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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hi Trudy,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>You bring up some very interesting points. Here's
my two cents.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Blind people will never be able to drive
independently, not because we can't, but because of cost, insurance, and
societal acceptance. The first time a blind driver had a fatal accident it would
incite a panic like we haven't seen in decades. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>I believe the NFB embarked on the blind driver
challenge to 1. show the world we are capable of doing things they never thought
we could 2. to get the name of the NFB in the news, and 3. to develop
revolutionary technology which can and will be used in ways we can't even
imagine yet. I think it hit the mark in all three areas.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>In America, corporate interests are no longer
separate from politics. To improve public transportation, there needs
to be funding, which of course, comes from the government, and ultimately from
tax payers. People don't want to pay more taxes, and they do want the privilege
of driving their gas-guzzling cars, and they want that gas to be reasonably
priced. This is also what the car manufacturers and oil producers want, and they
get what they want, even if it's not necessarily in the best interest of
society.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>In Europe, public transportation is excellent, and
far fewer Europeans drive cars than in the United States. This is because
countries are smaller, which makes public transportation more feasible;
governments have made huge investments in public transportation systems, and
have raised gas prices so high that not only people with disabilities or those
who have multiple DWIs use it--everybody does. And since everybody uses it,
there is pressure for it to be timely and efficient.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>chris</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>