Date:         Mon, 10 Sep 2007 09:05:32 -0600
Reply-To:     vanagonvw <vanagonvw@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         vanagonvw <vanagonvw@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: 50 worst cars, and the vanagon isn't one of them
In-Reply-To:  <46e4b158.1d35640a.72f9.fffff959@mx.google.com>
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Joy Hecht wrote:
> :::
> :::It's decent miles for it's time.
>
> Perhaps.  But not for our times, if we want there to be polar bears or coral
> reefs in twenty years.
>
> :::It's the gas prices that are obscene!!  :)
>
> Yes, not high enough to keep us from driving.


Joy,

If you are one who thinks we can alter our society's habits by simply
driving the costs higher and higher, then you are not paying attention,
because by the time you force the Hummer and massive SUV owners to
change their driving styles at $9 and $10 a gallon, you will have
already killed off millions of low income people who only want to get to
work, and maybe drive the family to a campground now and then.

Nothing personal mind you, but I am quite sick of reading about how 'if
only we charged $10 a gallon, that would solve the problem.' All that
does, is take away the ability of millions to get around, while the well
to do, and filthy rich, could care less how much it costs.

If you got an issue with polar bears and coral reefs, and you equate
them to driving automobiles, why do you drive your van? Will you quit
driving your van on behalf of the earth, or will you just be happy to
pay more, to appease your conscience somehow, like so many of the rich
who think they are helping the problem, by purchasing "carbon credits?"
Does it hurt the polar bears any less, if people pay twice as much for
gasoline? There is no logic in that position. How do you justify taking
the approach that since cars are bad, only the very rich should be able
to drive them? If cars are bad, cars need to go away, across the board.

If folks are convinced that cars are killing us, which I am not, then
given the fact that being mobile is such an important part of ALL of our
lives, then its time to ration gas, which will insure that even those
who are not so well off can at least afford to go to work, and drive to
the grocery store. A mom with four kids, can't get by on a bicycle when
she buys food for a week. How come you only want rich people to be able
to afford to drive to the store and get food?

Pick some random numbers to show the point. $2 a gallon for the first
fifty gallons a month, and $10 a gallon if you want more than that. At
least then, everyone has a chance to drive to work, and maybe take the
family on a drive once in a while.

You are hearing from someone who has not  had a vacation in years, due
to gas prices, who cannot justify repairing his beloved van, due to high
gas prices, and who is extremely limited in a job search, due to
distance, and gas prices, so expect no sympathy from me when it comes to
the attitude that if we just make it more expensive, that will solve the
problem.

They raised the cost of water in my city almost 200% afew years ago,  in
order to get people to conserve that precious resource, so I had to let
my grass die, and the yard has looked like shit for years now.  The rich
people across town, keep watering, and wasting the water, but their
yards look wonderful, so the societal solution to waste is to take it
away from most people who cannot afford it, but allow the rich and well
off, to have as much as they want? Bah, humbug.

When it comes to things that are of great import in our lives, I think
that idea of destroying the poor, and letting the rich have all they
want, because they can afford it, even tho its still bad, pretty well
sucks.

John