Somewhat disappointing ...

You should learn more about Daniel before you start attacking his character. He puts his money where his mouth is, and has been living what he preaches all his life, more than probably any of us have done. Today most of his driving is with an electric vehicle (which in Spokane is probably hydroelectric powered), avoids long-distance travel, etc.

 

Daniel deserves to be smug.
Most of us are proud to do what we reasonably can.
But nearly half the country is counterproductive and resists even simple steps to curb usage.

Which is more likely to get us where we need to go? Getting a few more of the "us" to do more like Daniel does? Or clamping down on those who feel it's their right to burn as much as they can in their lifetime for their own enjoyment?

Just tax the damn oil already so we get wean off the stuff.

 

Please note that I make no claim to be better than anyone else. I am as much to blame as the next guy. My only claim to distinction is that I am aware that driving a Prius does nothing for the environment, since being less bad is still being bad. That's the essence of my jeremiad: Any time we burn gasoline we are harming the environment, adding to the balance of trade deficit, and financing terrorism. It is not good for the Earth to do it less harm than the other guy. I stand by my earlier analogy (though I'll phrase it slightly differently this time): If you kill three children every year and your neighbor kills six, you're still a murderer. The analogy is valid because of the wars we must fight if we want to continue burning oil, and the terrorism we finance with our gas dollars.

I repeat, that I'm as guilty of all this as the next person. I'm just trying to make us all aware that our Priuses are not the solution; they are still part of the problem.

People who use bicycles as their principal transportation are the real heroes.

 

Daniel,

I set my expectations on the public lower, yet very disappointed.

We have people that won't even consider any kind of fuel-efficient car and/or avoid speeding.

The economic harm of sending $600-700B to oil-producting nations that generally dislike us with financing from the Chinese is far less debatable than AGW, yet SUVs pass me with flags waving.

I would say the same about myself, yet it's amazing how guilty people scream smug or self-righteous even when you quietly try to do the right thing.

GreenHybrid is a perfect example of that and they claim to be green. All I did to get their ire was vent about aggressive drivers in their bloated pickups and SUVs running me off the road (this was before I was hypermiling), and they act like a bunch of hissed off cliche' of high school girls. The suggestion of not speeding or going to work alone in something smaller than a 8-seater or 6-seater had many of them seeing red. Many at GreenHybrid get offended by the suggestion a hybrid badge on their wheels does not absolve them from speeding or being a poser - wasting is wasting.

And America as a whole is also a bunch of guilty guzzlers that take it out on anyone trying to cut back on consumption. Gas will probably hit $4 a gallon again, and once again SUV owners will glare at Prius drivers going about their business pumping gas...their crime was making a better vehicle choice.

There is something terribly screwed up about the human condition when people try to do good in things like the environment and they get demonized by those that could not care less about the environment.

 

Shhhhhh, You're showing your Communist side.

People like me and those "other" Americans have freedoms and the choice to live the life they please. I drive a truck to and from the shop everyday. It's paid for, 11 years old and 300,000 miles. I'm not gonna go buy a $35,000 tin can when it would be a huge financial burden.

YOU can't force a way of life onto another person. If you feel like your doing your own right thing, Then so be it. Don't push your smuggy type attitude onto other people. It WILL NOT work.

I respect people for their own decisions. I expect other people to do the same in return.

 

This is America, no one is going to take away your truck.
We are just asking you to pay the true costs of your wasteful choices.

I am always dismayed by the people that claim to be self-reliant, but consume vast amounts of a subsidized commodity, then they complain about people on welfare.

 

Excellent point!!!

I know you meant clique, but I love the expression "cliche of high school girls."

 

Funny you resort to name calling like this and I'm the one chastized for not wanting to meet up and compare guns with you. Right... like any good can come from meeting someone who thinks I'm a commie enviro-weenie.

Please note that I never proposed forcing anything on you. It was pretty clear that I proposed taxing oil as a means of reducing our use. You know....so we aren't desperately poking unregulated holes in the ocean floor and stuff....

 

...meet up and compare guns with you....LOL

Don't worry, Jimmie does not know the difference between a commie, a socialist and a fascist.

 

It was a serious offer. And Airport Kid thought I was an Ahole for not accepting. Jimmie has no respect from me as shown above and yet wants to share some range time??? I don't think many will fault me for passing on that offer. If there's ever a big MN Prius meetup, I can meet him there.

Oh wait, I forgot...he doesn't drive a Prius.

 

so, suv drivers kill 6 people, we kill 3 and daniel only kills 1? sweet.

 

In a few months, there will be water shortages - cities will put watering restrictions, and 99% will comply as it should be.

Imagine if during water restrictions it went like this thread with the partisan banter, irrational arguments, throwing around of names like fascist, communist, etc?

It is quite similar - do you think California can naturally support 38 million? Texas has 24 million, yet has only ONE naturally occurring lake.

If it was easy to cheaply pump oil until we had a surplus and end the recessions, don't you think it would have happened?

 

People won't change when they are comfortable. No amount of logic, guilt-tripping, or preaching is going to change that behavior. However, the economics of the matter and the proverbial bitch-slap of energy price spikes will (at which point we will hear whining about "why weren't we prepared for this?"). There's really no point in arguing with them.

 

Yeah, that's about right. So I'm not going to point fingers at Daniel for being a bad person.

 

i don't think we should be pointing fingers at anyone.

 

This is a long but good article from the Washington Post on declining oil production a couple of years ago. The theme is the known oil reserves in Saudi Arabia, Mexico, US, everywhere is producing less oil and discoveries are not keeping up.

If there is plenty of cheap oil to be found, don't you think it would be exploited by now?

 

Yes, I think it already was.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oil_fields]List of oil fields - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

when the price goes up, so will discovery and production. there's probably enough for a couple hundred years.

 

Global oil consumption has exceeded discoveries for the past 40 years....not exactly reassuring there are reserves the size of Saudi Arabia just waiting to come on line.

 

considering inflation, when was gasoline less expensive than now?