As a candidate in 2022 someone asked me a great question and they expected me to have an answer, completely thought out  right there on the tip of my tongue. At the time I did not have an answer and had to say “I don’t know.” 

But, now that I have had a chance to think about it, I think the answer to that question can solve so many problems.

I’m starting an introduction tour for my run for office in 2024 and my first chore as a way to say hello is going to be trying to lower the cost of fuel, improving work-life balance, decreasing our dependence on Russian oil, cleaning the environment of carbon fuels, saving employees and employers money and a whole lot more by making one simple change. 

If you agree with me, please go to my website and make a monthly donation so I can keep doing what it takes to make this happen.

Question,

As a politician what kind of rules or suggestions would you make that will reduce the use of fossil fuels?

Answer,

Commuting to and from work is a big user of fossil fuels so why don’t we start working 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days. 

As a worker we still get 40 hours a week but we use one less day to do it. 

That’s a 20% reduction of the burning of fossil fuel used for commuting and it’s something we could do right now. 

The employee will spend one less day every week commuting and less money on commuting.

That is a reduction of commuters on the road and will create less commuter traffic jams and faster commute times with less stress.

We will be using less fuel, the price of fuel will go down.

The employer will have one less startup and shut down routine. We would still work two breaks and a lunch which would be better for the employer.

Now let’s make this more appealing for the employee. If we worked Monday through Thursday and then took Friday to Monday off and then worked Tuesday through Friday taking Saturday and Sunday off, and repeat. We would then have a 4-day weekend every other week.

As an employer I will tell you that employees want this. If you offer this work schedule you will have employees showing up to work for you.

Also if the business wanted to be open 7 days a week they can now offer somebody 40 hours one week and 20 hours the next week, these employees would have nothing but 4-day weekends. As the employer you now have a 10-hour shift 7 days a week, covered.

Also I am aware of the fact that big businesses regularly have employees passing each other on the freeways to go and do the same job that they could be doing closer to home.

If businesses were given some kind of mileage reduction incentive to assure that the employee is always driving the shortest possible distance to work would also save fuel and reduce congestion on the roads.

If you like all of this, I need your help, please find my website and donate. A dollar a month let me know you’re interested, if you could do more, thank you.

And just a couple more changes would be

Someone could start a business with small phone Bank offices set up everywhere to offer employees from any business a small place to do their job close to home with internet and phone hookups.

City buses on a more dynamic schedule that allows less buses during slow times, with the arrival times being updated instantly on the internet, less trips, less gas and less pollution. 

Allowing tractor trailers to pull doubles in town and triples on the freeway. And finding a reasonable way to compensate the drivers for their necessary down time.

Employers Shifting starts and stop times for their employees to try to lessen rush hour traffic which will allow quicker and less stressful drives and less time on the roads waiting for the traffic to clear for all of us.

Frankly I think that’s a great answer but it took me a while to come up with it.

Brings me to a point, what exactly are they expecting to get when they ask someone cold questions? They didn’t get that well thought out answer, they got, “I don’t know.”

Once again if you think this is an idea that needs to happen please go to my website and donate so I can make it possible, thank you.

I think this is incredibly important for the world and it might help save the planet, if nothing else it will give us better weekends. Please help and share.

Eric Mahaffy candidate Wa. St. CD10 in 2024