Put the blame where it belongs

Regarding the story "County officials vote to reduce greenhouse gasses" (July 27), it's time to stop blaming the people and time to start blaming government officials who can only spout feelgood rhetoric.

The website www. builditsmartvc.org cited in the article promotes "current smart land-use planning strategies: compact development, mixed use, complete streets and smarter parking." But it fails to point out that such "mixed use" has long been banned by most zoning regulations.

If the county supervisors are really serious about reducing air pollution and carbon dioxide, I suggest they look first at where government has made the problem worse:

Structural tax problems that make cities focus on sales taxes from big box retailers instead of attracting high technology jobs to where people live.

Zoning regulations that don't permit mixed use developments where people would live much closer to their work.

High transaction costs that keep people from moving, including much higher property taxes on a new home, and high realtor and title fee charges to buy and sell standard tract homes.

Public transportation monopolies that prevent freemarket alternatives, such as thousands of Internet-capable shuttle vans taking people to and from work, like they do to the airport.

It's time for libertarian, freemarket alternatives to the status quo. How about it, supervisors? Bruce K. Bell Moorpar