# Any Solution to Gas Prices



## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

I don't know why we don't do it.

The money we spend on wars and policing around the word; we can use part of that money to subsidize hybrid, electric and natural gas cars as much as 50%.

If we can get car at half the price and it runs at much less than half the cost, then almost everyone will be driving hybrid, electric or natural gas. No need for any foreign oil. We will hardly be able to use domestic fuel. 

The environment will be clean, citizens will have more money to spend and everyone will be happy.  It is not a dream, it is quite doable.  Trillions of deficiet that was caused by foreign wars and financial institution greed is more than enough to subsidize.
Just a thought. What do you think!


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

Well, it would be very helpful if Wall Street would back down on buying oil futures (look it up).  And the oil companies would take a small hit in their earnings.  But, as Denny Crane said "it's all about money".

And, be sure to check your own state (not of mind) and see what the STATE tax (and sometimes local as well) is on gas.

And, while I'm thinking about it, remember when George W. started the Iraq war?  All we heard was how Iraq was going to pay for our war with oil.  Ya seen any?


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## FrankZubek (Aug 31, 2010)

One thing I'd suggest is to try and fill up more often.

Don't let it slide below a quarter tank (or at best- half a tank!)

It might be inconvenient but you won't get quite the  price shock you get if you wait a full week til it's on EMPTY


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

I agree with Dr.Din.  We need to become less dependent on oil.  I am tired of the oil companies sticking it to us.  Move away from gas fueled cars.  Do SOMETHING about the lobbying in Washington.  Oil companies are buying politicians.


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

If you are taxed to provide subsidies for specific models of cars to be produced and sold cheaper... you are still paying the same price, it's just who takes the money that changes. In fact, the specific model becomes more expensive because money movement has to be administered, decisions made, and so on, using up (wasting) some of the money taken to provide the subsidy.

Electric cars (pure or hybrid) are not a solution. The electricity still has to be produced.

There are ways to reduce gas prices. Two ways; more oil wells and more refineries. And less tax.

To be less dependant on oil other methods of power generation have to be employed. Nuclear works. So, why not go with that for now? It's about as safe a way to generte power as exists: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/03/the-triumph-of-coal-marketing.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

Oil companies, by the way, operate on a 6% profit margin. That is low. It's the tax/government that is sticking it to us, as usual. And as for buying politicians... who isn't?


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I think we as Americans are not willing to ration ourselves on the use of gas.  We keep using the same amounts no matter the price.  We see on the news all the time people complaining about the price of gas, what are we going to do, how much it costs to fill up the tank, etc., but the roads are still full of people driving.  You would think if it costs so much, we might tell ourselves we need to stay home more, not drive so much, not go everywhere on a whim, but that doesn't seem to be so.  They keep charging more and we keep buying it.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

PG4003 (Patricia) said:


> I think we as Americans are not willing to ration ourselves on the use of gas. We keep using the same amounts no matter the price.


You're right Patricia. This country with highway system and all that is just setup for driving cars. There is not much care for public transportation. As you know, habits are hard to break. That's why we have to come up with cars that use alternative resources. Hybrid, electric and natural gas is all I could think. GM is trying hydrogen power; but splitting water is not cheap. Electricity and natural gas is much cheaper than petrol.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

spotsmom said:


> And, be sure to check your own state (not of mind) and see what the STATE tax (and sometimes local as well) is on gas.


The highest gas prices in California are due to heavy taxes in this state. No doubt about it. You do need some taxes for roads and highways, but it is too much. I hope something good comes out of Obama commission.


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## J.R.Mooneyham (Mar 14, 2011)

Well, I wrote this up ages ago, but maybe you'll like it:

The world's easiest, cheapest gas saving tips
Easiest because you don't even have to pop your hood! Cheapest because it costs little or nothing to try them.
http://www.jmooneyham.com/the-worlds-easiest-cheapest-gas-saving-tips.html


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Folks, 

I'm strolling through the forum, peeking in the various doors....sticking my head in here to remind y'all that political discussions are a no-no here.  So....if you can discuss solutions to gas prices without discussing politics, carry on!


I'll check back in later.  KindleBoards is a big place!  Off to check out the sauna.

Betsy
Moderator


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

May 19th my car is put away until august 19. Bicycle and walk will be the mode of operation. It's not easy as it's 10 miles one way but gas is 4.50 a gallon and bound to get higher this summer last summer it got over $5.00 per gallen.  One issue is the accessional moose and bear that is in the road but that is why I choose to live here.
All I can do is change the world right around myself. I can't convince my 17 year old son to fallow this but I can set a roll model that maybe he will remember
Sylvia


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I have a bicycle and a vespa.  Between the two of them, I usually put less than two thousand miles per year on my automobile.  I will have to dig thru my pic folders to show my old scooter loaded up with groceries.  It is amazing how much you can do without when you put your mind to it.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

KindleChickie said:


> I have a bicycle and a vespa. Between the two of them, I usually put less than two thousand miles per year on my automobile. I will have to dig thru my pic folders to show my old scooter loaded up with groceries. It is amazing how much you can do without when you put your mind to it.


I once rode a few miles with 3 paint buckets hanging off the handlebars of my bike. I really wanted to paint my room that day!


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Back when I about 30-35, I used to ride my bicycle everywhere, even down to the public library downtown (I live in a far north suburb). My car rarely got used. I wish I could do that today, but I'm getting on towards 70 years of age, and my knees won't put up with that anymore. Or the 100+ degree temps here in Austin for two months in a row every summer.

I have a new bike that I'm riding, but one side-effect of living in a big city is that everything I need to get to is just too widely dispersed from my home. In a smaller town, it wouldn't be a problem. So I still need a car. When my turbo Volvo got totaled by a car that ran a yield sign two years ago, I really wanted another one to replace it, but I ended up with a very nice Honda Civic sedan. I'm now glad I made that choice.   

I'm appalled by the sheer numbers of people driving huge pickup trucks around here that never seem to have more than one person in them*. I can't imagine what their gas bill is every month.


Mike

* Yes, I know there are valid reasons for owning such a vehicle. But transporting a single person around isn't one of them.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

But Mike! This is TX... We must ALL drive our pickups and SUVs EVERYWHERE Even Down the block to a neighbors! 

*my family doesn't own a pickup.


Going electric may not be all that great either... Many states are looking into a yearly "roadtax" between $100 & $200 for those who own Electric cars.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

I do not take my car out unless I am going to do at least three things....


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

BTackitt said:


> Going electric may not be all that great either... Many states are looking into a yearly "roadtax" between $100 & $200 for those who own Electric cars.


People that promote electric cars rarely speak about battery replacement costs, battery disposal costs, or the total cost (including environmental costs) of getting the electric power to recharge the car. I think it's workable if you use solar power (or geothermal), but iffy with anything else except nuclear, which has certainly gotten a black eye recently.

Mike


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

jmiked said:


> People that promote electric cars rarely speak about battery replacement costs, battery disposal costs, or the total cost (including environmental costs) of getting the electric power to recharge the car. I think it's workable if you use solar power (or geothermal), but iffy with anything else except nuclear, which has certainly gotten a black eye recently.Mike


OK Mike. We get the point. How about natural gas? Even developing countries like India are using natural gas and it made Delhi from most polluted to clean city too. 
I still believe electricity is cheaper to produce and is better option than depending upon gas.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

why not get people to lower demand
already talked about here
1. combine trips
2. reduce trips
3. carpool
4. alternate tranportation (bus, bike, walk,)
5. buy local
if we can lower demand, cost would lower, keep use low and improve the environment

sylvia


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## Davidjb (May 3, 2010)

In the UK its £1.4 per litre - that's about £7 (10.5 $) per gallon.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

Davidjb said:


> In the UK its £1.4 per litre - that's about £7 (10.5 $) per gallon.


Yup, prices in Europe and Canada have been higher for years. Most Americans don't realize that our gas is pretty heavily subsidized already. Really the only thing there is to complain about (aside from the oil futures madness) is your own state tax. I must say as a resident of a state with the fourth highest per gallon tax (currently standing at around 42 cents), I am pretty miffed about.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

Rising gas cost might not stop people driving but it does influence the choice of vehicle. I'm all for the hybrids and economical cars, but once they become more popular the cost of those will go up. Car pooling never works out - too difficult and time consuming. Sucks living in a small village where everything is at least 20 miles away.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

JFHilborne said:


> Sucks living in a small village where everything is at least 20 miles away.


Says the person from San Diego, with pictures of the Golden Gate (San Francisco) on their books ;P

I live in a semi rural area of TX.. it is 45 minute drive just about anywhere but the drive-in or Walmart. B&N or Borders? 45 minutes.. real airport?90 minutes...Wells Fargo or Navy Federal Credit union-our 2 banks, one hour.

I do now carpool the 45 minutes to college, and our son only comes home from college every 3 weeks because it's 6 hours on the road over the weekend. (2 trips 1.5 hours each way).

Here's a fact that used to blow my English students away when we lived in Japan. I can drive at 75mph (120 kph) for more than 12 hours and still be in the same state. Heck the half-way point between my house and my parents in California is still in TX.

With the rising price of gas, it was actually cheaper for me to buy plane tickets ($257) to San Francisco than it would have been to drive.


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## JFHilborne (Jan 22, 2011)

BTackitt said:


> Says the person from San Diego, with pictures of the Golden Gate (San Francisco) on their books ;P


If I wrote about the hicksville village I live in, no one would read my work  I also think this place has the highest number of traffic lights I've ever come across. Every day a new one pops up. The 14 mile stretch to the freeway can easily take an hour.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

People keep talking about how much better off we are than the UK in gas prices.  No, I really don't think we are.  You can get away with living in the UK and never learning to drive.  It is a small place, everything is very localized, and public transportation is top notch... far beyond what we have in the states.  The distance I have to drive to school ever day would take me across London twice.  All of England would fit in the state of Florida, and that's not even our largest state by far.  I'd be find with $10/gallon gas if we were under the same conditions, but we just aren't.  For some of us there really are no good options.

That being said, I've thought seriously about getting an electric car but I just don't think they're there yet.  I want full electric, but I'd also like an option for them to switch to gas if the electric runs out.  It'd also be nice if there was a way to charge them with solar energy, but the amount you'd get from panels in the window when you park it or something would be negligible.  Someone needs to develop solar paint!  Taxing them is silly, but I'd pay $100 a year.  From what I've read it costs about $15/month to keep one charged.  That's a heck of a lot better than $60 every 300 miles.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

That's sort of what I was trying to get at when I was talking about distances driven here in TX...We can't really walk anywhere, I would die of heatstroke if I rode a bike to class between April & October. In the winter I would drown or freeze. There is no public transportation for me to get there. I wish we didn't need to have multiple cars, but we do, 3 of them.. because we are all in different directions every day and there just is no feasible means of alternate transportation while living here.


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

I've seen a lot more vespa's and bicyclists in LA lately.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

I'll grant you that we have bigger spaces to cover in this country, and I'm actually in favor of living out in the boonies myself, but that's a lifestyle choice that you make. The rest of the country shouldn't have to subsidize driving long distances just because people want to live far away from areas with public transportation. I don't mean that as a slight to either of you, and I hope you don't take it that way. 

As I mentioned, I love living out in the boonies (granted my boonies and yours differ quite a lot in remoteness) and I understand that I have to drive farther because of that, but it's my responsibility to pay that bill, no matter how high the price gets. It sucks, and I hate it, but that's the way it is. We've already downsized one of our vehicles even though we had one of the worst winters I've ever seen this past year, all because we didn't want to have to fill up the gas tank of our jeep with the prices climbing as they have been.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I drive a 2003 Ford Focus. It gets good gas mileage. And while I agree that we might choose to live elsewhere, the fact is atm, we can't afford to move. It's cheap here, our 3 bedroom house 1800sf, was $110,000. you can't really get that up in the cities. So it's a tradeoff. But even if we lived up in Ft. Worth/Dallas, their public transportation is rather hit/miss, and we'd still have to drive a lot.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I read an article the other day where a guy calculated we could actually save more in energy costs if people stopped buying bottled water--than if we all drove less.  The article went into the bottling cost, the recycling and pick-up of said bottles and the energy used to 're-purifiy" and get the bottled water to the stores and then into homes.  He had a bunch of figures for how much each American buys in bottled water per year.  

I guess someone buys my share.  I don't buy bottled water unless I'm at an event and was unable to bring my own.  Most bottled water comes directly from tap water--only some brands are even re-filtered.  When I lived in Houston, I added a charcoal filter to get the sulfur smell out, and that was far cheaper than bottled water.

Now, I don't know if the article was true or not because I didn't go fact-checking.  But in the scheme of things, it would be pretty easy to conserve SOME energy if people stopped buying bottled water.  It's a new fad; a few years ago, NO ONE bought bottled water!

You can buy refillable bottles or stainless steel ones--or even glass ones if you prefer.  

That's my contribution to the save energy story.  I already take my own bags to the grocery and I don't drive much.  I am not certain alternative pubic transportation systems actually use all the much less energy either.  Especially since we'd have to spend all the resources to build them!


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I live in the DFW area and do fine on a bike and scooter.  But when I moved here, my first priority was a 5 mile radius for work, home, doctors, etc.  My small townhouse is under $1000 s ft and my electric bill is yearly averaged at $67 per month.  Living on a less wasteful, smaller scale is a lifestyle choice that matters to me.  

For those who remember me posting it, my motivation for buying my first kindle was to get rid of newspaper waste.  I gave up buying magazines years ago because I found them wasteful.  I don't use disposable razors.  I use reusable grocery bags and baskets.  One time use and throw away stuff just bothers me.

Having said all that, we each choose our path.  The only time the gas hog dually pick ups bother me is when they insist on taking more than their share of the road/parking.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Coral said:


> I'll grant you that we have bigger spaces to cover in this country, and I'm actually in favor of living out in the boonies myself, but that's a lifestyle choice that you make. The rest of the country shouldn't have to subsidize driving long distances just because people want to live far away from areas with public transportation. I don't mean that as a slight to either of you, and I hope you don't take it that way.
> 
> As I mentioned, I love living out in the boonies (granted my boonies and yours differ quite a lot in remoteness) and I understand that I have to drive farther because of that, but it's my responsibility to pay that bill, no matter how high the price gets. It sucks, and I hate it, but that's the way it is. We've already downsized one of our vehicles even though we had one of the worst winters I've ever seen this past year, all because we didn't want to have to fill up the gas tank of our jeep with the prices climbing as they have been.


No offense, but are you serious? My husband has farmed for 37 years. If we don't live in the country, where do you think food will be produced and by whom? We live in the boondocks, as does BTackitt, and have the same situation as she has. If we didn't make this lifestyle choice, there'd be one less farm producing corn and soybeans (and until a couple of years ago, raising top quality hogs). I teach 15 miles from where I live (and have done so for 34 years). Bicycling or walking, of course, are out of the question. In addition to the distance, our weather is extremely variable, as I'm in northwest Missouri.

Mike, your comment about trucks is not realistic. We have to have trucks, farm implements, and, yes, large pickups. Often, there is only one person in the vehicle, as that's all that is needed to accomplish the task at hand.

For those of you who are wanting alternate sources of energy, solar, wind, and electric are all problematic at best. (My husband serves on the board of an electric coop, and has attended many seminars and conferences dealing with the fact that this country is woefully short of plants producing electricity, and will be lucky if there's enough to provide the needs of homes and businesses as it is.)

I know this is controversial, but our country has a lot of oil available to us if only we were allowed to drill. We could drastically reduce our dependency on foreign countries, and would be providing jobs and resources for ourselves. As for curtailing our driving, we are (still) a free country, and should be allowed to drive when and where we choose. (My opinion, of course.) It's not necessary for us to be energy dependent, but it's an uphill battle to get power plants built, oil obtained, etc.

Just my 2 cents.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I wish there were a bigger market for smaller economical cars here. When I need a car a couple of years ago I had the hardest time to find a nice decent Hatchback car. I needed a used one and there is almost nothing out there.
Luckily I ended up finding a Kia spectra5 which is actually a large hatchback. 
But when I sit at the traffic light, I feel tiny and small here. All around me HUGE pickup trucks, huge long cars that I call boats, HUGE SUV's. And in almost all of the cases I see, its one person driving. And maybe there is a kid in the back. 

You don't need the biggest SUV to transport kids around. There are plenty of very save cars and smaller SUV's out there. 

So people spend 40.000 on a big vehicle like that that gulps down gas and then they complain when the gas price goes up. 

The other thing I always wonder about is created engines that use a lot less gas. I know they can now make cars with over 40 miles per gallon and I firmly believe they could do even better than that. I mean come one, we send vehicles on Mars, but still use the same technology basically we used from the start of the car. They can make cars much better efficient, but for some reason they don't. 

There would be a lot of money saved by people if they got a smaller car and/or a car with much higher gas mileage. Some could same a third easy, some even half. 

Being from Europe, the selection of smaller cars is much larger. Some car dealers don't even carry some of the large stuff sold here over there. For example if you go the Toyota.de the german site, you notice very small Hatchbacks. Here the Yaris is the smallest, there are even smaller ones. I am not saying they have to get that small, although they are perfect starter cars, but the size of a Golf is what I consider a very roomy large hatchback. 

The reason I keep talking about Hatchbacks is because for a smaller family they make better sense than a sedan as you can pack all the kids gear in the back without needing a SUV.

But I live in Texas and clearly nobody cares about anything small here


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

I want a car that's safe, and many of the smaller hatchbacks and other compacts cars look as if they'd be completely squashed if one were to be involved in a serious accident while riding/driving it such a car. For people who only drive in cities, not on interstates or on rural roads where there are large of farm implements and vehicles, those cars might be safe alternatives. My husband and I, as well as many of our friends, all opt for larger, more well-built cars. (I don't drive an SUV, although I'd love to have a crossover vehicle for a number of reasons.) I, for one, don't see anything wrong with people who choose to spend their money on SUVs, myself, but I'm only 5'3" on a good day, and I don't like to drive big cars. Where I live, in a rural community that's far enough from the cities where I need to shop and see dentists, optometrists, etc., long drives on busy interstate highways are our only choices. For those who have nearby access to the providers of their needs, driving small, economy models of cars may work out well. (I would love to feel safe AND get 40 mpg at the same time. So far, that doesn't seem to be an option for me.)


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## Rye (Nov 18, 2008)

Go back to horses. Much more economical. No gas, insurance, tires, maintenance, inspections, or accidents.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

There are safe Hatchbacks out there. They do have the testing to prove that. I would wish a larger selection, but there is nothing at all unsafe about those models, nothing. They are also well built. To me large does not equal well built. A car can be both or neither. I just wish there was a larger selection of those cars here in the US. 

I think the Crossovers are great compromise and more and more of those are coming to market some really well priced with excellent safety features. Even Kia now has come a long way and is putting out very affordable save vehicles. 

Of course if you live on a farm and need those vehicles, that is completely different. I am talking about the majority of people here. I live in the 7th largest city in the Country and like I said, one person in a huge vehicle. And they always seem to be on the phone too.  . Most of those people drive down to Target in the gas guzzlers. Those are the folks I am talking about. 

I drove a Toyota compact in Germany, a hatchback corolla that is not made here and I drove all over Germany and beyond in it. Never felt unsafe. And that was long before all these new safety features came on the market. 

And trust me, you want a safe vehicle when you enter the Autobahn  .


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Rye said:


> Go back to horses. Much more economical. No gas, insurance, tires, maintenance, inspections, or accidents.


But all that horsesh.......

One of the things I noticed watching The Royal Wedding.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

Cindy416 said:


> Mike, your comment about trucks is not realistic. We have to have trucks, farm implements, and, yes, large pickups. Often, there is only one person in the vehicle, as that's all that is needed to accomplish the task at hand.


I think it was realistic, since I was referring to those people who drive around town in pickups the size of a city bus just because it is fashionable. 

How about I modify my footnote to read:

* Yes, I know there are valid reasons for owning such a vehicle. But to transport a single person in daily driving around the city isn't one of them.

Mike


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## Rye (Nov 18, 2008)

Atunah said:


> But all that horsesh.......
> 
> One of the things I noticed watching The Royal Wedding.


Job creation.....horse crap pickeruppers


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

jmiked said:


> I think it was realistic, since I was referring to those people who drive around town in pickups the size of a city bus just because it is fashionable.
> 
> How about I modify my footnote to read:
> 
> ...


Gotcha, Mike. That makes sense. Of course, I know people with large pickups and all-wheel drive vehicles who wouldn't drive them out where I live because they'd not want to drive them on gravel, nor would they want to get them dirty, muddy, or dusty. 

Atunah, I'm sure you're right about safer hatchbacks. I'd still want one with some size to it, but that's just me. I've been on the Autobahn, so I know what you're talking about.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

modern crash safety is much more about crumple zones and impact absorption and dispersion than weight and steel. Solid steel is much better at transferring the energy directly to you.

That said, I'm not crazy about those teeny little "Smart Cars"


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## KindleChickie (Oct 24, 2009)

I love those fortwo smart cars.  I would love to have one, but I am pretty much "wheeled-up" when it comes to transportation.


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## Coral Moore (Nov 29, 2009)

Cindy416 said:


> No offense, but are you serious? My husband has farmed for 37 years. If we don't live in the country, where do you think food will be produced and by whom? We live in the boondocks, as does BTackitt, and have the same situation as she has. If we didn't make this lifestyle choice, there'd be one less farm producing corn and soybeans (and until a couple of years ago, raising top quality hogs). I teach 15 miles from where I live (and have done so for 34 years). Bicycling or walking, of course, are out of the question. In addition to the distance, our weather is extremely variable, as I'm in northwest Missouri.
> 
> Mike, your comment about trucks is not realistic. We have to have trucks, farm implements, and, yes, large pickups. Often, there is only one person in the vehicle, as that's all that is needed to accomplish the task at hand.
> 
> ...


No offense taken, I like a lively debate. 

You're totally right. We are a free country and you're allowed to drive wherever and however you want, you just have to pay for the gas. Why should someone who doesn't own a car pay for your driving habits though? It isn't their responsibility to make sure you can afford gas for those vehicles you bought. (Please don't think I'm pointing a finger at you in particular, as I mentioned I use more than my fair share of gas as well, so I'm pointing at myself too.) Gas subsidies--which is what I was talking about in the section you quoted--are a terrible, awful solution. All they do is encourage people to use more gas when we already have a problem.

Drilling more is not a long-term answer either for a huge variety of reasons. Most importantly, no matter how much we decide to drill here, it's nothing compared to what the OPEC nations have control over. If we increase production they reduce and we're at the same place. Also, our drilling more doesn't do a thing to curb the oil speculation market which is really what's driving the ridiculous prices.

What we have to do is invest money in developing those problematic alternatives you mentioned, not ignore the fact that we have a problem and keep doing things like building more oil derricks and subsidizing.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Coral said:


> No offense taken, I like a lively debate.
> 
> You're totally right. We are a free country and you're allowed to drive wherever and however you want, you just have to pay for the gas. Why should someone who doesn't own a car pay for your driving habits though? It isn't their responsibility to make sure you can afford gas for those vehicles you bought. (Please don't think I'm pointing a finger at you in particular, as I mentioned I use more than my fair share of gas as well, so I'm pointing at myself too.) Gas subsidies--which is what I was talking about in the section you quoted--are a terrible, awful solution. All they do is encourage people to use more gas when we already have a problem.
> 
> ...


I see your point, of course, and truly am not a huge user of gas. I simply have to drive fairly long distances to get anywhere or anything. (It's at least 100 miles round trip whenever I go to the nearest town of any size. Since my hometown is only a town of 1,200, and we don't even have a stoplight, you can imagine how limited my options are for anything more than the most rudimentary of services.) I do have a question, though, about the use of mass transit. Aren't we still subsidizing the huge fuel usage for mass transit in cities where many people don't have cars? The only way I can see that people don't require others to pay for their transportation is if said people actually live in a large city where services can be found around every corner. There are a lot of us for whom that isn't a possibility.

Obviously, our fuel problems in this country will take a lot of foresight before they will be solved. Gas subsidies have been in place since the 1920's, so they're not going to go away without a fight. It will, indeed, be interesting to see what happens. I'm all for anything that is reasonable and that will end our dependence on foreign (especially Middle Eastern) oil.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

lacymarankevinmichael said:


> I've seen a lot more vespa's and bicyclists in LA lately.


These may help some. We really have to use alternative sources and totally get away from foriegn oil. The high prices may make it possible to come up with alternative energy. That will be a blessing in disguise.


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