Why $120 oil is good

[Fibb222]

Originally Posted by pyccku

I just wish something were in place to give people options. Right now, it's a PITA to not drive because we have to drop off kids, etc.

This is going to be so off topic and politically incorrect [sorry] but I would never give my kids to somebody for the day, whether it be daycare, public school or private school. I know most people thing it's normal but we don't think it's healthy for the children/family. Nor is it often economical for many families to have two breadwinners. What's gained in a 2nd salary is often lost in higher expenses and less quality of life.

My wife staying home allows us to have one car, no child-care costs and we save money on lots of other things because we aren't over-stressed so we don't feel like we need to eat out or buy useless toys. When our kids are older, I'll stay home and education them and my wife can bring home the bacon. (We think even the best schools are too crappy for our precious angels). So getting back on topic a bit, if one parent stays home, it can actually be cheaper and certainly more enjoyable/healthy for the family and of course the environment. Think outside the box that big business wants you to be trapped in - the never satisfied consumer and working drone. There will be more options for you that way.

[jhinton]

Originally Posted by Fibb222

This is going to be so off topic and politically incorrect [sorry] but I would never give my kids to somebody for the day, whether it be daycare, public school or private school. I know most people thing it's normal but we don't think it's healthy for the children/family. .............. So getting back on topic a bit, if one parent stays home, it can actually be cheaper and certainly more enjoyable/healthy for the family and of course the environment. Think outside the box that big business wants you to be trapped in - the never satisfied consumer and working drone. There will be more options for you that way.

To be even more politically incorrect, you could save even more money and greatly help the environment by not having any kids. That's just me thinking outside the box. Wouldn't it be great if instead of an ever increasing global population we could start shrinking it?

[FL_Prius_Driver]

Too much reactionary thinking here. The choice is not between public and private transportation. The real choice is sustainable transportation, public and private. It is quite possible to have private transportation and be sustainable for some (e.g. electric car and solar electicity). Car pooling is quite possible for others. Moving the work to the home, even part time, is possible for others.

The price of gas is a problem of unsustainable resources, not access to public transportation.

[FL_Prius_Driver]

Originally Posted by jhinton

To be even more politically incorrect, you could save even more money and greatly help the environment by not having any kids. That's just me thinking outside the box. Wouldn't it be great if instead of an ever increasing global population we could start shrinking it?

The last two word have a nice double meaning.

[pyccku]

I'm glad that you would stay at home with your kids. That's your choice.

Our choice is that we both work as teachers and help to educate the next generation. We don't work for the frills and toys that advertisers sell to us - we work because we feel it is important for someone to educate the young, and because we are good at it. We enjoy our jobs and like to think we can make a difference in the lives of our students.

The great thing about America is that you can stay at home with your kids, and we can go to work. None of which has anything to do with public transportation or the lack thereof.

[excuseMeButt]

Originally Posted by Fibb222

...When our kids are older, I'll stay home and education them and my wife can bring home the bacon.

Might be a good idea just to go ahead and send them to a public school.



JMO,

~butster

[VaPrius]

Originally Posted by DaveinOlyWA

We are disadvantaged as americans.

Poor us. Maybe we should apply to the UN for aid? Our problems were created by us. I agree with your post though, that statement just sounds funny to read. We, The Herd, were too smart for our own good. We knew better than every expert and ever other country. Anyone who tried to tell us differently was a crackpot -- and never elected to public office.

[DaveinOlyWA]

Originally Posted by VaPrius

Poor us. Maybe we should apply to the UN for aid? Our problems were created by us. I agree with your post though, that statement just sounds funny to read. We, The Herd, were too smart for our own good. We knew better than every expert and ever other country. Anyone who tried to tell us differently was a crackpot -- and never elected to public office.

ya ok... i can see how that statement could be misconstrued. we are like a 30 year-old star running back... the only thing we have going for us is our reputation. we no longer can perform at the level we have known previously, but our pride is slow to accept that.

when i was a kid growing up, i felt that there were no clouds in america's future. i wasnt naive, its just that the problems we faced were workable...or more likely, we did a much better job of ignoring them. we had the power, resources, brains and willingness to go out a fix it or do the right thing. sure, there is always glaring mis-steps...vietnam, the obvious example, but we still could do it.

but today's world is different... we no longer have all the answers... sometimes i feel like we dont have ANY answers. many poo-poo the parallels between the roman empire and us and the standard timeline of any free society as it emerges, comes into power, then fades. its excesses causing its support structure and strengths to be eroded from the inside out.

so u see, we are at a disadvantage, when you are on top, there is no place to go but down.

[Fibb222]

Originally Posted by excuseMeButt

Might be a good idea just to go ahead and send them to a public school.



JMO,

~butster

I taught public school and survived. I was good at it too but now I just see it as a horrible system of warehousing the young, keeping them occupied so "the man" can keep the drone masses working for junk instead of nurturing their own. Sorry to help take this off topic some more.

[Jimmie84]

Originally Posted by DaveinOlyWA

BINGO!!

you hit it on the head. we are disadvantaged as americans.

1) we live in a huge country. 3rd largest in the world.
2) in the era of cheap gas, we migrated out of the cities into the country and suburbs and did not want the "riff raff" that rode the bus. so it was banned in many areas
3) we have cheap gas, so no reason to look at alternatives.

what we need to do...

gas is still WAY TO CHEAP. we need to add a very large tax (i say $2.00 minimum) use that extra money to fund mass transit, alternative fuel vehicles. "car sharing" etc.

your example of the small difference in transportation costs is pretty inaccurate. in real life, if you were struggling to make ends meet, you would realize that. its actually 2-3 times cheaper to take a bus.

"your" bus fare includes gas, oil, bus payments, insurance....

"your" personal expenses includes gas... gas... and ya...so umm...anyway you get the point

but still boils down to not making mass transit work as a personal choice. now that gas is getting more expensive, people are changing their personal choice. i feel your pain... i live in town... but the bus would drop me off 45 minutes AFTER the start of my shift... around here because of cutback, our bus service is just over half of what it was 15 years ago.

I find two of your posts in this thread full of BS.

You try to blame 1 individual for making bad choices but when you know for a fact our goverment as a whole is hard at work screwing us over.

You want to tax the hell out of gas but how much of that money do you really think will go towards mass transit? Think about it!

This is part of the problem. Too much of our money goes through the government first. The only thing the Government is good at is the Military and that is it. They get involved in too much of our lives.

Now, As for the gas prices it will only get worse unless we depend upon ourselves for our own resources. E85 is not the answer because all it does is drive up food prices and you get less fuel mileage on it just like biodiesel.

I feel the effects of the gas prices as well but i don't drive all over town just for the sake of driving. I'm pretty much from home to the Military base and then back home. I drive a 4x4 S-10 truck that will seat two people at the most. I wouldn't dare try to fit a 3rd person in the jump seat as it is quite small. it's paid off and all I have is minimal maintenence costs and fuel costs. It's a lot cheaper for me to do it this way than to have a $475 to $500 car payment and then the added costs of gas.

In actuality, If i need to buy a car it will probably be like a Cavalier or a Cobalt for around $5,000.

It's funny were talking about how long it takes for you to actually make money back afetr buying a hybrid. Our UPS guy comes on the base once and awhile and I asked him what UPS was doing to curve the cost of fuel. he basically said they were starting to get rid of the old gas van models and buying diesels. They looked at Hybrids but could not justify spending a large amount of money on a hybrid delivery van as it would take too long to regain some money back from it.