Fewer poor people with polluting clunkers on the road.
More people will be taking public transportation to get around, more buses will be built, more money put into public transportation.
Really poor people will be forced to walk or take a bike and promote fitness.
Less smog.
Less traffic.
Less SUVs on the road.
Traffic will move much quicker with fewer people on the road.
Bad news for the oil companies.
Less reliance on foreign oil.

 

Is any of this really true? Everyone complains and bítches about higher gas prices, but they all just keep on truckin' regardless. I don't know anyone who has altered their driving habits because the price of gas went up a bit. The 101 is still as congested as ever. I actually thought today's commute was even worse than normal.

 

I honestly see less SUVs around my commute.

Also, a poor family that lives several houses away are now walking their kids to school.

They could use the walk since the mother and her child are quite fat.

 

Thats some fu*ked up sh*t

 

You're right. They should stay fat so the mom can get a heart attack by age 40 and the kid get diabetes on her 10th birthday.

 

^^^^^ Dats sum cold shyt

 

well i celebrate high gas prices for a different reason: it promotes research into different types of energy. More research is going into hybrids, plug in hybrids, better fuel efficieny. all better for the environment

I dont see high prices as a bad thing for gas companies. instead their profits have been going up tremendously year after year.

At the same time i realize that it puts families with low incomes in a crunch which sucks. I hope though it teaches them to be more conservative which is a lesson EVERYONE should learn instead of being so wasteful.

 

 

Actually that's not true. If you study economics, you'd know that raising and setting prices incorporates the preservation of profits, especially for commodities that have relatively inelastic demand. If anything, due to how prices are more sensative to negative supply shocks than positive, their profits will increase. The only way to hurt oil companies is to drastically cut demand and/or increase competition, neither of which is likely. Demand will drop, yes, but not by enough to hurt the oil companies. Every liberal hippie politician and shock and awe news reporter is ignorant to how REAL business and economics work.

Actually, doing things like increasing the oil supply, increasing demand and consumption, and this lowering prices will hurt profits, as it will drive competition.

Besides, the real consumers of oil in this country come from the upper middle classes, providing both fuel for personal AND the oil intensive commercial sectors. But price shocks do have a greater effect on the poor than the rich. However, in this country, the poor makes up a small percentage, as the population here is DOMINATED by the middle class.

And because the middle class represents the majority of business in the US (small and medium enterprises), squeezing the middle with higher prices means that businesses owners will have to raise prices on goods, worsening the effect on the poor. Secondly, they will have to cut employees (which are in excess, as unemployment is at a record low).

The best short run solution? Lower all taxes, including fuel taxes, to preserve the economy.

 

This thread makes no sense whatsoever since the price of gas has dropped .08 in my area since Monday. ($3.31 a gallon here in Cen. Cali. now.) Plus; with Christmas right around the corner, you will see more traffic and congestion due to shoppers. Go figure.

 

Agreed! Don't forget holiday travelers! And considering that has prices around the world are much higher than ours, try they still are tons of cars, traffic, and congestion, this thread seems more like pining over something that's actually not that big of a deal. The biggest threat we really face is inflation, which is what the Fed is for. Now if we had has shortages (due to government price controls) like the 80's, then we might see a bigger impact.

 

And what does this have to do with tC's?

 

i drive less in the winter time so i save money by not spending it on gas

 

Actually the middle class is starting to disappear from the money choices they make. The rich are becoming a large grooup as well as the poor. Most likely within a decade or so the middle class won't be around much longer. Or maybe it could just be my area instead of nation wide. Price of living is a big issue with the lack of good paying jobs when you don't have a BS or BA degree or something higher. Inorder to get the degree you need to shell out at least $15k/year for an education and most people in my State can't afford that out of pocket, meaning loans (Financial aid is a joke to try and get) going in to debt for them, etc.etc.

Anyways... the middle class does seem to be shrinking while the other two increase in size.

 

\"The best short run solution? Lower all taxes, including fuel taxes, to preserve the economy.\"

You will have every liberal democrat pounding on your door. They want to raise taxes. Lazy people who feel that they are entitled to your money will always want higher taxes.


As for education, if you want it... you work for it. Tax payers already paid for 12 years of your grade school education so it\'s about time you picked up after your own expenses.

Besides, I think students with the best grades should get all the grants and assistance and those who get the worst grades be kicked out. We need to be a productive society where the ones who do WELL be REWARDED and PUNISH those who choose to fail.


Save taxes by ending this BS of welfare. Welfare or govt assistance for the poor is a big failure. Since its implementation, it has done nothing but increase the poor population, not reduce it.

 

 

 

 

 

^^^Then

Now:

Looks like he could use some exercise.