Targeting scooters no answer
In your story about motorcycle parking fees, the student surnamed Cheng is right to cast doubt on the city government's sincerity in curbing congestion by charging scooter drivers parking fees ("Motorcycle parking fees to be enforced in Taipei," Dec. 24, page 2), but wrong when he says that scooter drivers are a minority. It is obvious to any road user that scooters at least equal if not outnumber cars on city streets, and yet all traffic laws and regulations are unfairly designed to suit the real minority -- car drivers.
Congestion is not caused by scooters, but by those people who automatically assume that they absolutely must take with them on their journey from home to office a sofa, two armchairs, a fitted carpet, an air conditioning unit, at least four ashtrays, a stereo system, and possibly even a color TV, karaoke machine and drinks cabinet. Everything but the kitchen sink.
If the city government was sincere in its efforts to reduce congestion, it would legislate to reduce the number of selfish car owners, promote scooter driving as an environmentally sound and cost-efficient way to move around the city, and carry out a cull of the reckless, inconsiderate, dishonest and usually criminal taxi drivers. Targeting scooters is not the answer. After all, imagine if every scooter driver in the city took the bus or started driving a car. That would really be congestion.
Quentin Brand
Taipei
Support Ma's recycling plan
I would like to applaud Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on his plan to collect and compost food waste. When I lived in Taipei I was distressed by what I thought was the local population's complete disregard for their environment. However, Ma's progressive and necessary plan will place Taipei firmly in the forefront of environmentally-friendly waste management not only in Asia but in the entire world.
My colleagues and I have been lobbying our municipal government here in Toronto to do the same for years. A considerable body of evidence supports the need for both pay-as-you-throw and composting programs, especially in congested urban areas lacking landfill space, and the two will complement each other nicely.
I urge your readers to fully support this plan as it is green, economical, and will also lead to technological progress.
Scott Vokey
Toronto, Canada
Taiwan must choose carefully
Well put, Bode (Letters, Dec. 23, page 8). As he says, it is not "China" per se who is pointing almost 500 missiles at Taiwan. Neither are the 1.3 billion Chinese the enemies of Taiwan. Not even many of the PLA soldiers, who are only-born sons in the family, due to China's one child policy, and who will die if "China" invades Taiwan.
It is those Communist dictators who are the source of this evil. The only benefit "China" will gain from this atrocity is a firmer Communist grip on the power to reign over Chinese people. Much like the old Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) achieving the same goal of ruling over Taiwanese people by claiming its aim was "retaking the mainland." The only thing these dictators understand and respect is power. The only way to deter these thugs from starting a war is to let them know that, if they start shooting missiles, hundreds if not thousands of deterrent missiles will rain on their heads.
The public is normally complacent and forgetful, in Taiwan and elsewhere, because they have "more important things" to do, such as making a living, and rightfully so. Remember, former US President George Bush failed to win re-election only a few month after the first Gulf War.
It is the leaders who should worry about these things, and prepare the public for them. The public only have the task of choosing the right leader, to know whom they should trust. That makes the next presidential election more important. The electorate must realize the importance of whom they choose.
In choosing the right leader, Taiwanese -- who are lucky enough to have the freedom to choose for themselves -- will be choosing for Chinese too, who are not as lucky.
Chen Ming-Chung
Chicago
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS