The summer of our discontent
As the price of gasoline in the U.S. pulls itself up to $4/gallon, and the realities of our poor housing, transport, and investment choices set in, I'm glad to see that we as a nation are slowly coming around. Mass transit ridership is up, the Hummer and its ilk are dying a much-welcomed death, and even the shill of the auto industry has made predictions about a decline in travel.
If one was, say, a presidential candidate, now might be a good time to make note of the unreality of our previous way of life, note the positives that higher gas prices can bring, and propose setting a floor on gas prices.
On second thought, one might be wise to keep this plan hush-hush until after one has obtained the office. Selling this plan while campaigning presupposes an electorate with enough brains to realize the benefits.
But what the government can't, or won't, accomplish, the market will, for better or for worse. I think the ratchet effect is in full swing. $3/gallon gas, we hardly knew you: $4 is here to stay. It's just a shame that we couldn't have realized this earlier, skimmed a bit off the top, and done a better job of preparing ourselves for a different way of life.
Comments
Can't really argue with this. I happen to be in a situation where the gas prices still don't really matter that much to me. Except how it affects the airlines. That's a bitch.
I fear for our country's options for long-distance travel. Airlines just weren't built to handle these kind of energy prices. All of the fees and stripping of amenities, not to mention the rise in ticket prices, are signs of an industry going through some major shrinkage.
Trains are actually now competitive in price, but the time they take still makes it an unattractive option for most people. We were actually going to take the train for our summer trip back home, but we managed to get a pair of cheap plane tickets ($350/person), probably due to the multi-city booking method we used (PIT to Madison, Fargo to PIT). I don't expect to get another deal like this again, especially when one of the termini is Fargo.
Driving, once all of the tolls, gas, hotel rooms, and food was factored in (not to mention the need to rent a car), was the most expensive of the bunch.
For some people, it's probably a good time to think about moving closer to the things you care about the most.