When we run out of gas (split from Oct. Mileage)

Re: October MPG Averages

I guess we can be glad you didn't get an H2 and floor it everywhere getting maybe 4 mpg. We can run out of oil sooner or later, but later is better. It isn't about how much YOU can afford to spend, it is about how much WE can NOT afford to waste. One need not be a tree spiking environmentalist to do their part for the overall good. One guy in an H2 isn't going to destroy the world, nor is 1 guy in a Prius (getting 50, not 23 mpg) going to save it. But each adds to others of his ilk. Saying "its falling apart, might as well kick it some more" will only make it harder, if not impossible to repair.

 

Because unless you want to go walkabout with the crocks (or maybe the trolls), you don't want to see what your life would be like without fuel.

 

Re: October MPG Averages was the Topic

I haven't filled up this month yet, but can this topic be made sticky like the ones for August and September?

 

Over the long term, yes roger - the sooner we run out, the less damage to the environment.

But let me tell you what I imagine would happen if we ran out of oil say, tomorrow.

I think many, many people would be killed. We as a country would have *NO* way to transport goods, so say goodbye to food and water. It would become a world of those with guns and those without. Our world could live without oil in the short term just as much as we could live without water.

Hence, just one of many reasons to show that with the Prius, we can go further, reduce consumption, reduce emissions, and push the car to the limits. You may drive just the same, and that's fine for you. Me, I now look forward to driving, I don't get road rage anymore - which is good for someone who has loaded guns in the car and has a history of depression problems! - and not only that, I'm consuming less. The simple fact exists that if Americans (I know you're Australian) all drove Prius', we would have no need to be killing Iraqis or letting Saudis destroy our buildings. But, if we're not prepaired as a world to survive without oil, we will, I promise you, have a bloody horrific global revolution on our hands.

-m.

 

TROLL

 

In far too many sectors, we substitute oil for knowledge. Want to double your profit?! Then double your efficiency. Air quality is a major concern worldwide. Blowing partially-combusted dinosaurs out a tail pipe for short-term velocity only indicates the operator lacks long-term knowledge, skills and abilities - as oil becomes more expensive (in shorter supply), ostentatious consumption becomes a clear sign of major ignorance.

Prius offers a major constructive alternative for providing cost-effective transportion in nice style, without trying to emulate the fuel efficiency of a H2 or aircraft carrier. Double your profit by doubling your efficiency - operate a true hybrid vehicle for your needs.

The added benefit of better air quality tries to avoid "tragedy of the commons" (where everyone derives benefits, but no one has responsibility). Driving a Prius is a statement of responsibility - personal and public. Many popular songs describe how a person "made so much money I could have bought Miami . . . . but I only pissed it away. I was walking down a hallway at Marsh McClenan (largest brokerage firm in the world) in London and noticed a large sign on the wall: "Please God, just give me one more soft market, and I promise I won't piss it all away this time." Obviously reflective of limited, nonsustainable, short-term thinking.

It's not just fuel economy, but also air quality and sustainability.