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THE DOCTOR IS IN - Pete Buttigieg is arguably one of the most ineffective, hands-off Transportation Secretaries in recent memory.
This isn't a partisan position, and for those of us who remember President Obama's Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (supported and voted in by a unanimous and bipartisan Senate vote), it's just down right painful to see such a vital position--particularly since Joe Biden is such a transportation advocate--be so incompetently run.
The East Palestine toxic train derailment has become an embarrassment to Buttigieg and his boss, Joe Biden, and will without any doubt be a political issue (it shouldn't be, and need not have been, but it's become one!).
Ditto for the supply chain issue, the cost of gas and utilities, and inflation in general...all under Buttigieg's purview in one way, shape, or form.
Where the hell was Buttigieg after the train derailment, other than blaming Trump?
Is Trump in power, or President Joe Biden? Is Buttigieg's responsibility to address this issue or not?
Other questions related to Buttigieg:
What is your approach to fixing the supply chain problem? Is COVID still a monster pandemic or not?
Why the heck are basic medical supplies like local anesthetic, normal saline, and other staples of the medical world so damned difficult to obtain, and appear to not be obtainable any time soon?
What is your overall water approach to the nation?
What is your approach to a national passenger grid? Amtrak? High speed rail? Anything?
What is your vision for the Interstate freeway system?
What is your plan or recommendations to resolve the never ending airline blockages and cancellations that go much, much, much more beyond storms and weather-related issues?
What is your plan to create a series of electric vehicle recharging stations in major urban metropolitan areas that will allow use of electric cars to seamlessly work on a daily basis?
Do you regret your sudden "family leave" right after you got nominated? Didn't you hurt your brand, if not the issues of gay rights and family leave altogether when you went AWOL in the middle of the pandemic?
Do you have any plans to control the cost of utilities that is destroying the middle class?
And...perhaps most of all...why did you become Transportation Secretary if you were just not up to the job?
(Kenneth S. Alpern, M.D, is a dermatologist who has served in clinics in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties, and is a proud husband and father to his wonderful wife and two cherished children. He was termed out of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC) twice after two stints as a Board member for 9, years and is also a Board member of the Westside Village Homeowners Association. He previously co-chaired the MVCC Outreach, Planning, and Transportation/Infrastructure Committees for 10 years. He was previously co-chair of the CD11 Transportation Advisory Committee, the grassroots Friends of the Green Line (which focused on a Green Line/LAX connection), and the nonprofit Transit Coalition His latest project is his fictional online book entitled The Unforgotten Tales of Middle-Earth and can be reached at [email protected]. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Dr. Alpern.)
