When it comes to air pollution caused by car exhaust, industry, lawnmowers, leaf-blowers, chain saws, and barbecues nobody really seems to care. As a matter of fact the EPA recently devalued a "generic" human life so polluters can have a freer hand to spew their fumes into the air we all breathe. The value of a human life just came down by over $1 million. It is now on the order of $5 million, which would rate the Gates-Bloomberg effort at 500 individuals, but that is another matter.
The upshot is that smoking is evil, while driving your car is good. Even on Spare the Air days! Nobody would dream of forcing poor drivers off the road. That would harm the economy, my friends.
Never mind that the average car, driven for an average distance every year, puts a whole lot more pollution in the atmosphere than the average smoker does. And how about that nice summer backyard barbecue?
Instead we have to deal with sinister commercials, tracing minute amounts of evil chemicals through a building's ventilation systems all the up to your child's playroom. Warning the parent that the smoker in unit X, two floors below is secretly killing their child. Never that such apartment buildings are more often than not located next to busy freeways, where the open window brings in tons of air pollution and particulate matter daily. All that exhaust is -if anything- a whole lot worse for the poor child.
What is Bill Gates thinking of doing about that? Nothing thank you. Our hero is smart enough not to interfere with the business interests of his fellow billionaires. That is why he focuses his attention on Africa, a far-away land where he can safely do as he pleases.
As for Mayor Bloomberg, his efforts to charge drivers in New York city was to be commended. Unfortunately it didn't go anywhere and so now it appears he has learned a lesson. Better stick to evil tobacco and not mess with the SUV's of private citizens.
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