It was obvious that the Vermont transportation official and the three engineers had been caught flat-footed on the driver-less vehicles issue or they would have mentioned it in their presentation to show the audience they were comatose. Or was it more Machiavellian than that? Were they deliberately withholding self-driving vehicles from the discussion because they knew that self-drivers were widely expected to ease congestion problems and their precious project would not be needed? Then there would be no big money going to the highway construction company, and the Vermont transportation official's job would become less important. Maybe less remunerative too? Got to spend the people's money any way we can, especially when it benefits us!
By this time, I was reeling because of my audacity. I wasn't honoring my phobias, and my nervous system was rebelling. I believe someone else got up, maybe not, but when the Chairwoman asked for more comments, I went back to the mike. I asked two questions: How many businesses would the widening of Putney Road impinge upon and how many businesses would close because of the widening.
No one wanted to answer until the transportation official got up and said, with a little spirit in his voice, "I'll take that."
"Thank you," I said, trying to mirror the same spirit in my voice as I returned to my seat.
The transportation official made a vague statement, twice repeating that he didn't want any businesses to go out of business. He seemed to be uttering platitudes, and I twitched my pen side to side between two fingers to demonstrate my impatience. When he stopped, I said, "You still haven't answered my questions - how many businesses will be impinged and how many will go out of business?"
This act of verbal assertiveness really rocked my emotional homeostasis. What was I, a frightened rabbit, doing growling?
The transportation official made a short reply, and I made a short reply back. I have no idea what either of us said. Then the chairwoman intervened, saying something about not wanting an argument. The two of us went back to our corners. The selectboard voted unanimously to endorse the Putney Road widening. I shook my head no. To Be Continued Read me, not the papers of the elite establishment, to find out what really happened to the people. My motto is
"Freedom, evidence, and reason. Humor too, aye?"
Peter Nickerson 352-359-0850
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