Today we honor the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his “I Have a Dream” speech that challenged our nation to live up to its creed that all men are created equal.
His remarkable leadership began by challenging our government’s discrimination and segregation laws on public transportation more than a half-century ago when Rosa Parks, an individual bus passenger, demanded equal opportunity in her commute to work and back home again.
Clearly, the major sparks that started the civil rights movement of the mid-1950s were the preferential treatment granted to one class of individuals and the discrimination and segregation against another class of individuals on public buses, mainly in the South.
Today, it is curiously engaging that we are experiencing rather similar civil rights violations against one class of individuals on our public freeways, mainly in the West.
Is history repeating itself?
Mark Twain once said, “The past does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.”
For more than 30 years, our government has denied millions upon millions of individual, drive-alone automobile commuters their right to equal treatment on our public-funded freeway system.
Discrimination on Wheels
As a result, every day they are forced to suffer in oppressive and heavily burdened traffic conditions while motorists with as few as one passenger are given preferential treatment to drive in an exclusive and free-flowing “diamond lane,” or more commonly referred to as the “carpool lane.”
Equally prejudicial and discriminatory are that certain hybrid vehicle motorists who drive alone are granted the same privileged carpool lane entitlement, while drive-alone motorists who cannot afford one of these new cars or choose not to own one, are forced to remain behind in tortuous gridlock.
Driving a car on our public-funded freeway system is a privilege and not a right. Yet driving in the carpool lane is a special privilege, which defies our basic premise of democracy and Andrew Jackson’s simple definition of America: “Equal opportunity for all and special privileges for none.”
The above notwithstanding, the following analysis is in no way meant to hint or even suggest that today’s ideological segregation of auto-commuters based on passenger or vehicle preference is tantamount to yesteryear’s racial segregation of bus commuters, based on the color of a person’s skin.
Without question or comparison, discriminating against an individual based on the color of his or her skin is one of mankind’s cruelest and most inhumane injustices.
Still, the parallel of the discriminatory and segregated treatment of individuals that led to the civil rights movement a half-century ago, is quite similar to today’s injustices.
Today, it is based on ideological discrimination that rewards or punishes motorists based on his or her passenger or vehicle preference.
Unequivocally, special privilege and favorable treatment in public facilities had no justification in our society in the 20th century. And they certainly have no legitimacy as we enter into the 21st century.
Accordingly, we must demand equal opportunity freeways by moving forward with a “Motorist Equality Movement.”
Consider the following:
Racial Segregation vs. Ideological Segregation
The civil rights movement came about because of the long-standing discrimination against a targeted class of individuals — black transit commuters who were simply trying to get to work and back home again on public buses.
A half century later, the Motorist Equality Movement has come about because of the long-standing discrimination against another targeted class of individuals — solo auto-commuters who are simply trying to get to work and back home again on public freeways.
Segregation Lives
Back then there was a segregated seat law on public buses. Today, there is a segregated lane law on public freeways.
Back then, the black commuters were discriminated against and denied the same privilege to sit in the same seating section with white passengers while traveling on public buses.
Today, the single occupant auto-commuters (standard vehicles) are discriminated against and denied the same privilege to drive in the same diamond lane with double-occupant auto-commuters while traveling on public freeways.
Back then, of the thousands of commuters riding on public buses, nearly 80 percent were black, but they had the least rights. Today, of the millions of motorists commuting on public freeways, nearly 80 percent are solo-motorists, and they also have the least rights.
Back then, black commuters were tired of being treated like second-class citizens. Following a hard day’s work, they just wanted to sit down wherever there was an “empty passenger seat.” But that was declared illegal. Violators were ticketed and fined if they were in the white section of a public bus.
Today, drive-alone auto commuters are tired of being treated like second-class citizens. After a hard day’s work, they simply want to drive wherever there are empty car spaces. But that has also been declared illegal. Violators are ticketed and heavily fined if found in the diamond lane on a public freeway.
Back then, there was discrimination and segregation based on colors: black or white persons. Today, there is discrimination and segregation based on numbers: One or two persons.
Back then, there were public signs that read “Whites Only.” Today, there are public signs that read “Carpools Only.”
Back then, there was no equal protection of the law on public buses. Today, there is no equal protection of the law on public freeways.
(Note: Article 1, Declaration of Rights, Section 7. b) of California’s Constitution stipulates: “A citizen or class of citizens may not be granted privileges or immunities not granted on the same terms to all citizens,” and the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution stipulates: “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”)
On the Matter of Equal Access
Back then, each passenger paid an equal bus fare. But the black commuters did not have equal access in boarding public buses because white commuters got to enter exclusively at the front of the bus. Today, each motorist pays an equal user’s fee (gasoline tax), but the solo auto-commuters do not have equal access entering public freeways because double-occupant auto-commuters and hybrid drivers get to enter the freeway exclusively through the diamond lane on-ramp.
Back then, traveling on a segregated public bus was considered “separate but equal” because even though the seating was separate, all passengers were riding on the same bus, equally traveling at the same speed, and equally arriving at their destinations at the same equal time.
Today, driving on a segregated public freeway it is “separate and unequal” because even though the lanes are separate, all motorists are not equally driving on the same lanes, they are not equally traveling at the same speed, and they are certainly not equally arriving at their destinations at the same equal time.
Back then, the government reserved 10 bus seats for white passengers in order to sit in the preferred front section of public buses. Today government reserves 75,000 decals for hybrid motorists in order to drive alone in the preferred diamond lane of our public freeways.
Back then, it was the intent of government to intimidate blacks who rode on public buses and make them as uncomfortable as possible in hopes they’d eventually tire of riding the bus and would either walk or drive cars.
Today, it is the intent of government to intimidate solo-motorists who drive on public freeways and make them as uncomfortable as possible in hopes they’ll eventually tire of driving alone and will either carpool, buy a hybrid vehicle or ride on mass transit systems.
Taking Protests to the Freeways
Back then, carpools were organized to protest against public buses that discriminated and segregated against black bus-passengers. Today, we are organizing to protest against carpool lanes on public freeways that discriminate against and segregate non-passenger motorists.
Back then, the segregation of bus riders on public transportation was eventually ruled to be illegal. Carpooling was also ruled to be illegal.
Today, the segregation of solo-motorists on public freeways is actually deemed to be legal. And carpooling is also deemed to be legal.
What is really tragic beyond belief is that nobody will dare call carpool lanes segregation. Yet some of the very people who were previously segregated because of the color of their skin are now being segregated because they choose to drive alone in a standard vehicle.
Even more troubling is that for more than three decades, we, as a free and democratic society, have allowed our government to continue this abhorrent and unlawful practice of separating our fellow citizens on publicly-funded freeways without challenging them on it.
We Cannot Rely on Others
Something tells us that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., certainly would not be silent on this matter if he were alive today.
But, we can no longer just rely on his own legacy or that of his “Dream” speech to fight our battles of today because he already fought the great fight and paid the ultimate price for it.
As part of this year’s national platform for the Democratic Party, it declares that
“Democrats are unwavering in our support of equal opportunity for all Americans. That’s why we’ve worked to pass every one of our nation’s Civil Rights laws, and every law that protects workers. Most recently, Democrats stood together to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act. On every civil rights issue, Democrats have led the fight. We support vigorous enforcement of existing laws, and remain committed to protecting fundamental civil rights in America.”
Clearly, the Democrats declare that they are the champions of protecting civil rights as well as defending minorities. Ayn Rand once declared, “The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”
Tonight, Sen. Obama will use the anniversary of Dr. King’s speech to announce his acceptance as the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States.
Awaiting His Message
It will be interesting to see how the Senator uses this occasion to send a message consistent with Dr. King’s message of equal opportunity for all.
Not long ago, the Senator was in Germany declaring himself a “citizen of the world,” and called for “tearing down walls that divide us.”
Tonight, as a citizen of the United States, will he call for tearing down the wall of separation that divides our fellow citizens with discriminatory and unjust driving conditions on their daily commute to work and back home?
Last night, Sen. Obama’s Vice Presidential running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden declared: “My mother’s creed is the American creed: No one is better than you. You are everyone’s equal, and everyone is equal to you.”
But he made no mention of opening the carpool lane to all individual motorists so that each and everyone had the same equal driving privileges on his and her daily commute to work and home again.
How can the Democratic Party possibly demand equal opportunity at the place of work when it doesn’t demand it on the drive to work?
Equality for All or for Some?
How can the Democratic Party demand equal pay for equal work for women, when it doesn’t demand equal driving conditions to work for the nearly 80 percent of drive-alone motorists across America?
But will the Republican Party fare any better at their upcoming convention? Ronald Reagan, their most revered leader of modern history, staunchly declared, “Our party must be the party of the individual. It must not sell out the individual to cater to the group.”
We owe it to Dr. King to carry on his legacy of fighting against the wall of injustice and wearing it down until justice prevails.
Just as Rosa Parks sat down in order to stand up against injustice and inspired the civil rights movement, we must drive forward and do the same on our public freeway system with the “Motorist Equality Movement.”
Remember, unless there is equal treatment for all motorists on our public-funded freeway system, Dr. King's “Dream” will remain a dream.
