Comments on: 11 Reasons to Celebrate Higher Gas Prices

By: Janie

Janie — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:42:11 +0000

Your message is intelligent and insightful. I would like to point out however that developers have long promoted compact high-density sustainable development which supports the quality of life that you describe. It has been the oppressive zoning regulations and community controversies that have prevented high-density/open-space type developments.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:29:08 +0000

I liked the article

By: Cindy M

Cindy M — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:11:39 +0000

Bravo, #18, I’m with you all the way. I haven’t made more than $32,000 for years but have managed to do just fine on that salary. People can if they try. Why should we as Americans be surprised the rest of the world wants a slice of the pie? Do you blame them?

What with our local GM factory closing, I’m wondering how much more some of the neighborhoods will be deteriorating in my town. I agee with most of what you say and personally don’t have a problem doing without a car (decided when my 10-year-old vehicle quit I’d not buy another real soon) and now don’t plan on buying another. Luckily, I work from my home and am within walking distance of most everything I need plus have bus stops nearby. I believe high school teachers should put it in kids’ minds to live and work locally in their communities after they finish their educations.

By: GaelicWench

GaelicWench — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:34:09 +0000

What you all failed to mention or recognize is that due to the high cost of fuel, jobs are being brought back to the U.S. It’s gotten too expensive to outsource manufacturing jobs; the cost of shipping goods back to our country is over the top. The solution? Restart blue collar worker positions for making furniture, parts for machinery, etc.

To every dark cloud there is bound to be a silver lining. In this instance, I would say that there indeed has been one.

Oh, and yes, it’s a struggle for me to put gas in my car on the living wage I am making. Living wage…..now that’s a joke!

By: Sex in Exchange for 25 Gallons of Petrol

Sex in Exchange for 25 Gallons of Petrol — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:34:16 +0000

[...] POINT OF VIEW: according to 11 Reasons to Celebrate Higher Gas Prices. Posted under Off-Topic Comments [...]

By: dare2bawre

dare2bawre — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:11:24 +0000

Lets face it, it has always been the case that the ‘good’ follows the ‘bad’. And isn’t that something to look forward to?

By: Irshswedi

Irshswedi — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:23:25 +0000

I disagree with most of what consumer q had to say. “You doubt that people who comment on line are really poor? Ummm how did you research that? How dare you look down your nose at those who would declare themselves “poor” like that is something they would like to be! They could have an old clunker of a computer like I do. Pathetic. And John L from the UK you might be spending 12 bucks a gallon for gas but that pays for your universal health care unavailable to the “poor” over here. My governor actulally came up with a brilliant idea of “affordable insurance” for the poor with premiums of $250 per month. Is she kidding? I don’t think most of you know what poor really means or care. If q did he or she would tone down the rhetoric and get real. I think q lives in a bubble and has no idea of what it is to really struggle. Just my opinion.

By: mom2bbjandag

mom2bbjandag — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:49:48 +0000

consumer q said much of what I want to say. Most who say they are “poor” are not, they just way overspent. Changing jobs may not be the answer, but cutting the spending elsewhere certainly is! My husband is the only wage earner in our household, and we have four children. He earns less than $30K a year. We live quite nicely… on a budget, yes. Do we have fun & enjoy life? Yes. But we do so frugally. Gas is high, but I’m sorry… if spending a few more dollars a month on gas is going to break you, you have other problems. Gas at $2.15/gal with a car that gets 24 mpg and driving 1,000 miles a week (for the benefit of those of you who drive very far to work), you spent $172/mo on gas. No, at $4.15 you spent $750. Big difference. But cutting DirecTV at $76, highspeed internet at $54, eating out at $175, clothes purchases $80, use of dryer (hang clothes to dry and they last longer anyway) $30, and yes, cutting back on gas just 25 miles a week $25, and you save $440 right there! I’m sure you’re all smart enough to come up with a few other budget cuts to make the difference — it’s not that bad!

By: John L

John L — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:15:47 +0000

As someone who lives in the UK we have much more expensive fuel that you in the States. We have to pay $12+ a gallon at the moment for our fuel so if you are having problems with $4-5 a gallon then you can imagine what our problem is. As public transport is so poor we have no choice but to use our cars to get to work. And like yourselves, many of us work too far from home to walk or use a bicycle.

By: consumer_q

consumer_q — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:51:03 +0000

Where you live and where you are employed are lifestyle choices for people above the poverty line. We Americans have been lazy and spoilt for such a long time that when we all decided to live in the burbs because we felt we got a greater bang for our buck. We deluded ourselves into thinking that auto fuel would stay low indefinitely and made poor choices to reflect that illogical notion.

From my experience, folks online who identify themselves as “poor” are far from it and are actually middle class who have the ability to modify their lifestyle and still live comfortably. Sure many of you may now regret your decision to live in a bedroom community, regret living beyond your means, and regret complaining about the traffic and demanding that “we needed more roads because of the congestion” instead of pushing for a mass transit infrastructure, but unless you are checking your email from a public library’s computer or a friend’s place, I doubt your impoverished state.