Speak Out!
$4 gasoline?
Tue, 05/08/2007 - 20:50 | Economy
At least one industry expert predicts gasoline prices could hit $4 a gallon this summer in some areas of the U.S.:
"More and more communities are going to see gasoline that approaches or exceeds $4 a gallon," said John Kilduff, an energy analyst at Man Financial in New York. "Where we're currently at with prices, that's a given." While geopolitical tensions have driven up the cost of crude oil, which accounts for about half the cost of a gallon of gas, refinery problems here in the United States are also to blame for the price jump. The other factor behind $4 gas: Americans can't seem to get enough of it.Why can’t or won’t Americans cut back on gas consumption?
Doing What's Right
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When the supply of a
When the supply of a good/service is in danger of extinction, then the cost is increased so that the supply is not depleted as quickly. Where gas is concerned, and what people don't realize is that natural resources are not infinite and run out eventually. So, in order to maintain what gas supply we have, the price is increased. Only those willing and able to pay for the increased price will...thereby decreasing the use of gas (not the price) and maintaining the supply for a little longer. Who knows when we will deplete the natural resources to make gas...but we definitely need a solution right now.
Want a solution to our
Want a solution to our problems. Sugarcane like in Brazil so that corn products won't go up in prices raising the price of food. If cities built their own plants for making cane fuel for their services autos trucks and buses, we would save as tax payers down the road. Solar panels on every roof top in America creating jobs!!!!! ll across America shutting down coal plants. Wind power in every city in America for cheap power for the poor and local business that can't use solar panels. Want change then talk about it.
As usual, the gas price
As usual, the gas price explosion affects African Americans even more than others who are complaining. How can I say this? Well, below is an excerpt from a study on commuting distances to work as they pertain to minorities. The outcome of the study showed many of the commuting inequalities minorities have to deal with, even before the gas prices started going ballistic.
Here's the quote from Race, Spatial Mismatch, and Job Accessibility: Evidence from a Plant Relocation April, 2006
Inequality Summer Institute 2006 Kennedy School of Government, June 15-16, 2006, Roberto M. Fernandez:
"One of the most prominent explanations for minority under-achievement in the labor market is what has been
termed the spatial mismatch hypothesis. Indeed, this theory supplies an important piece of the puzzle in Wilson’s (1987,1996) theory of minority under-achievement. This theory states that a major cause of minority employment difficulties is the relocation of employers from areas where these minorities have traditionally lived (typically, the inner city) to the suburban ring. Because of housing segregation in the suburbs of most metropolitan areas, minorities are less likely than non-Hispanic whites to move closer to the new jobs. This leaves minorities little choice but to commute, often unreasonable distances. The net result is increased costs of employment for minorities relative to non-minorities and, consequently, greater joblessness for minority workers.
Although there has been a long tradition of research on this topic within sociology, geography and economics
(for reviews, see Fernandez and Su 2004; Ihlanfeldt and Sjoquist 1998), key issues remain unresolved."
I guess my point is that when we fail to attack problems on an individual level they mushroom into global proportions. There is so much in America that unfairly targets the poor, minority and disenfranchised among us that we ought to be marching with signs again, fists held high. It's so much more than about gas prices...isn't it?
The oil companies and our
The oil companies and our government have spent generations tying the public to the need for oil/gasoline/private transportation. Everything from car ads, to the poorly placed public services offices demand that you have a car of your own. And any one who can make a way to own or drive a private vehicle will do so. It's like cell phones. There was a time when there weren't any. So we know we can live without them. But we don't. And we won't. NO matter what the cost.
Tavis, I live in a relatively
Tavis, I live in a relatively rural state and the only city that even has a public bus system is the capital city. Even in the capital city the bussing system is, in my opinion, confusing and inadequate. If you dont have a car then public transportation should be able to take you all over and you shouldnt have to be late when you finally reach your destination and you shouldnt have to be there an hour ahead of time (because its the only bus that will come for the next three hours). But its hard to even get around using the bus. Its a hassle.
My point is that we dont have alot of options when it comes to getting around, so we need our gas. Sure some folk are wasteful and do alot of riding around that they dont really need to but that is their prerogative and they shouldnt just have to stick to someone else's (government or private sector) alloted schedule of how they should spend their gas and mileage. And it shouldnt cost anyone an arm or a leg to get around.
Then there are lots of people like me who have cars and have to rely on their own transportation because buses and cabs are just not convenient. There is a bus that passes right by my house but I still would not be able to go to work and come home using that bus because the schedule is way out of my way. And cabs are out of the question, they are high and if I were to pay for a cab then I might as well use my own car.
Shifting the onus to us for skyrocketing gas prices is just not right. Lets keep the blame where it belongs, which is the gas industry. They know we need it to live and they are just preying on us.
As with most things, it is a
As with most things, it is a state of mind as to why we won't cut back on gas consumption. Most Americans are used to the conveniences gasoline affords us. Our minds cannot comprehend having to get up earlier to get where we need to go on the bus or actually having to walk to the bus stop. This, of course, is dependent upon where you live, but I know that when the weather gets cold, I'm thanking God everyday for a car. It's funny though; I said last year that when the gas got over $3.00, I was going to ride the bus. Well, now my story is, when gas gets to $4.00, I'm riding the bus. We shall see. The bottom line is, as Americans, we would need to make major adjustments in our lifestyles to cut back on gas consumption. Then again, are the changes really that major when we look at the big picture? The benefits of conserving far outweigh the adjustments. My girlfriend said something to me last year that has stayed with me; she said "convenience is killing us." In many ways, she was right. I don't know what it will take to change our thinking on conserving gas. I suppose if it gets deep enough into our pockets we will cut back; but even high prices have not caused some of us to adjust. I was pretty sure my limit was $3.00 a gallon, but the self sacrifice just didn't kick in. For many of us, Tavis, I think the answer is we won't cut back, it's just not convenient...
You know Tavis there are some
You know Tavis there are some people who would love to cut back- but can't. I have a son right now hospitalized due to what happen to him in the service. I go and see him everyday. Marta is the main public transportation for Atlanta but to get to Marta I would have to go through CCT and believe me CCT is not faster than Marta. CCT bus routes takes you far more time to get to a destination than Marta. Example: If I wanted to take CCT to say just a neighborhood grocery store- a route from my house is about ten minutes-CCT would take one hour and a half, if the bus driver can drive.
I'm marketing my business lapricetravel and in doing so the bus routes would be too tedious and tiring to say the least. So I need to jump in Penelope (my car) so that where ever I need to be I can be in charge and can monitor my time. I really don't like too many people being in charge of my traveling destination unless it's on a flight-and still I don't like the idea.
The idea of cutting back sounds great but it doesn't work for everybody. When setting up appointments, meetings, etc, who wants to stand at a bus stop against time, especially CCT-not me it, just wouldn’t work. I would be late every time-and being late is one of my pet peeves...
I could give you many reason it wouldn’t work for me- I hate when it’s extremely hot my body functions become irritated and frail and my energy level drops and it feels like the life has been drained out of me. I feel like a roasted raisin in the sun. My preferred seasons of operation would be spring and fall these seasons are perfect for traveling. Down here in Atlanta most places are long distant and to have a car is a blessing to us all. We know that pollution is extremely high but this is the infrastructure of Atlanta.
Mayor Shirley Franklin is working on a billion dollar project to reface downtown Atlanta- which would include just one Peachtree Rd. From the pictures that were shown on television it looks great. But what about the cities out side of downtown Atlanta- this is where many of us catch the blues when traveling-nothing is convenient and it makes your everyday traveling a job in itself. I refuse to live downtown that would be like living in a house full of rock stars-no one would get any sleep. So I like living in the area that I live in even though its miles away from the inside perimeter of Atlanta.
I think it really depends upon the cities and how convent things are to the public. I promise you when I travel to my sister house who lives in Decatur it takes me an hour to get to her house by car-so let me not estimate the time it would take me on CCT… Gas prices are about 2.99 a gallon so far and if it goes up-the only thing I can do is buy a super size scooter with a V8 engine fully covered with an air condition and a CD player…. Holla!
Let’s look at it like this the cities are already in place and for those of us that can cut back on gasoline go for it but for those of us that find it inconvenient than we keep rolling on our wheels... At least some one will save money
To whomever It May
To whomever It May Concern:
I'm from a rural area in NC. It is hard to conserve gasoline in rural area of the country because there is no public, metro transportation as far as it is in in major cities. If resident is close to public-metropolitian transportation, then by all means, it should be used for conservation reasons. Since I've moved to Los Angeles area, I'm scared to drive here because of the traffic and traffic's reckless driving. It's not like driving in rural area where your mind can wander a little and you see a car approaching every mile. Metropolitan transportation is cheap. I can go all over the city and spend as much time as I want for leisure riding on the metro Los Angeles for $12 per month (cost about $60 for monthly pass). When I was in Washington, DC, it cost 50 cents to ride. I spent over 60 dollars per week with my vehicle in rural NC. It cost 5 dollars each way per trip using transportation for the disadvantage and 6 dollars one way to go 4 miles from my home in NC to a destination near home. I am glad to ride metro transportation. I would trade it to get my own ride just to ride one person!
Sincerely,
Reginia Howard