$10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

i agree, if you can afford it, drive it. what i dont agree with is how taxes and gas cost is structured.

unless you drive a semi, your tax dollars are the same to maintain the roads as anyone else no matter what you drive. i think an immediate increase in gas taxes is needed. we have roads, bridges (now glaringly in the forefront) and mass transit that needs money and needed it YEARS ago. we need to understand we DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO "AFFORDABLE" GAS!!!!.

we also need money redirected towards reducing our dependence on gasoline. i think a 30 cent increase with 25 to the roads, 5 to research, grants and low interest loans to alternative fuel startups will be good for a start.

what i think is, if you want to drive something inefficient, you should be paying for it. eliminate the tax credit for buying hummers and expeditions, or any other vehicle primarily designed as a POV for businesses. that law was designed for mitigating the cost of a dump truck or dozer, not a soccer moms sunday cruiser.


get all that done, then you can drive anything you want with my blessing

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Funny thing is that if 100 people are stuck in the bottom of a coal mine, hoping to be rescued, and the richest one of the 100 says, "I'm entitled to use 2x as much air as the rest of you" the other 99 people may kill that person. That's because they understand their survival matters. And if the poorest of the 100 says, "I get to use 2x as much air as the rest of you because I can" the other 99 people may kill that person. The sad part is that we as a global society have to wait until we ALL see that our global supply of energy is similar to the bottom of the coal mine.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

LOL! That's exactly what I thought the last fill-up. Man, $25.00 a month now.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Agreed

Agreed. Unfortunately, that sort of "hard" or hidden infrastructure never gets top bill. For example, under the Liberal Chretien government here in Canada, almost $8 billion was spent on a program called "Infrastructure Works."

Now, to the layperson, "Infrastructure" sounds like roads, bridges, sewer, waterworks, etc. Right? It sure does to me, but I have experience with utilities

Surprisingly, the majority of the Infrastructure Works money was spent on "visible" infrastructure. That would be your community centres, your restored theatres, your bowling lanes, your tennis courts etc etc. All while the "real" infrastructure is allowed to crumble

I found it self-serving when NDP Premier Gary Doer had an immediate press conference after the tragic bridge collapse in the Twin Cities last summer. Claimed all of Manitoba's bridges and overpasses were "safe." Really?

Agreed. I currently use my Prius for business use. I can claim basic km allowance, routine maintenance, etc. If I used the FJ for business use, all of the above in addition to lucrative depreciation. Thus, it's cheaper for my business if I use the FJ as primary transportation.

Is that right? NO. Will it change anytime soon? Probably not

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Never underestimate the Lemming-like behavior of most humans

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

They also protect corporate profits (not only of oil related ones) and corporations is what country 401k are invested into. Including, most probably, yours. So cool off, protector of young soldiers. Power projection is not just about oil.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

That's right. Have all of you already sold your houses and moved into small apartments or condo? You know, those 3000 sq ft houses are not necessities either. And living in a city you can actually walk to work.

Or is it too much comfort reduction for you, your Holiness?

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

So you've bought a Prius and are now consuming twice as less gas. Wait, but that's the same as carpooling. But carpooling does not sound as exciting, doesn't it? It definitely does not sound like you are saving the planet, and even worse, nobody even notices that you have two people in the car. Nobody notices if you ride a bus either. But driving a Prius you definitely look like a saint...

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

its funny how times have changed... i have only carpooled twice in my life, and both times it was to split driving time...not to save money

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

My home is 1270 sq ft. I can walk to the grocery store. After I retire, my driving will be greatly reduced.

OR perhaps because I am only one person I'm not entitled to a home and should sell it and live in a studio apartment instead? I'd have to give up my garden. And of course, I wouldn't be able to have a dog any more.

Too bad. And I just put in that PV system too.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

I "carpooled" for several years. Of course it did add mileage as I had to drop him off before work and pick him up after and he didn't work that close to my job. But I had free car service all that time. He was a mechanic who lived across the alley from me. In return for driving him to and from work he worked on my car for free. Maintained it really well. Unfortunately, he moved out of state.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

once when carpooling, i wrecked my car, was in shop for nearly a month before i could afford to get it out... so instead of taking turns driving, i just paid for his gas the whole time.

neither of us thought he was getting over on me because both of us would rather sleep!@! but gas was about $.90 gallon and we had to leave home at 5:15 am to make it to work by 7....

ya... bay area commutes... one thing i dont miss for sure

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

Some people mentioned owning multiple cars. This implies properly sized garage and appropriately sized home (I haven't seen many small homes with 3 car garages).

You are entitled to what you want and can afford. I just don't like how people living in huge homes (and even 1200 is pretty large for the rest of the world) and pretend they don't pollute anymore just because there is a Prius in the garage.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

i live in a 1300 square foot house with two adults and an infant. we have 4 vehicles. and we like most people i know, do not use the garage to store them other than the Zenn which has to be plugged in.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

My home is 135 square metres (do the conversion yourself), I share it with wife and son. I only heat one room, I cool with evaporation not a compressor, my block is full of native trees, I don't water my lawn with first use water, only with washing water and I have 4 cars now on the property, my Toyota Crown is only driven a couple of times a year (I'm storing history), my son has a Celica which doesn't run yet but will be ready when he is 16 and can learn to drive, wife has a short wheelbase RAV4 and a shorter commute than me and I drive the Prius. They are all under cover. Yep, my garage is as big as my house and isn't heated or cooled. The roof is used to capture rain water.

Solar hot water and solar electric will be installed before the end of the year.

No one here claims to be a saint, we just don't like energy being wasted to make a man feel more a man.

 

Re: $10 a gallon before he’d ditch his SUV

If these people have the resources to pay that much it is their choice. For me the threshold was much less. I found the $3.50 a gallon to high at 12 MPG on my truck. We each must make a choice when it is too much. Last week I filled up for under $20 as the tank was half full. I haven't done that in a long, long time.