That is all very true, but I would suggest that the driving distance to work is mostly the result of the price of fuel. While it is not a short term result, it is a long term result. If tomorrow gas prices in the US went to $15.00 a gallon, come Monday the driving distance would remain unchanged. In a few weeks we would see more car pools and in a few years we would start seeing a reduction on that driving distance as people moved closer or changed jobs closer. Even those jobs that require long drives between locations, would be reduced one way or another.
“Our country used to have laws that protect it’s citizens from corporate abuse”
Yes, things have changed quite a bit in the past 7 years or so, and not for the better.
Since my commute is 14 miles each way (28 miles total), and my car gets 29 MPG in city driving, I figure I am doing pretty good at $3.20 per gallon. I use less than a gallon of gas per day for commuting. If fuel was costing me $5 per gallon, that’s still a reasonable amount to pay for my daily commute. If gas was $5 a gallon, my weekly commuting fuel bill would go from $16 to $25. That isn’t so bad. It will never happen because of taxes here in the states though. It sounds to me like the people in England are letting their government overtax them, which is their own fault.
the next plan for our government is to bring in road pricing!!on a pay per mile basis (not until after 2010 though,and by then petrol will probably be ?10 a gallon,so only the wealthy will be able to drive!)and i dont mean just on our motorways, but on every road!the trouble is us brits are too nice!,we just lie down and take whatever the government throws at us!
I know, I was just teasing you about that. I couldn’t help it since I know most other countries use Celsius to measure temperature.
I would suggest that the driving distance to work is mostly the result of the price of fuel.
Exactly! Our urban sprawl (endless suburbs, and lots of people out in the country who aren’t farmers) is the result of cheap gas. One of the things we could do is face up to the fact that virtually all white-collar work can be done remotely, from home or from satellite work centers. It’s silly to commute into the city to shuffle papers or whatever, with the computer technology we have today. The only things stopping extensive telecommuting are insufficient broadband capacity (for now), bosses who don’t trust their workers not to goof off, and workers who would miss the socializing (i.e., goofing off). There’s no real need to gather paper shufflers (white-collar information handlers) together to do their jobs.
Yes, things have changed quite a bit in the past 7 years or so, and not for the better.
Actually, democracy has been dying for the last 40 years or so. It’s just become more noticeable with the current corporate puppet in the White House. Anyone for a revolution?
In suthern OR unleaded is $3.39 a gallion. Are your autos loaded down with the pollution devices that have so increased the price of cars here in USA?
“…Anyone for a revolution?”
The NSA intercepted your post. You are now on at least one suspicious persons list.
in england we have an m.o.t test every year which includes an emissions test,and all cars made after 1992 have to have a catalytic convertor fitted as standard,but older cars,which pollute much more dont!if i had my way all cars would have to have catalysts fitted.
Yeah . . remember when George W. and Tony B. met after we started bombing Iraq . . . they spoke about keeping the oil supplies flowing and suggested that maintaing control over the “war” was a priority. Now the “war” is costing 10 billion dollars a month and gas prices have almost doubled. I filled up this morning at $3.25 a gallon. We need an alternative fuel. Rocketman
Going to war over resources is a time-honored, but now defunct activity. The British and Dutch fought over spices two hundred years ago, the Marine Corps used to safeguard United Fruit’s access to bananas, etc.
The entire Irac war has not produce a single extra barrel of oil, not even for non-US customers!
Globalization has put all customers on an equal footing. No amount of sabre rattling will get you more of anything.
A professor friend of mine made the radical suggestion that Bush should have given all the money the Irac war cost ($2.5 trillion so far) to MEXICO to allow PEMEX to explore and the develop the very significant resources it has, but is too poor to develop by itself. The result woiuld have been:
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Mexcan reserves & production will shoot up, allowing higher employment and economic growth in Mexico.
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Due to more jobs and higher prosperity, FEWER MEXCANS will want to come to the US, legaly or illegally.
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Since Mexico is part of NAFTA (North Ameican Free Trade Association) Mexican imports of US goods will increase sharply, helping US jobs and balance of payments.
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No US soldier will die by giving money to Mexico; The Republican party will vastly improve its image.
So, it pays to help your friends and create win-win situations.
Yeah . . . but at least we captured the architect of the twin tower tragedy and got rid of all of those weapons of mass destruction Iraq was hiding. NOT! Rocketman
Good Comment! The main point my professor friend was trying to make was that Mexico and Canada are the 2 biggest suppliers of oil to the US. But Mexico needs help to increase its production. The US is already investing large amount in Canada’s oilsands production, but this is very expensive oil, although a secure source of supply.
Back in th sixties I had a young single guy working for me who loved cars. He wanted a Dodge Charger (the original) because of the styling, but quickly found out the high powered one was unafordable in terms of insurance. So he bought a Charger with the smallest slant 6 available. and paid considerably less for his insurance. My Dodge Dart had more power, but because it was a familiy car, it had cheap insurance.
You should have given him a raise. (-;
I have a daily driver , 71 chevelle SS Big Block, just had the motor built 11 to 1 - 500 hp 4 spd
I drive this every day and yes the gas is expensive but I try to keep it filled by only letting the gauge get to 3/4 of a tank. I have had the car since 71 and she has never failed me. Go ahead and get
that 69 Dodge. Your joy will over come the pain at the pump!
I have to drive my car for work, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have need for a car. I drive to a new work site each work day and most of them don’t have any bus service. Mass transit, especially the buses, is pretty bad here and they’re ridiculously expensive. We don’t have free transfers and monthly transit passes cost more than I spend in gas per month.
I second the opinion that gas prices are only a small part of the bigger issues in the USA right this minute. To me, the biggest problem is that in most metro areas-aka- SF, NYC, Boston, LA, Miami, and so on, the cost of real estate is so entirely overpriced that we as a country are either already broke as proven by the enormous credit problems that arose from too much borrowing. I live in SF and frankly, me and my wife would never be able to afford to buy here. So we’ll probably move to a more affordable area. Even if that means we live in the sticks and I have to drive an hour to work to another smaller city, the cost of gas wouldn’t come close to a California mortgage.
We need to get the cost of living in general under control and stop fueling the economy with debt and selling houses back and forth to each other. Gas in my opinion is only a small part of it.
The cost of fuel is only one part of the per mile cost of operating a car. Granted it is probably the largest component, but when comparing the cost of mass transit to driving, you really should include more than the cost of gas.