This song by John Mayer has recently been associated with President Obama and his inauguration.  The lyrics are very representative of how powerless many of us feel with our elected officials.  Here, take a listen:

Me and all my friends
We’re all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There’s no way we ever could

Now we see everything that’s going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don’t have the means
To rise above and beat it

So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change

Hopefully with a new administration, people will lose some of their past apathy and get energized.  There is a strong feeling that President Obama has a certain amount of political capital and goodwill behind his initiatives.  I hope this translates into active participation to ensure good decisions are made by our leaders.

So get involved in change, the waiting is over.

On Tuesday President Obama will be sworn in with the promise of bringing about real change.  This is a great opportunity for this country and I am hopeful that he can fulfill this promise.

For this week, I went looking for a song about change and I think I found the perfect one.  More than 10 years ago I picked up the album Tall Blonde Helicopter by Francis Dunnery which includes this wonderful song.  I could not find a video for just this song, but the one below features Francis Dunnery talking about his music with the track “I Believe I Can Change My World” playing throughout:

I believed in Mahatma Gandhi when nonviolence was his faith
I believed in Martin Luther when he said “I have a dream”
I believed in Winston Churchill when he said “we stand together”
I believed in Muhammad Ali when he said “it’s not my war”

And I believe in a miracle
And I believe you can be my girl
And I believe how much I love you
And I believe I can change my world

I believe in all the Seth books and the freeing of the mind
I believe in Mother Nature and the spirit of mankind
I believe in Betty Friedan, Gertrude Lawrence and Rosa Parks
I believe in Margaret Sanger, May Magdalene and Joan of Arc

And I believe in a miracle
And I believe you can be my girl
And I believe how much I love you
And I believe I can change my world

I believed in Malcolm X when he said “Brotherhood for all”
I believed in Neville Chamberlain when he said “peace for our time”
I believed in Michael Jordan when he said “whatever it takes”
I believed in all religions untwisted by mankind
I believed in Johnny Lennon when he said “give peace a chance”
I believed in Tonya Harding when she said “I’ll take the blame”
I believed in Abraham Lincoln’s “better angels of our nature”
I believed in Cat Stevens when he said he had to go
I believed in Saint Francis preaching hatred to love
I believe I can change my world

I hope you enjoy this song and embrace the message of change with our new president.  I just have one question, do YOU believe YOU can your world?

One of my best friends is a huge David Bowie fan.  In 2005, Bowie played during the Fashion Rocks event at New York Radio City Music Hall and introduced a new band called Arcade Fire.  The video this week is taken from that appearance with the band doing their song “Wake Up”;

I was originally going to feature the band’s song “No Car Go” since the title fit so well with the theme of this blog, but this performance is just so strong it deserves more attention.  If you have never seen or heard it, spend a few minutes and I think you will become a fan too.

The lyrics of this song are very appropriate since we need to wake up and alter our current habits.  We definitely have to make changes:

Children, wake up
Hold your mistake up
Before they turn the summer into dust

If the children don’t grow up
Our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up
We’re just a million little gods causing rainstorms
Turning every good thing to rust

I guess we’ll just have to adjust

I have never attended an Arcade Fire concert, but they are on my wish list.  The band has such a powerful energy that is very evident in this performance.  Most of their songs start slowly and then build to very soaring climax.  Pay4Rides is just an idea now, but with your help, we can grow this into something much bigger.

“I will open the doors of Government and ask you to be involved in your own democracy again.”           ~ President-Elect Barack Obama

This weekend I posted the idea behind Pay4Rides to www.change.org/ideas.  This is a place where anyone can submit an idea for consideration by the incoming administration.  Click on the “VOTE NOW” button to read and then cast your vote for my idea: 

From the Press Release “Ideas for Change in America”:

The 2008 campaign brought unprecedented levels of political participation and excitement, mobilizing millions of new voters. But with election over, the most pressing question has now become: What’s next? How can the millions of people inspired by the campaign work with the new administration to create real change?

In the lead-up to Inauguration Day, Change.org, MySpace, and their partners will hold an event in Washington, DC to announce the top 10 rated ideas and deliver them to a representative from the Obama Administration. Change.org and MySpace will also announce a formal nonprofit sponsor for each idea. Each sponsoring nonprofit will then launch a national campaign to mobilize the millions of people on both sites to ensure that each top idea gets the full consideration of the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress.

This is a unique opportunity where anyone can submit an idea and comment and vote on others.  Take the time to get involved, express your opinions and let your voice be heard.

The rich can avoid traffic, but what about the rest of us?

Congestion pricing charges motorists an additional toll to use a stretch of highway, a bridge or to enter a particular area during peak travel time.  Also known as “Lexus lanes”, these cater to the rich and hurt average working people who can not afford them.  Many auto commuters lack access to convenient mass transit, so you can not penalize them without first investing in improved rail and bus service.

In the Summer of 2007, New York City Mayor proposed a plan to introduce congestion pricing in Manhattan.  The plan proposed charging passenger cars $8 a day and commercial vehicles $21 a day for the right to drive below 86th street.  The plan stalled in Albany, but it is sure to come back in the future.

While researching this topic, I found an interesting short 4 minute film that makes a string case for congestion pricing.  Although when I watch this, I think it makes an even better argument for Pay4Rides.

In the film, there is a good quote from Bob Kiley, the Former Commissioner: Transport for London.:

“Under the skin, most of us don’t like change.  We’ll put up with bad circumstances because we fear the consequences of change.  Maybe it could be worse than it already is.”

I agree that many of us feel this way, but fear should not stop us from doing the right thing.

I recently received an email from www.RepowerAmerica.org with the subject “Now What?”.  In the email they talk about the results of the presidential election and how “the American people are calling for  bold change“.  I agree, take a look at their video:

In the same email, they also quote Al Gore:

We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that’s got to change

I believe Passenger Energy could greatly aid this effort through increased conservation.  Hmm, ”increased conservation”, is that an oxymoron?  I’m not sure, but I would like to hear what you think?

photo credit: stringbot
Last night Barack Obama won the Presidential Election of 2008.  During his acceptance speech he said the following:

“It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.

“So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.”

Is this just talk or are we ready to change and start making a difference today?