Friday, October 31, 2008The Way We Was...
...is the way we shouldn't be.
So gas here in Tulsa has finally dropped back below $2.00/gallon. Rumor has it that gas may get down to $1.70 or so before bottoming out.
Is that really a good thing? Most people would say 'Yes, what kind of dumbass question is that'. But I, and I am not alone, contend that cheaper gas is not really a positive for our economy and national security.
Don't get me wrong, I hate paying $40 to fill up my Malibu's small 11 gallon tank. It must really suck for others who have 20+ gallon tanks. Though those people can usually afford it, otherwise why would they own an 11MPG SUV? *snicker*
High gas prices have gotten Americans to do something that I, in my entire life, have never seen us do. Conserve. We as a group have actually made changes in our lives - most of them I will contend are positive - to keep our gas bills down. Now though we may end up going back to the way we were before; which of course will drive gas back up to $3.50-$4.00.
Of course by then it will be President Obama's fault. But I digress.
It would be really nice to see people continue to conserve, keeping down the price of oil and gas, and by proxy reducing our dependence on foreign oil. That combined with more domestic exploration would help us keep our economy less dependent on countries that could very easily be our enemy in the future (see Venezuela).
But with that we need the government to enact policies in support of our new lifestyle. Mass transit in the country is pitiful. Tulsa leaves many areas without any options that do not involve driving at all. This is very disturbing to someone like me who is not to interested in walking three miles each day; especially considering the lack of sidewalks in south Tulsa (if you want me to rant on sidewalks and the narrowness of the streets here, I'd be happy to).
We need better alternatives to driving for interstate (and intrastate, but to be honest I believe that's a state by state issue) travel. Amtrak is hemorrhaging money, but I really think that's because it really doesn't go anywhere, nor offer any real ability to go from one place to the other efficiently. I'd love to have the ability to go via Amtrak from here to Springfield.
Alternative fuels like Hydrogen won't be around for a while. CNG is an option, but until every corner station sells it, we won't see CNG cars mass produced like gas cars. As well, natural gas is a finite resource (as far as we know), so it could eventually run low and drive up prices. Gas from food? Maybe. But some people, myself included, have concerns that taking staples from the food supply and placing it into the fuel supply will hurt the cost of food. How true is this? I don't know. But it's certainly something to take into consideration. I'd also question how cheap electric cars are when you take into account the landfill space (or recycling costs) for all those toxic batteries, and the extra money you will be paying on your electric bill to charge your car. Plus fully electric cars (the ones that are not just modified golf carts that I have a hard time believing passed any sort of crash test without a massive bribe) are expensive.
An exception appears to be the Chevy Volt. Allegedly, the Volt will be reasonably priced, in the mid 20's, but it's not fully electric unless you travel less than 40 miles. However that should be far enough for most people. It will be interesting to see what the actual MSRP is when it comes out in 2010. As well, unlike 99% of the fully electric cars out there, the Volt actually looks like a car.
Yeah, aesthetics are important, just like functionality.
In summary, I hope people will stop and think about how we got to $4 a gallon for gas and not listen to those who would claim Exxon's profits and George Bush's oil connections have everything to do with it. I hope that people will continue to conserve, will continue to drive reasonably, and will push their elected governments to implement programs to encourage less vehicle use, like light rail, bus service and intra/interstate train service.
If not, then when gas goes back to $4/gallon, I will happily tell you to STFU.
So gas here in Tulsa has finally dropped back below $2.00/gallon. Rumor has it that gas may get down to $1.70 or so before bottoming out.
Is that really a good thing? Most people would say 'Yes, what kind of dumbass question is that'. But I, and I am not alone, contend that cheaper gas is not really a positive for our economy and national security.
Don't get me wrong, I hate paying $40 to fill up my Malibu's small 11 gallon tank. It must really suck for others who have 20+ gallon tanks. Though those people can usually afford it, otherwise why would they own an 11MPG SUV? *snicker*
High gas prices have gotten Americans to do something that I, in my entire life, have never seen us do. Conserve. We as a group have actually made changes in our lives - most of them I will contend are positive - to keep our gas bills down. Now though we may end up going back to the way we were before; which of course will drive gas back up to $3.50-$4.00.
Of course by then it will be President Obama's fault. But I digress.
It would be really nice to see people continue to conserve, keeping down the price of oil and gas, and by proxy reducing our dependence on foreign oil. That combined with more domestic exploration would help us keep our economy less dependent on countries that could very easily be our enemy in the future (see Venezuela).
But with that we need the government to enact policies in support of our new lifestyle. Mass transit in the country is pitiful. Tulsa leaves many areas without any options that do not involve driving at all. This is very disturbing to someone like me who is not to interested in walking three miles each day; especially considering the lack of sidewalks in south Tulsa (if you want me to rant on sidewalks and the narrowness of the streets here, I'd be happy to).
We need better alternatives to driving for interstate (and intrastate, but to be honest I believe that's a state by state issue) travel. Amtrak is hemorrhaging money, but I really think that's because it really doesn't go anywhere, nor offer any real ability to go from one place to the other efficiently. I'd love to have the ability to go via Amtrak from here to Springfield.
Alternative fuels like Hydrogen won't be around for a while. CNG is an option, but until every corner station sells it, we won't see CNG cars mass produced like gas cars. As well, natural gas is a finite resource (as far as we know), so it could eventually run low and drive up prices. Gas from food? Maybe. But some people, myself included, have concerns that taking staples from the food supply and placing it into the fuel supply will hurt the cost of food. How true is this? I don't know. But it's certainly something to take into consideration. I'd also question how cheap electric cars are when you take into account the landfill space (or recycling costs) for all those toxic batteries, and the extra money you will be paying on your electric bill to charge your car. Plus fully electric cars (the ones that are not just modified golf carts that I have a hard time believing passed any sort of crash test without a massive bribe) are expensive.
An exception appears to be the Chevy Volt. Allegedly, the Volt will be reasonably priced, in the mid 20's, but it's not fully electric unless you travel less than 40 miles. However that should be far enough for most people. It will be interesting to see what the actual MSRP is when it comes out in 2010. As well, unlike 99% of the fully electric cars out there, the Volt actually looks like a car.
Yeah, aesthetics are important, just like functionality.
In summary, I hope people will stop and think about how we got to $4 a gallon for gas and not listen to those who would claim Exxon's profits and George Bush's oil connections have everything to do with it. I hope that people will continue to conserve, will continue to drive reasonably, and will push their elected governments to implement programs to encourage less vehicle use, like light rail, bus service and intra/interstate train service.
If not, then when gas goes back to $4/gallon, I will happily tell you to STFU.
posted by ewink at 8:12 PM
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