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High gas prices... (pg. 9)
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| tubularbills |
| quote: | Originally posted by RJT
Warning: Spirit5 length rant to follow, skip to end for c0r version.
Don't you think that's kind of a narrow view?
:conf:
The problem isn't that people have to commute, it's how they commute.
For example, when I was young, my father had a job in Fond Du Lac, approximately a 45 minute commute in the morning. It was a job that was easily better than any he could have gotten closer to home, and genuinely made our families' life better on the whole, and he was happy doing it. Financially and mentally, it was his best option - the problem, however, is that the school my mother has worked at for the past 30+ years was already a 20 minute commute for her in the morning, and my fathers job was in the opposite direction.
Obviously this was a different time, and so contextually it isn't the same scenario - but what if this single mother's best option to provide for her family was an inavoidable 40 minute commute every morning (given some extenuating circumstance or another - just consider this her best option)? Would it be wrong for her to take it and make the commute simply because in the future it may pose problems due to a complete lack of mass-transit infrastructure?
I suppose you could argue that in general, the fact that the general public over a long stretch of time hasn't supported mass transit could in some way cause you to find fault with her as a greater part of the whole - but it hardly seems appropriate to me for anyone to be faulted for what effectively amounts to circumstance.
What people need, as far as I'm concerned, is to start moving back to the cities - and then work out how we're going to get ourselves from point A to B when there are simply fewer points on the map. Mass transit is far easier to organize when there aren't all these little unincorporated burgs along the highway with populations smaller than my mothers side of my family.
c0r summary: Commuting isn't the problem, people putting 300 a miles a week on a single automobile to do it is. |
lol, i was totally joking :p |
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| RJT |
| Relevant rant none-the-less :o |
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| Arbiter |
| quote: | Originally posted by Clovis
Problem is, (as you can see) to most people this IS the hitting the fan. |
Yes, it is a problem. But that's very natural, since most people can barely see past their own noses. I see it as a failure of leadership. A quality leader could inspire the average person to make the sacrifices that are necessary for our common good. We don't seem to have any of those these days, though, because all I hear from our supposed "leaders" are band-aid solutions designed to create false hope that the problem will just go away if we make a few minor adjustments. Such people aren't real leaders, they're just taking advantage of the wishful thinking of the average person for their own gain -- or worse, they don't know any better than the average person and it's a case of the blind leading the blind.
In either case, the outcome is predictably disastrous. But perhaps that is not without its upside. The least-prepared and least-adaptable among us are sure to suffer the most -- isn't that natural justice? |
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| MR STROKE |
| quote: | but it hardly seems appropriate to me for anyone to be faulted for what effectively amounts to circumstance.
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Well said.
I am about a month away(5$ a gallon by July 4th) from buying one of these-
all my friends will be calling me gay, but it-90mpg FTW |
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| Leon Trotsky |
| quote: | Originally posted by RJT
Don't you think that's kind of a narrow view?
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Social Darwinism is a primitive ideology which many Americans have aligned themselves with. They fail to realize this view will quickly turn against them once the business cycle hits its low point. Tell me, why must capitalism be so unstable? The business cycle mysteriously creates a slump and hard times after every period of increasing prosperity. Capitalism cannot digest the abundance generated by science and machinery. Capitalism periodically has to destroy its wealth that it has created. Capitalism is out of control and needs to be abolished. It's inherently against any type of prosperity of the proletariat, which is why the bourgeois swine keep the proletariat in the lower class. Working men of all countries, unite! |
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| Fibonacci |
| quote: | Originally posted by Leon Trotsky
We are now caught in a trap. Americans outside of the convenient urban public transportation systems are now forced to shell out more money for gas. On average, Americans spend 99% of their paycheck, and save 1%. Much of this was on the basics, such as food, gasoline, mortgage payments and other bills. The priorities have shifted greatly. Gasoline and food have all but destroyed the purchasing power of the average American. Many middle Americans are caught in a situation where they can't afford to buy a more fuel efficient car, because they are spending their money to fuel their current, less efficient car.
We are being forced to buy gas. We are being forced to shell out the extra cash for the increasing price of food. If we don't buy the gas, we cannot drive to work and get our next paycheck, which will buy more food and gas. We are in a vicious circle that will only end when the rich survive, and the middle classes are driven into the lower class. The gap between the rich and the poor are ever-widening, and the Oil companies are to blame.
10.1 Billion dollars. That is the 4th quarter profit of Exxon Mobil. Even when adjusted for inflation, these profits are still extraordinary. How does this happen? Not only should we blame the tax breaks Big Oil is receiving, but we should blame the blatant gouging of prices. No way should they be receiving record profits. If we are suffering, Big Oil should suffer as well. The turn of the 21st century has mirrored the turn of the 20th century. Big Business reigns supreme.
Nationalize Big Oil. Destroy the Bourgeoisie. Arrest Jay Rockefeller and all corrupt Oil men in our government. Sentence them to death. These are not politicians. These are lobbyists disguised as politicians. The proletariat shall rise up and defeat these demons and destroy the ruling class of America. |
So full of . Where do you come up with this stuff? Where are your facts and evidence?
The truth is, even these oil companies (and the government) are not that powerful that they can drastically change oil prices. The MARKET changes the prices, as oil is traded as commodities like stocks and bonds.
In recent years, China (among several other asian/indonesian countries) have been purchasing huge amounts of oil. Simply supply and demand.
Another good reason oil/gas prices are go up is PURE speculations. Traders estimate the price of oil going up, and take that into consideration when trading. It artificially raises the price, regardless.
Gouging of prices? Hardly. Go look up inflation charts from the 1960s against the price of oil/gas to now. You'll see that gas did not keep up with inflation, and hence got CHEAPER over the years. In fact... I'm guessing that gas would probably be around $8/gal had it kept up with inflation. Do the math yourself.
And keep in mind too many of the countries we even export our gas from (such as venezuela) pay MORE for gas PER LITER than we do. And we wonder why Americans are hated?
Show some proof that gas prices are being gouged. Record profits does not speak much if we're still paying less for oil/gas than the countries that we import them from do. |
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| Leon Trotsky |
| A man ignorant of the struggles outside of a city with public transportation. |
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| gehzumteufel |
| quote: | Originally posted by Leon Trotsky
A man ignorant of the struggles outside of a city with public transportation. |
I grew up in an area that public transit may as well not exist. While I am thoroughly aware of all the problems with everything related to that, it is the people's fault for not investing, deciding to act, and creating a public transit that works. |
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| Nrg2Nfinit |
| quote: | Originally posted by Protege
53 bucks to fill up my car. is getting crazy. |
poor ing baby.. it costs me over 120 dollars to fill my tank.
Get a better job or get on a bike. |
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| Fibonacci |
| quote: | Originally posted by Nrg2Nfinit
poor ing baby.. it costs me over 120 dollars to fill my tank.
Get a better job or get on a bike. |
don't listen to this guy. look at his avatar - he's a damned transformer. ****** probably doesn't even use gas. |
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| Leon Trotsky |
| quote: | Originally posted by gehzumteufel
I grew up in an area that public transit may as well not exist. While I am thoroughly aware of all the problems with everything related to that, it is the people's fault for not investing, deciding to act, and creating a public transit that works. |
The blame cannot solely be put on the people. The government should be the brainchild of such a program. |
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| Rostros |
Ok fuel is high but that isn't the biggest worry for myself after reading todays news, it appears that anybody working in Manchester or 10-15 mile radius is going to have to pay a daily charge like the London CC Charge of £5 or £3 a day.
Thats approx £1000 $2000 a year .
Bas*ards
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/...ter/7442725.stm
The government looks set to allow congestion charging for drivers entering and leaving Manchester.
Plans for a two-ring scheme, charging up to £5 at busy times from 2013, are expected to be set out later.
The charge, which would be in place from 7am to 9.30am and 4pm to 6.30pm weekdays, would be offset by £3bn of public transport improvements.
Supporters of the plans hope they will reduce congestion and pollution, but opponents are calling for a referendum.
Charging rings
Government backing for the charging scheme would make Manchester the first major British city to follow London in introducing large-scale congestion charging.
The plans involve two charging rings, one at the M60, the other close to Manchester city centre.
Charges - triggered by a series of electronic beacons - would vary according to the starting point for the journey.
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