With the gas prices going up and up, what is your personal price point (per gallon) that would make you actually alter your driving habits significantly? By altering I mean leaving the car at home and taking public transportation, walking, carpooling on a consistent basis, etc.
For me personally, I haven't paid anywhere near the amount for gas that I'd be willing to pay for the convenience it provides.
And to keep the gas price craze in perspective, adjusted for inflation, gas is actually cheaper than in 1980.
Full Version: Gas prices
It's not really an option to alter my driving habits in my case. That's because the route I take to work (thru a state park and then down route 30) is not fit for a bicycle, and I wouldn't be able to ride 34 miles on a bicycle anyhow.
As far as trips in the evening, I'm one of those who tends to park the car on Friday and not move it until I have to go to work on Monday, and since my car attracts deer, I don't like to go out in the evening.
My camry gets 31 mpg, so it doesn't affect me as much as it does some folks. I think if I made any driving changes, it would be to learn to ride a motorcycle in the good weather.
As far as trips in the evening, I'm one of those who tends to park the car on Friday and not move it until I have to go to work on Monday, and since my car attracts deer, I don't like to go out in the evening.
My camry gets 31 mpg, so it doesn't affect me as much as it does some folks. I think if I made any driving changes, it would be to learn to ride a motorcycle in the good weather.
There's not much recreational driving I do and no public transport near my house. So it would have to go up a lot for me to make any major changes.
In reality I think the media is fanning the flames as usual, and since people pay the money directly instead of having it withheld from their pay they "feel" it more psychologically. But the problem isn't that huge for most people, relatively speaking. No, I don't like paying extra, but the average driver is paying only about $10 a week more vs. when gas was $1.50 a gallon. I'd rather have that money in my pocket, but not enough to ride a bike to work!
And IMO many people who will buy a new car just to get better mileage now are probably costing themselves big bucks unless they drive a whole lot or their current car is in need of replacement anyway.
In reality I think the media is fanning the flames as usual, and since people pay the money directly instead of having it withheld from their pay they "feel" it more psychologically. But the problem isn't that huge for most people, relatively speaking. No, I don't like paying extra, but the average driver is paying only about $10 a week more vs. when gas was $1.50 a gallon. I'd rather have that money in my pocket, but not enough to ride a bike to work!
And IMO many people who will buy a new car just to get better mileage now are probably costing themselves big bucks unless they drive a whole lot or their current car is in need of replacement anyway.
I'm laughing my azz off at all those SUV drivers... 
For almost nine years I drove over 100 miles each day back and forth to work. Now my round trip is about 12 miles. So with the drastic reduction in mileage, the price of gas doesn't really bother me......for now.....
QUOTE (trueblue @ Apr 8 2005, 11:21 AM)
I'm a bit suspicious when folks start saying the price is cheaper than 25 years ago. In the here and now the price is what it is and you either have the money or you don't.
Nothing to be suspicious about. It's just a comparison showing that today's $2/gal gas is a better value than 1980's $1/gal gas. If it's not in your pocket now, it certainly wouldn't have been in your pocket then.
It shows we've been through this before and survived.
I just realized I never answered my original question. I'd have to say gas would have to cost $6-$8 per gallon for me to make drastic changes in my life. I drive only about 5K a year and rarely take lengthy road trips.
QUOTE (Yossarian @ Apr 8 2005, 12:11 PM)
I'm laughing my azz off at all those SUV drivers...
Why?
why not.
We got into this discussion before, and I'm not going to repeat myself.
We got into this discussion before, and I'm not going to repeat myself.
Well then, I'm laughing at anybody who drives more than I do.
I just wonder why you delight in the misfortune of otherwise (mostly) good people. It's not like they're child molesters or something.
QUOTE (Snoopy @ Apr 8 2005, 12:05 PM)
And IMO many people who will buy a new car just to get better mileage now are probably costing themselves big bucks unless they drive a whole lot or their current car is in need of replacement anyway.
I bought a new car in February. I went from a 6 cylinder to a 4 cylinder and I couldn't be happier about it - especially now with the jump in gas prices. I see a huge difference in the amount I have to pay for gas. Plus I drive over 100 miles/day for work, so it was definitely worth it for me.
Plus the maintenance is way cheaper too! My d@mn oxygen sensor was always going bad in my old car - and that costs around $450 to fix each time! It went bad 3 times in the 2 years I owned it!
QUOTE (Snoopy @ Apr 8 2005, 01:21 PM)
I just wonder why you delight in the misfortune of otherwise (mostly) good people.
Schadenfreude.....we all have a little of it in us. As least those of us that are a little twisted.
QUOTE (SMan @ Apr 8 2005, 01:26 PM)
QUOTE (Snoopy @ Apr 8 2005, 01:21 PM)
I just wonder why you delight in the misfortune of otherwise (mostly) good people.
Schadenfreude.....we all have a little of it in us. As least those of us that are a little twisted.
Sprichst du Deutsch?
QUOTE (Snoopy @ Apr 8 2005, 01:21 PM)
I just wonder why you delight in the misfortune of otherwise (mostly) good people. It's not like they're child molesters or something.
i laugh at the misfortunes of people all the time...
especially when they've brought on their own misfortune...
who hasn't laughed at the yearly winners, candidates and runner's up of the annual Darwin awards?
QUOTE (Yossarian @ Apr 8 2005, 01:35 PM)
QUOTE (Snoopy @ Apr 8 2005, 01:21 PM)
I just wonder why you delight in the misfortune of otherwise (mostly) good people. It's not like they're child molesters or something.
i laugh at the misfortunes of people all the time...
especially when they've brought on their own misfortune...
who hasn't laughed at the yearly winners, candidates and runner's up of the annual Darwin awards?
Anyone who watches American Funniest Home videos enjoys watching the misfortunes of others.
Thank you, PHISH... exactly...
Darwin Awards, Stupid Criminals, etc. I find very funny, too.
America's Funniest Videos -- most I think are more dumb or tragic than funny - rarely watch.
I guess humor is in the eye of the beholder.
Lotsa people laugh at a guy getting beaned by a baseball (especially if it is in the..uh..groin..for some strange reason
) but probably few would think it funny to see someone accidentally lose a foot to a lawnmower. And no one (I hope) thought it funny to watch Joe Theismann have his leg broken by L.T. -- some people said they got sick watching it even though no blood was shown. Strange.
Would we laugh if Yoss' new computer and game collection went up in smoke cuz he forgot and left a Marly burning?
America's Funniest Videos -- most I think are more dumb or tragic than funny - rarely watch.
I guess humor is in the eye of the beholder.
Lotsa people laugh at a guy getting beaned by a baseball (especially if it is in the..uh..groin..for some strange reason
) but probably few would think it funny to see someone accidentally lose a foot to a lawnmower. And no one (I hope) thought it funny to watch Joe Theismann have his leg broken by L.T. -- some people said they got sick watching it even though no blood was shown. Strange.Would we laugh if Yoss' new computer and game collection went up in smoke cuz he forgot and left a Marly burning?
Snoop, you really take your analogies to the extreme...
i know you try to personalize things, I'm sure to better point out your views..., and perhaps to get your reader to better understand your point of view...
which I appreciate...
but,
it's getting very tiring...
and it really takes the post off topic...
we're not talking catastrophe here, we're not talking accidents, we're not talking circumstances which folks have no control over....
we're talking about personal choices.
:I fart in your general direction:
i know you try to personalize things, I'm sure to better point out your views..., and perhaps to get your reader to better understand your point of view...
which I appreciate...
but,
it's getting very tiring...
and it really takes the post off topic...
we're not talking catastrophe here, we're not talking accidents, we're not talking circumstances which folks have no control over....
we're talking about personal choices.
:I fart in your general direction:
tb, if you knew where I worked you wouldn't even ask that question!
QUOTE (Yossarian @ Apr 8 2005, 02:51 PM)
Snoop, you really take your analogies to the extreme...
and it really takes the post off topic...
we're not talking catastrophe here, we're not talking accidents, we're not talking circumstances which folks have no control over....
we're talking about personal choices.
:I fart in your general direction:
and it really takes the post off topic...
we're not talking catastrophe here, we're not talking accidents, we're not talking circumstances which folks have no control over....
we're talking about personal choices.
:I fart in your general direction:
Huh?
I beg to differ. Let's go to the video tape...Who brought up the Darwin awards (where people die or are maimed as a result of catastrophic circumstances brought on by stupid moves by people)? You did!
Who brought up American Funniest Home videos (where many of the clips are of people getting hit by things, falling, crashing, etc. -- a.k.a. "accidents")? Phish, with your agreement.
You two took the thread in the direction of "catastrophe" and "accidents" my friend, not I.
I stayed on that path y'all took and personalized it a bit, granted.
Sorry if that's so "tiring". Sounds like you need a vacation. Maybe the Swedish Bikini Team will be there so you can "recharge".
... and you even take comments out of context....
are you a reporter?
or, B's brother?
are you a reporter?
or, B's brother?
QUOTE (Yossarian @ Apr 8 2005, 03:29 PM)
... and you even take comments out of context....
are you a reporter?
or, B's brother?
are you a reporter?
or, B's brother?
Yoss: "who hasn't laughed at the yearly winners, candidates and runner's up of the annual Darwin awards?"
Phish: "Anyone who watches American Funniest Home videos enjoys watching the misfortunes of others."
Where is the context error?
As for the last comment -- not funny, not even with a smiley.
Lest this get out of hand I think I'll drop out of this discussion now...seems like serious discussion is wearing thin this week. I hear a beer calling...
What's a Marly? A joint?
Wasn't Bob's last named spelled Marley?
Wasn't Bob's last named spelled Marley?
As for SMan's question, the price of gas would have to at least double from what it is now before I would change my driving habits, and I probably wouldn't change even then. And I drive over 30k miles per year and my F-150 supercrew gets about 16 mpg.
I would probably get a vehicle that got better mileage before I tried any of the other options. My son has a 1994 Toyota Celica 5-speed that he's looking to sell. It's in great shape and I like the body style a lot. It kind of reminds me of a 65 mustang I had in HS whenever I drive it. I'm thinking about buying it from him and just holding on to it. I guess I could use it for a lot of my trips if gas prices got too bad. I doubt I would though, the reason I like the truck in the first place is because it sits up high and I feel safer in it.
I would probably get a vehicle that got better mileage before I tried any of the other options. My son has a 1994 Toyota Celica 5-speed that he's looking to sell. It's in great shape and I like the body style a lot. It kind of reminds me of a 65 mustang I had in HS whenever I drive it. I'm thinking about buying it from him and just holding on to it. I guess I could use it for a lot of my trips if gas prices got too bad. I doubt I would though, the reason I like the truck in the first place is because it sits up high and I feel safer in it.
Ok, so I'm an "Idiot". I never would have come up with Marlboro.
It makes more sense now, I was totally shocked at the idea of Yoss smoking a joint.
A bong hit, maybe.
Kidding.
It makes more sense now, I was totally shocked at the idea of Yoss smoking a joint.
A bong hit, maybe.
Kidding.
I'm actually not worried at all and I don't plan to change my driving habits at all. I am glad NOW that I went with the 4-cyl BMW this time because I can go ~500 miles on a full tank of gas averaging 25-30 mpg.
Amazingly, race gas at the tracks this year is much cheaper than at the station pumps. At VIR, a gallon is only $1.15. I just hope this car lasts for a couple more years and then I will splurge and get the sportscar I really want.
Amazingly, race gas at the tracks this year is much cheaper than at the station pumps. At VIR, a gallon is only $1.15. I just hope this car lasts for a couple more years and then I will splurge and get the sportscar I really want.
QUOTE
I'm not a smoker (of any kind ) but I do believe a Marly is a Marlboro.
I may be wrong, TB, but Bob was a big fan of the ganja weed. That's my guess of what a Marley is.
I would love to see more public transportation. The county commuter blows. It needs serious revamping of routes and schedule frequency. Sorry, but running once an hour isn't very convenient. I've never used Frederick's bus, but they are all over the routes around Rosemont and Fredericktowne Mall, where I spend my Mondays.
Once the roads out the backside of our subdivision are finished, hubby is going to bike on nice days. It's only about 2.5 miles from the house, and 11 has decent shoulders around the airport, so it would be safe and good exercise. I would not bike the 5.5 miles to my work because there are no shoulders on Marsh Pike and N. Potomac is narrow and congested at 8:45, with people flying along about 45 mph. Not safe if you ask me.
Once the roads out the backside of our subdivision are finished, hubby is going to bike on nice days. It's only about 2.5 miles from the house, and 11 has decent shoulders around the airport, so it would be safe and good exercise. I would not bike the 5.5 miles to my work because there are no shoulders on Marsh Pike and N. Potomac is narrow and congested at 8:45, with people flying along about 45 mph. Not safe if you ask me.
I've not changed my driving habits, but I pay a lot more to fill up my tank. Luckily my car gets decent gas milage, but if I ever wanted to use public transit I could. PanTran stops about a block from my house, and goes to all the stores I use. I wonder, however, how much money you'd actually save having to pay the fare every time you'd want to go somewhere.
"I'm laughing my azz off at all those SUV drivers... "
Why? Do you think those of us who drive SUVs are cussing and yelling when we fill up our tanks, sorry that we bought them? Not a chance; at least not me
"Why? Do you think those of us who drive SUVs are cussing and yelling when we fill up our tanks, sorry that we bought them? Not a chance; at least not me
I guess it all boils down to supply and demand economics.
The more the demand, the higher the supply price.
The more the demand, the higher the supply price.
To prove Idiot's point:
PM me the details when you decide to sell it. I'll give it a look.
PM me the details when you decide to sell it. I'll give it a look.
I'm not able to take public transportation to work, unfortunately. But being a single mom that extra $10 a week to fill up does hurt! The one thing that I've been trying to do is fill up whenever I'm in Frederick County running an errand. The gas runs about .10 less a gallon then Washington County.
QUOTE (Idiot @ Apr 10 2005, 10:10 PM)
If you doubt that people are still going to buy them just read this thread.
Actually, according to a story on NBC news the overall sale of SUV's is way down. I don't know why people would want to buy a vehicle that has been shown to be unsafe, pollutes the enviroment, and wastes gasoline.
QUOTE (WVU-Mountaineers @ Apr 11 2005, 01:42 PM)
I don't know why people would want to buy a vehicle that has been shown to be unsafe, pollutes the enviroment, and wastes gasoline.
x2
QUOTE (PHISH @ Apr 11 2005, 01:46 PM)
QUOTE (WVU-Mountaineers @ Apr 11 2005, 01:42 PM)
I don't know why people would want to buy a vehicle that has been shown to be unsafe, pollutes the enviroment, and wastes gasoline.
x2
-1
Unsafe? It depends. If you knew you were gonna be in a head-on collision today, would you rather be in a high MPG Corolla or Escort or a Yukon or Expedition etc? Look at the real-world insurance data for injury and death rates for the Escort vs. Expedition etc. and there is a big difference -- and the "unsafe" SUV wins.
I have a friend that lives in Bakersfield, CA, they currently have the highest gas prices in the nation, the cheapest is $2.64 a gallon. She has already parked her SUV in the garage and brought out her bike with a bike trailer attached for her 2 year old. She is planning on taking her bike for any errands she needs to run within a 5 mile radius of her house!
Yeah, I always assumed the unsafe part of SUVs wasn't that they were unsafe for the SUV driver, but instead were unsafe for anything hit by the SUV driver.
"I don't know why people would want to buy a vehicle that has been shown to be unsafe, pollutes the enviroment, and wastes gasoline."
Unsafe - I'm still alive. I've never had a roll over in an SUV.
Pollutes the environment - My SUV meets federal emission requirements.
Wastes gasoline - When I purchased my SUV, I understood that a) it has a larger gas tank and
gets lower MPG which in turn means it costs more to maintain. I accepted this or I wouldn't have made the purchase.
A few reasons I wanted an SUV:
1) It doesn't take a 5-gallon bucket of lubricant and a shoe-horn to get more than one other passenger into the vehicle. I can drive and take several people, leaving their vehicles behind (conserving).
2) I can put the seats down and still haul furniture.
3) Dog friendly - Try fitting a full grown German Shepard in a small car, let alone 3-4 dogs.
4) It is roomy, comfortable and a much smoother ride. I don't feel like a sardine in a can like I do in my car.
5) Can go anywhere. If I get blocked in a parking space, I can drive over the curb. This happened once at a craft show. I was parked in a parking stop. A car parked horizontally in back of my SUV/truck and a Monte Carlo SS. I easily drove over the curb; the car couldn’t and was forced to wait.
Unsafe - I'm still alive. I've never had a roll over in an SUV.
Pollutes the environment - My SUV meets federal emission requirements.
Wastes gasoline - When I purchased my SUV, I understood that a) it has a larger gas tank and
gets lower MPG which in turn means it costs more to maintain. I accepted this or I wouldn't have made the purchase.A few reasons I wanted an SUV:
1) It doesn't take a 5-gallon bucket of lubricant and a shoe-horn to get more than one other passenger into the vehicle. I can drive and take several people, leaving their vehicles behind (conserving).
2) I can put the seats down and still haul furniture.
3) Dog friendly - Try fitting a full grown German Shepard in a small car, let alone 3-4 dogs.
4) It is roomy, comfortable and a much smoother ride. I don't feel like a sardine in a can like I do in my car.
5) Can go anywhere. If I get blocked in a parking space, I can drive over the curb. This happened once at a craft show. I was parked in a parking stop. A car parked horizontally in back of my SUV/truck and a Monte Carlo SS. I easily drove over the curb; the car couldn’t and was forced to wait.
QUOTE (Idiot @ Apr 11 2005, 04:30 PM)
But sales are no lower than they were before they decided to siphon a few billion dollars from the government and give it to the oil companies.
Actually, sales are lower, according to several articles, but I'll just list one.
Source: Market Watch
QUOTE
SUV sales slowed by rising gas prices
By Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Persistently high fuel prices are starting to take the romance out of America's love affair with gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles, recent data suggest.
The price of gas in the U.S. has risen to $2.05 a gallon, on average, up 33 cents from a year ago and almost 6 cents higher than a week earlier, according to the Energy Department.
With prices closing in on record levels and showing no signs of slowing, car buyers are turning their attention away from costly SUVs and focusing on cars that will get them from here to there without the hefty expense.
Full-size SUV sales fell 21 percent last month, compared to a year earlier, and that's after a 31 percent drop in January, according to new-vehicle retail transaction data from the Power Information Network, an affiliate of J.D. Power and Associates.
"Rising gas prices are certainly a contributing factor to this trend," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at the PIN. "We've had two dramatic increases in gasoline prices in the past year, and that begins to have an impact on consumers."
The study also showed that in the first two months of 2005, SUVs have sat on dealer lots an average of 84 days before being sold, while the industry average is about 66 days.
Paul Ballew, General Motors' (GM: news, chart, profile) top sales analyst, tried to put the softer sales in perspective earlier this month following lower February results in the segment.
"We have a hard time finding evidence that full-size SUVs are in long-term decline and that the category is going to drop appreciably in the next few years," he said. "It's a combination of sales really outperforming for a couple of years, having some payback right now."
Chevy Suburban sales dropped 38 percent through February from a year ago while sales of the Tahoe fell 30 percent.
Sales in GM's Hummer line-up, the poster child for everything wrong with SUVs in the eyes of many environmentalists, declined more than 8 percent in the two-month period.
During Ford Motor's (F: news, chart, profile) February sales call, top sales analyst George Pipas maintained his stance that the SUV group will continue to outperform other vehicle segments, but not because of the truck-based versions.
"We haven't reached the inflection point for sport utility vehicles as a group," he said, pointing out that smaller, more fuel-friendly crossover vehicles like Ford's Escape and Freestyle will drive the growth going forward.
As for the traditional, truck-based SUVs, whose lofty price tags have provided a major revenue source for automakers, Pipas said that their sales "decline will continue from now until the end of the decade."
The Ford Expedition saw its sales fall by 24 percent in the first two months of 2005 compared to a year earlier.
By Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Persistently high fuel prices are starting to take the romance out of America's love affair with gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles, recent data suggest.
The price of gas in the U.S. has risen to $2.05 a gallon, on average, up 33 cents from a year ago and almost 6 cents higher than a week earlier, according to the Energy Department.
With prices closing in on record levels and showing no signs of slowing, car buyers are turning their attention away from costly SUVs and focusing on cars that will get them from here to there without the hefty expense.
Full-size SUV sales fell 21 percent last month, compared to a year earlier, and that's after a 31 percent drop in January, according to new-vehicle retail transaction data from the Power Information Network, an affiliate of J.D. Power and Associates.
"Rising gas prices are certainly a contributing factor to this trend," said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at the PIN. "We've had two dramatic increases in gasoline prices in the past year, and that begins to have an impact on consumers."
The study also showed that in the first two months of 2005, SUVs have sat on dealer lots an average of 84 days before being sold, while the industry average is about 66 days.
Paul Ballew, General Motors' (GM: news, chart, profile) top sales analyst, tried to put the softer sales in perspective earlier this month following lower February results in the segment.
"We have a hard time finding evidence that full-size SUVs are in long-term decline and that the category is going to drop appreciably in the next few years," he said. "It's a combination of sales really outperforming for a couple of years, having some payback right now."
Chevy Suburban sales dropped 38 percent through February from a year ago while sales of the Tahoe fell 30 percent.
Sales in GM's Hummer line-up, the poster child for everything wrong with SUVs in the eyes of many environmentalists, declined more than 8 percent in the two-month period.
During Ford Motor's (F: news, chart, profile) February sales call, top sales analyst George Pipas maintained his stance that the SUV group will continue to outperform other vehicle segments, but not because of the truck-based versions.
"We haven't reached the inflection point for sport utility vehicles as a group," he said, pointing out that smaller, more fuel-friendly crossover vehicles like Ford's Escape and Freestyle will drive the growth going forward.
As for the traditional, truck-based SUVs, whose lofty price tags have provided a major revenue source for automakers, Pipas said that their sales "decline will continue from now until the end of the decade."
The Ford Expedition saw its sales fall by 24 percent in the first two months of 2005 compared to a year earlier.
Hey, you wanna pay $50 - $70 to fill your tank, go for it. I'll just be laughing along side of Yossarian, because I've got better things to spend my money on.
Here's my problem with the "I've got better things to spend my money on" argument. For every materialistic thing in your life that you value, somebody on the outside looking at you will laugh and declare that they have better things to spend their money on than what you are.
So PHISH and Yoss, tell us what you spend your money on so we can laugh at you.
So PHISH and Yoss, tell us what you spend your money on so we can laugh at you.
QUOTE (SMan @ Apr 12 2005, 09:02 AM)
So PHISH and Yoss, tell us what you spend your money on so we can laugh at you.
Air Travel, concert tickets, home improvements. I don't expect people to approve or disapprove of the things I spend money on - nor do I care.
Furthermore, I don't care how people spend their money. All I was saying is that for my personal preference, for $50 I'd rather enjoy some live music, then drive around sporting an SUV. I just get more enjoyment from the music.
QUOTE (PHISH @ Apr 12 2005, 08:56 AM)
I'll just be laughing along side of Yossarian, because I've got better things to spend my money on.
More laughing. What a jolly group!
I just wonder... What else will y'all laugh about if its price skyrockets? Cigarettes? Booze? "Sinful" food -- for fat people who "choose" to eat too much? Bottled water? Soft drinks/soda? All "luxuries" you could "choose" to do without.
*Gasp* Air travel! How wasteful!
Maybe for their enjoyment, $50 dollars in the gas tank of a nice vehicle that they enjoy driving means more to the SUV driver than music, video games (my personal vice), or whatever.
Many on here preach tolerance of all different kinds of people, why no tolerance for SUV drivers?
Which also begs the question, why am I arguing for SUVs when I don't even own one?
Maybe for their enjoyment, $50 dollars in the gas tank of a nice vehicle that they enjoy driving means more to the SUV driver than music, video games (my personal vice), or whatever.
Many on here preach tolerance of all different kinds of people, why no tolerance for SUV drivers?
Which also begs the question, why am I arguing for SUVs when I don't even own one?
Cuz you're a wanna be SMAN!!!
I personally don't care what people drive or waste their money on. I waste mine on motorcycles and my pool(maintinance) and of course the Ren. faire.
What I DO care about is the fact that these suv's make it VERY hard to see at intersections and parking spots(trying to get out) and also the fact that they drive like they own the damn road but when it comes to a curve (which my little car hugs) they slam on the brakes and crawl around them(very annoying and it srews up the flow of traffic).
This whole gas thing will eventually come to a head or end, then we'll ALL be in the same boat.It WILL run out at some time.
I think the goverment should really be looking ahead to the future and start to develop alternative means to move the masses.
But, then again I think that the huge cities should actually make it a law that workers should have to take public transportation once they get to the outskirts.I know,sounds crazy. But sooner or later somethings going to have to be done because of the huge amounts of vehicles that everyone just absolutly HAVE to drive and not car pool.Like they're SO important that THEY shouldn't have to car pool or take public transportation.
I only travel into town(mart./hag.) twice a week.Always have. A tank of gas lasts me almost 2 weeks.But then again my Echo gets 35 mpg. If I need to haul something then I'll drive the truck.
I personally don't care what people drive or waste their money on. I waste mine on motorcycles and my pool(maintinance) and of course the Ren. faire.
What I DO care about is the fact that these suv's make it VERY hard to see at intersections and parking spots(trying to get out) and also the fact that they drive like they own the damn road but when it comes to a curve (which my little car hugs) they slam on the brakes and crawl around them(very annoying and it srews up the flow of traffic).
This whole gas thing will eventually come to a head or end, then we'll ALL be in the same boat.It WILL run out at some time.
I think the goverment should really be looking ahead to the future and start to develop alternative means to move the masses.
But, then again I think that the huge cities should actually make it a law that workers should have to take public transportation once they get to the outskirts.I know,sounds crazy. But sooner or later somethings going to have to be done because of the huge amounts of vehicles that everyone just absolutly HAVE to drive and not car pool.Like they're SO important that THEY shouldn't have to car pool or take public transportation.
I only travel into town(mart./hag.) twice a week.Always have. A tank of gas lasts me almost 2 weeks.But then again my Echo gets 35 mpg. If I need to haul something then I'll drive the truck.
QUOTE (SMan @ Apr 12 2005, 09:16 AM)
Many on here preach tolerance of all different kinds of people, why no tolerance for SUV drivers?
Because I believe SUVs do more harm than good. I understand people's needs for an SUV, but I think more people drive them for a status symbol rather than a need.
Kind of like having a nice house, or nice clothes, or nice anything? Arguments could be made over the pure status symbolism of most anything that exceeds the basic necessities of life.
I know everybody's reasons for hating SUVs, I just don't understand why they aren't applied with as much vigor to other areas of material excess.
I know everybody's reasons for hating SUVs, I just don't understand why they aren't applied with as much vigor to other areas of material excess.
QUOTE (WVDragonlady @ Apr 12 2005, 01:22 PM)
This whole gas thing will eventually come to a head or end, then we'll ALL be in the same boat.It WILL run out at some time.
I think the goverment should really be looking ahead to the future and start to develop alternative means to move the masses.
I think the goverment should really be looking ahead to the future and start to develop alternative means to move the masses.
I think the estimates are around 300 years until the world's oil supply is dried up, assuming the new theories about oil reproducing deep underground aren't true (or it doesn't do it quickly enough to be of any use to us). I say, "The sooner the better!".
There's no doubt in my mind that once our country seriously puts their collective mind to the alternative fuel problem, that another cheap, efficient source will be found. The problem is that we as a country are notorious procrastinators, and won't throw our full weight into it until it's a crisis.
The gas prices are all about politics . Also, if the consumer price index shows that we Americans have more money to spend, then prices on all goods will go up to keep us in our place. We're all fools, but that is the way it has always been and no one knows any better. Someone else has decided how we will live and how our lives are governed. THINK about IT.
. Also, if the consumer price index shows that we Americans have more money to spend, then prices on all goods will go up to keep us in our place. We're all fools, but that is the way it has always been and no one knows any better. Someone else has decided how we will live and how our lives are governed. THINK about IT.
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