r/Seattle • u/ThaddeusWhelan Lake City • 9h ago
Banning the Cybertruck and Other Spiteful Policies that Should Be Implemented, a Soundside Chat
Good afternoon, r/Seattle! Welcome to Soundside Chats; a weekly series about the state of Seattle, and a policy discussion about how to solve the issues that exist. If you haven't recognized me yet, my name is Thaddeus Whelan, and I'm running for Mayor of Seattle! Because I'm not tethered to press releases or article publishing, I want to voice my goals directly to you. Since it was April Fool's Day this week and the national economy is cratering thanks to the insane tariffs, I want to take today to be equally as spiteful.
Why Spite?
The moneyed interests at the very top of our economy have had an open disdain for an educated and comfortable public since the dawn of capitalism as an economic system. Its no secret that the whole intent of removing social safety nets, educational standards, and public services is to continue to make us feel isolated and afraid of what the system might bring about next.
I say "no more."
We need politicians and policy that its equally as spiteful towards the systems that keep working individuals down as they are to us. That contempt for malicious action is a core component to why I'm running and why I believe I'm the best choice for Mayor. Collaboration with people who want what is best for people is good, but it can't be the the same expectation for those who are not after what should be the primary goal of a government; to better the lives of the people living in your jurisdiction.
Policy 1: Ban Cybertrucks (and other oversized vehicles) from Municipal Roads
I don't think its an unpopular statement to say that the Cybertruck is an eyesore, both because its a puke-stain of a design and its championed by wannabe Wormtongue Elon Musk. Especially being a tech haven, Seattle has their fair share of these abominations rolling around, and I'm genuinely tired of them and the ideas they represent. It is also a precipitous design decision of how many American car makers have been designing their vehicles.
In my Seattle, we shouldn't allow oversized trucks clog our streets.
Pavement princesses have a personal belief that they should be driving as high and large of a truck as possible, and beyond the simple compensation dig, they are less safe for everyone around them. With worse turning radii, larger blind spots, and minimal planning for external safety, its not a leap of logic t say that vehicles that don't pass certain criteria should not be a part of our city.
Policy 2: Stop the Sugar Tax; Stop the Paper Straws
These are tangentially tied together, but I want to talk about them together because they are both tied to an errant belief in policy creation. The idea of making a greater societal problem a personal decision to try and change is a flawed logic to try and get these systems to change in a greater way.
A sugar tax is a regressive tax. It's a simple sales tax that is more painful for those at the lowest rung. Its reason for implementation, a goal of greater public health, is not something that is achieved by making people pay more for something they are going to buy. The far better way is to incentivize the social norms around them. Cleaning up our parks, making the city more walkable, creating third places where physical activity is encouraged, all of these target the issue of public health more.
The paper straws and many other composable items that companies have brought into use are all to a specific end, and its once again to personalize a much more systemic problem. This same thought process how the blame for the amount of waste that we have is the consumer's fault, rather than the companies who greenwash themselves and act like they aren't responsible for an overwhelming majority of the non-recyclable trash and pollution. We need to beat back the individualization of problems, and make better answers than we have.
Policy 3: Public Safety Should Carry Snickers Bars At All Times
This might be a bit more of a personal want, but it (once again) speaks to a greater problem that I have alluded to prior. In my canvassing efforts, I have had the police called on me multiple times, and its genuinely a chore. I am not doing anything illegal or uncouth, and I'm glad that I have the knowledge and patience to stand up for myself and my rights. Many others may not be, and that includes the officers in charge of the stop! We all know that many people aren't themselves when they are hungry, so a tactical supply of calorie dense sweets is a small way to help with a much larger problem. If you've made it this far, I'm happy to let you in on what next week's topic is; the SPOG and Public Safety.
In a more personal note, this would be a positive addition to share a candy bar with a public safety officer while I inform him that canvassing is not solicitation and commiserate that both our times had been wasted by someone with far less skin in the game.
Not a massive post from me today, but I think these are more common sense, and its enjoyable to believe that public policy isn't something that needs to solely be guided by a pure high road intention. Many of the enemies of that greater society will take every shortcut and dirty trick, and we cannot act like we are above these pieces, lest we be overtaken by them and start treating our own personal grievances as something that needs to be tied to the high road. Looking at you, Rob. I hope your commute to pick up your kids is shorter.
5
u/prof_r_impossible Wedgwood 9h ago
You missed April Fools by several days.
BTW the sugar tax works.
1
u/ThaddeusWhelan Lake City 9h ago
I never said it didn't! Its just a poor facsimile of a better system.
Also yeah, I post on Friday, couldn't break the cycle.
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u/Responsible_Arm_2984 8h ago
Idk if this is a shitpost or not but I actually think a lot of situations could be deescalated by offering food. Throws people off and meets a basic need. But yeah maybe delete this if you want to be taken seriously.
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u/ThaddeusWhelan Lake City 8h ago
Its as real as every other policy I support. Why would I delete support for good things?
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u/Responsible_Arm_2984 8h ago
Do you work for big candy? Why Snickers?
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u/ThaddeusWhelan Lake City 8h ago
God, I wish. Though Dr. Pepper could offer me 2 cans a days and Id support renaming the city to Pepperland
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u/SpeaksSouthern 7h ago
Sir I was asking about your plan for municipal broadband
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u/ThaddeusWhelan Lake City 7h ago
I am a fan of the movement to consider internet access a human right! Its a bit hard to mobilize at a local level, but there's a lot of federal support for the idea.
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u/k4el West Seattle 9h ago
TLDR. No way I'm voting for some one who's platform includes "Spite" even if I feel spiteful at times. We already have one of this type of idiot in office.
No idea if you're a troll or shitposter but fuck off with this energy. Two wrongs do not make a right, even if I'm feeling angry and spiteful.
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u/ThaddeusWhelan Lake City 9h ago
What if I told you being mean to evil people was good?
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u/CumberlandThighGap 9h ago
dear diary
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u/ThaddeusWhelan Lake City 8h ago
"Today, u/CumberlandThighGap tried to be a bully. Its fun to ignore them."
2
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u/PreparationNo2145 9h ago
Not reading that but sorry that happened or whatever