to place a temporary driving ban on diesel-fueled vehicles, and this financial support for a cleaner transport option might help push people toward choosing a more efficient mode of getting to work and to the market and home again.