I think we need a poll...

...or maybe we need a pole.

You're in Indiana now?

No, we just need to kill off the speculators that are driving this stupid oil bubble. Yes, the same people that caused a real estate panic and the current "food shortages" through greed and hype are the same assholes that are keeping gas prices high.

Thankfully, it won't last.

...not that gas will not go up in the future, but this current spike is ludicrous.

An American who grew up with a Mom and 2 older sisters who thought you weren't really driving unless you hit something once a week.
I drove for about 6 months when i first moved from NJ to CA. Kept my hands at 10 and 2 ALL THE TIME and was drenched with sweat every time. When the car died in the middle of the 5 freeway one night, I just sold it for scrap after it was towed home and went back to walking and buses and have been happy ever since. :-)

Yes. Rural Indiana.

Rural Indiana riding a bicycle.

Rural Indiana riding a bicycle to work and back.

Rural Indiana riding a bicycle to work and back enjoying the cold weather.

Step it up a notch Sheldonrs and try riding a bike! :)

At least then you'd have an excuse for wearing spandex.

>$80 fill up last night.

owie.

My Avalanche costs about $80 to fill from empty. 31 gallons.

It's nothing next to my Peterbilt, which cost $643 last night for 151.6 gallons.

Brian

Okay I know I am privileged.
My "commute" to work is approx 3 minutes walk, including locking my door behind me and unlocking the office door/ sorting out the alarm if I am the first in.

And my "commute" to my weekend and evening job is approx 10 minutes walk, and that takes into account the fact the pub clock is set 5 minutes fast (lord knows why, we don't exactly adhere to licensing hours!)

BUT I have turned down HM's offer to get onto his car insurance. Why? Because I am inherently lazy. Rather than the 1/2 mile walk to the (local) big supermarket and struggling back with bags over the overpass I'd drive. Rather than a 5 hour trip back from my parents thanks to engineering works I'd drive. Rather than waiting for HM to pick up my Great Aunt's ancient portable TV for my bedroom I'd have it this week - I'd drive.

I don't judge people who drive, but I would suggest they (you) think - could I do this on foot, no matter how much of a pain it would be?

I don't do pain.

I don't make it thru a week on a 20 gallon fill-up. (ridiculously small tank in my gas guzzling monster of a car)

The only places that I could realistically/safely walk (even if I didn't have to drag my 2 kids along everyfrikkinwhere I go) would be the post office and the hardware store. I did walk to the hardware store a couple days ago, but generally I just stop in on my way to somewhere else instead of making a special trip.
If we had public transportation I would at least give it a try, if only to have the kids experience it (I keep saying Im gonna take them on the train to Philly but haven't done it yet).

How bizarre to use soccer moms as an example of ill-planned fuel consumers -especially while in the same breath giving an example of how they save fuel by combining journeys.

Execs who refuse to carpool because they all want to be in the driving seat would be a better example of car-centric poor planners with hectic lives. I've also noticed that single people with no kids are likely to waste gas through poor planning leading to multiple journies. Perhaps because they have nothing better to do with their time and money. Once they "settle down" with a partner and kids they're like reformed smokers, so you get to hear at length just how bad they were before.

Parents of kids with hectic schedules are generally excellent at carpooling -filling all available seats- and so making the most of the gas, and at planning journeys so they stop at the market and the liquor store as they pass them.

I was just looking at mopeds but they won't get you to Philly.

So, here's my idea.

Someone has to line up all the national gas companies on a spread-sheet and see which has maintained the lowest cost for gas over the last 6 months. Whatever company has the lowest cost for gas (even if it's only .99 of a penny) that's the only company we buy gas from.

This will hopefully be noticed by the other competitive companies out there and force them to lower their prices. And after a month we switch to whoever had the best price for the previous 6 months.