Posted on 03/16/2006 1:38:18 AM PST by nickcarraway
Get a smaller car, get a smaller house closer to work.
I was wondering when someone was going to bring this up.
Ok, I'm sort of with you on the gas usage (SUV) thing. I agree that you probably shouldn't complain if have the choice to buy a more efficient vehicle but instead you drive the ford excursion. Even then, some folks are worried about the safety of children and desire a 'tank'.
I don't think living further from work is the same argument. I can't afford to live close to work. I live 25 miles away and I drive and hour each way, at least.
Many people live further from work for the same reason they don't drive an inefficient vehicle, they can't afford that vehicle to begin with, or afford to live closer. In this area, and I'm guessing many others, the housing is more expensive the closer you get to the jobs. Location, location...you know. Those with less cash, must drive the furthest.
Not that I'm complaining about gas. I drive a 95 civic and I often carpool. I think carpooling is a pain in the butt,and it's not easy to schedule if you have kids to pick up, but it really saves a lot of money and stress. my .02
I still remember laughing at one lady who was holding a bottle of Evian, filling a 50,000 SUV and bitching about gas prices. I asked her if she liked the $7.00/gallon water better.
My point is that I meet people who complain about higher fuel costs and tell me that they commute 40 miles because they wanted a bigger house on a larger lot. This has happened on more than one occasion. Granted, I once commuted 55 miles when I got my first job (lived at my parents house at the time), but I got a little apartment close to work after three months of misery.
There are some cases where long commutes may be necessary. In many cases, however, the guy/gal whining about high fuel prices and his/her long commute should have thought about such factors first before falling in love with the idea of a "large house on a big lot."
BWAHAAA! Or the woman in South Florida who bitched to me at the car wash about the high cost of gas when she was wearing thousand-dollar Manolo Blahnik shoes and enough REAL jewelry to make Sammy Davis jealous.
Folks that "complain" about the price of gas sold their VLO too early....
Americans that complain about the cost of gas would get a real dose if they came to Europe.
Gas here is an average of $6.00 per gallon, and in the UK, can run up to $8.00. Most of the cost is in taxes.
It is the reason that most people have small cars, and do not drive great distances, as in the US.
IF gas taxes were used strictly for infrastructure maintenance and improvement, I would have no problem with it. It works out like a user fee and is probably the best way to apportion the cost of road maintenance.
If it were paid for from general funds, the burden would not be placed fairly, wherein drivers of smaller more efficient vehicles would pay as much as operators of over the road haulers.
Ill say... its split and its still like 55$ or so. If I was in on that action, I wouldbe smiling all the way to the bank, and never mind what ti cost me to get there.
Theres little outrage because the money is taken away in small parcels.
"How many people do you know who can afford to lose nearly $400 annually without it affecting their budgets? "
That comes to about 34$ a month. I can see A LOT of people not even noticing it.
While I don't disagree, how much of what we are paying now versus a year ago is taxes?We know when our elected reps increase the tax and that has not been a part of the increase over the past year.More sales tax, yes, since it is a percentage of the per gallon cost, but, other than that where I live the last year of increases is going somewhere else.
If she saw the markup on retail jewelry she'd have a cartwheeling fit! (unless she was in the business, of course, then it would be a 'reasonable profit')
I sense that you may be on the younger side of an average lifetime.
"If I see one more person complain about "high oil prices" when they drive an SUV or commute more than 15 miles to work, I'm going to go postal on their a-s.
Get a smaller car, get a smaller house closer to work."
HEY!! I do drive a small car and a "smaller" house close to work would cost most people twice as much as their larger house since work is in the cities. I know that a small house near where I work would be 3 times the cost of my house ... plus should people move every time they change jobs?
Please ... the Feds/States are sticking it to us in the kiester big time and no one complains too much ... the guy is right.
L0L
I bet you these same "poor" people spend twice that amount in lottery tickets :o)
Thanks for your input. I'm very glad you are not in charge today.
Both oil and government are gouging the consumers.
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