Comments on: The Price of Gasoline http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/ Archetypes and Personal Development - the only website make sense of them both Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:45:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Administrator http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3379 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:37:58 +0000 http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3379 Dear Mary Lou, Fascinating - and chilling! I had no idea that the interference was so direct! But it makes sense that this should have been the case. It reminds me of Juliet Schorr's statements about US education: she asserts that in real terms US grade school education has been consistently underfunded by every administration since 1945. No wonder we have citizens who can't think (and who therefore can't always vote sensibly when they reach the appropriate age). Instead we have good consumers, who believe what the advertisers tell them... Plenty of work ahead for us all, I think. Allan Dear Mary Lou,

Fascinating - and chilling! I had no idea that the interference was so direct! But it makes sense that this should have been the case.

It reminds me of Juliet Schorr’s statements about US education: she asserts that in real terms US grade school education has been consistently underfunded by every administration since 1945. No wonder we have citizens who can’t think (and who therefore can’t always vote sensibly when they reach the appropriate age). Instead we have good consumers, who believe what the advertisers tell them…

Plenty of work ahead for us all, I think.

Allan

]]> by: Mary Lou Shields http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3378 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:36:39 +0000 http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3378 In 1976, I helped edit "It's in Your Power" by Stuart Diamond and Paul Lorris, a book filled with practical tips for reducing energy use. At that time, I learned how Firestone, Ford, and Standard Oil cooperatively dismantled existing public transportation to create the need for their tires, cars and oil. By diverting federal subsidies away from public transport and into roads and highways, they promoted the private automobile as the symbol of personal freedom. Our national conversion built their corporations. What's at stake now is for people to understand how they bought into this dream . They discounted the trade-off. Senators, governors and mayors, all keepers of the public trust, bought the dream, too. To solve our energy problems, we must undo an elaborate uncoscious belief system which places us on the yellow brick road with Dorothy just before she met up with the Wizard. MLou In 1976, I helped edit “It’s in Your Power” by Stuart Diamond and Paul Lorris, a book filled with practical tips for reducing energy use.

At that time, I learned how Firestone, Ford, and Standard Oil cooperatively dismantled existing public transportation to create the need for their tires, cars and oil.

By diverting federal subsidies away from public transport and into roads and highways, they promoted the private automobile as the symbol of personal freedom.

Our national conversion built their corporations.

What’s at stake now is for people to understand how they bought into this dream . They discounted the trade-off. Senators, governors and mayors, all keepers of the public trust, bought the dream, too.

To solve our energy problems, we must undo an elaborate uncoscious belief system which places us on the yellow brick road with Dorothy just before she met up with the Wizard.
MLou

]]> by: Administrator http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3376 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:28:17 +0000 http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3376 Thank you for your vote of support, Marnie, and for your excellent insights into those who will be most hurt in the short term. It's always the less advantaged who suffer first, isn't it? Mind you, I thoroughly agree with a bit of sarcasm, contempt and scorn poured onto those still using Hummers and so on. Perhaps it's the only way to get them to wake up? Or has money insulated them so much they're beyond waking? Strangely enough I just watched the BBC America news tonight in which they covered the G8 summit that has agreed to limit greenhouse emissions by 2050, and in the next segment they showed the air pollution in Beijing, which is on two or more occasions each week as much as 7 times the limit suggested by the World Health Organization. And this is after the Chinese have temporarily shut down local factories and moved others in a desperate attempt to meet pollution levels for the Olympics. We may not have until 2050 before we need to address this problem.... As ever, Allan Thank you for your vote of support, Marnie, and for your excellent insights into those who will be most hurt in the short term. It’s always the less advantaged who suffer first, isn’t it? Mind you, I thoroughly agree with a bit of sarcasm, contempt and scorn poured onto those still using Hummers and so on. Perhaps it’s the only way to get them to wake up? Or has money insulated them so much they’re beyond waking?

Strangely enough I just watched the BBC America news tonight in which they covered the G8 summit that has agreed to limit greenhouse emissions by 2050, and in the next segment they showed the air pollution in Beijing, which is on two or more occasions each week as much as 7 times the limit suggested by the World Health Organization. And this is after the Chinese have temporarily shut down local factories and moved others in a desperate attempt to meet pollution levels for the Olympics. We may not have until 2050 before we need to address this problem….

As ever, Allan

]]> by: Marnie http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3375 Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:28:42 +0000 http://allanhunter.net/blog/2008/07/08/the-price-of-gasoline/#comment-3375 Here here! I look forward to the cost of gas doubling or more, and I hope it pushes us to be more creative in our thinking and to choose energy sources that are sustainable and do not make us reliant on other countries. To be fair, though, the hike in gas prices does disproportionally hurt the lower income who often cannot afford to buy newer, cleaner running vehicle and may not have an option to live near public transportation. I'm not sure there's an easy solution. I think the far reaching benefits will out weigh the short term pain but it does irk me that the folks with the most disposable income are least effected by their SUV driving. That said, I have given up flipping off the hummers I pass on the street (the very few left) and have taken to laughing at them. I hope they wince with each $100 tank of gas they put in their vehicle. Here here! I look forward to the cost of gas doubling or more, and I hope it pushes us to be more creative in our thinking and to choose energy sources that are sustainable and do not make us reliant on other countries.

To be fair, though, the hike in gas prices does disproportionally hurt the lower income who often cannot afford to buy newer, cleaner running vehicle and may not have an option to live near public transportation. I’m not sure there’s an easy solution. I think the far reaching benefits will out weigh the short term pain but it does irk me that the folks with the most disposable income are least effected by their SUV driving.

That said, I have given up flipping off the hummers I pass on the street (the very few left) and have taken to laughing at them. I hope they wince with each $100 tank of gas they put in their vehicle.

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