Being led by a lame-duck president whose best idea is to drill the miniscule 1,000,000 barrels of oil under the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (by the way, 1,000,000 barrels of oil was used in the Twin Cities in the time it took me to write this 
first sentence), a guy has to wonder what could be done to conserve energy is the mast energy hungry country in the entire world.
Would you willingly commit to a four-day workweek if the tradeoff meant working 10-hour days? If so, it would weed out an entire day of commuting and alot of offices could shut down for an extra day each week saving on electricity to run all of those computers and lights and air conditioners. Sure, it's a nice thought but if anything, we are heading towards a 7 day work week so you can dream about four but it's only a dream. As for that extra day tacked on to the weekend, it would only lead to Americans using more gas to tool around onthe weekends. Scratch this one.
Would you give up your SUVs? Think about it, at one time in our past, we survived with only sedans and station wagons, why have SUVs (which rarely get used for either the 'S' or the 'U') become both so dominant and hated yet deemed as a necessity? Do we need to pack for a two week trip for a day at the beach? DO you ever actually use all that shit you pack in the cargo area of the Trailblazer? Wouldn't the same stuff all fit in the trunk of a Mazda6? Alright, SUVs can actually carry plenty of stuff but modern station wagons have fold flat seats which equal the same amount of cargo space. Justify your SUV and I'll admit defeat on this one.
How about a government-funded incentive to encourage the installation of solar panels on the roofs of our McMansions? Why not? Hell, our government borrowed a few billion dollars from China to stimulate our economy tot he tune of $600 per taxpayer; what's another $1,000 per household if this money actually solved something? Sure, it's not a 100% fix but at this point, realistically, I don't think there is and there won't be until our nation's elected officials realize that they are paid and elected to represent the citizens and not the businesses/persons who give them gifts.
We had our first wake-up call about an impending energy crunch 30 years ago and what has happened in those 30 years? More sprawl as too many want to live on five acres in a 4,000 sq. ft. home while still working in a thriving metropolitan downtown whcih pays for that extravagant home 40-50 miles away. I've accepted the fact that it won't change because, as a country, our drive to innovate and solve problems died 40-plus years ago.
Thus ends my one slightly political statement for the month. Am I way off base or am I eerily dead on?
first sentence), a guy has to wonder what could be done to conserve energy is the mast energy hungry country in the entire world.Would you willingly commit to a four-day workweek if the tradeoff meant working 10-hour days? If so, it would weed out an entire day of commuting and alot of offices could shut down for an extra day each week saving on electricity to run all of those computers and lights and air conditioners. Sure, it's a nice thought but if anything, we are heading towards a 7 day work week so you can dream about four but it's only a dream. As for that extra day tacked on to the weekend, it would only lead to Americans using more gas to tool around onthe weekends. Scratch this one.
Would you give up your SUVs? Think about it, at one time in our past, we survived with only sedans and station wagons, why have SUVs (which rarely get used for either the 'S' or the 'U') become both so dominant and hated yet deemed as a necessity? Do we need to pack for a two week trip for a day at the beach? DO you ever actually use all that shit you pack in the cargo area of the Trailblazer? Wouldn't the same stuff all fit in the trunk of a Mazda6? Alright, SUVs can actually carry plenty of stuff but modern station wagons have fold flat seats which equal the same amount of cargo space. Justify your SUV and I'll admit defeat on this one.
How about a government-funded incentive to encourage the installation of solar panels on the roofs of our McMansions? Why not? Hell, our government borrowed a few billion dollars from China to stimulate our economy tot he tune of $600 per taxpayer; what's another $1,000 per household if this money actually solved something? Sure, it's not a 100% fix but at this point, realistically, I don't think there is and there won't be until our nation's elected officials realize that they are paid and elected to represent the citizens and not the businesses/persons who give them gifts.
We had our first wake-up call about an impending energy crunch 30 years ago and what has happened in those 30 years? More sprawl as too many want to live on five acres in a 4,000 sq. ft. home while still working in a thriving metropolitan downtown whcih pays for that extravagant home 40-50 miles away. I've accepted the fact that it won't change because, as a country, our drive to innovate and solve problems died 40-plus years ago.
Thus ends my one slightly political statement for the month. Am I way off base or am I eerily dead on?
8 comments:
"Justify your SUV and I'll admit defeat on this one."
This isn't justification, so you're still undefeated, but I'd bet the ride (and cabin comfort) sell a lot of SUV's. Do 600 miles in a day in one of the lightweight plastic roller skates being built now,and you're crippled at the end of the day. Do it in a SUV, and you're only tired.
"More sprawl as too many want to live on five acres in a 4,000 sq. ft. home "
I hear more and more around the blogs, as tho working your ass off for a piece of the American Dream is suddenly a sin. Let's skip Class Envy,ok?
Take a look at that damn monster mall you have up there. Find out how many barrels of oil that thing burns a day, then come back and talk to me about SUV's. If that was your only mall, then I'd say fine. But it isn't. There's a mall on every street corner in every major city, and every one's lit up like a Hong Kong whore house! (If you've never been to Hong Kong, there's no mistaking where you can get nooky:)
If I were to say one thing in defensive of SUV's it would be this:
They have became a convenient political target, and even more convenient distraction from the real issues.
Obligatory Disclaimer: I drive a 2005 Toyota RAV4 which is called a SUV, but more closely resembles a cracker box. With crackers in it. If it's space you want, that isn't your car.
The one thing I do know about the Mall of America is that it has no heating system. They rely, believe it or not, on passive body heat and the building's skylights but do run the A/C all year to counteract the body heat from shoppers. As for class envy, I am definitely not a part of it because I am guilty myself of commuting 30 miles so I can live in my 2,100 sq ft pre-1900 house outside of the city.
I don't think there's any justification for most of the people driving SUV's. It's usually just a mom hauling kids around or one man. I drive a Honda Element. I think it is also classified as an SUV. It was just the most utilitarian vehicle I could find to meet my needs but I could make anything work for me and have most of my life.
Years ago when I was a kid and hearing things that concerned me about the environment I asked my father about it. He told me not to worry that the government would not let anything get that bad. If he were alive I'm sure he would be thoroughly disgusted in the way things have gone.
Hey Sornie-
I do the SUV thing, but in all fairness, I commute a full 3 miles round trip daily, so I figure it's a draw. Also, after loading the munchkin in and out of the backseat of your 2 door, making the switch to a taller, more comfy vehicle will save you from a disability-inducing back injury. Trust me, I know about back pain from hauling around screaming kicking crying biting ...angels?
Leah, you are an exception to my rule and as I said, I'll admit defeat, however I don't see yours as an SUV. My gripe is the woman driving next to me in her Chevy Yukon with a toddler strapped in the back seat while she commutes as far as I do daily. ANd what's up with the biting, are you raising a vampire-intraining?
My house doesn't have the rich history yours does, but I gotcha beat by 18 sq. ft.:)
I neglected to mention also, that especially in your neck of the woods, you need a SUV or 4wd pickup to handle the winters. When I still lived in Michigan, I had a 4wd truck, and I bought my wife a Pontiac Sunbird. It was a nice car. But you could only drive it six months out of the year, safely. And I meant the class envy in a general sense, not to you personally. My Bad writing....(: I am hereby checking myself into a Lasagna treatment center...:)
Believe it or not, we've never had any winter driving problems here in MN. My Grand Prix has handled winters for 9 years and the wife's Toyota Solara has done fine for 4.
I say screw the 4 day workweek and telecommute as much as possible. I can do everything I do at the office in the comfort of my own home...and save in gas, etc in the process
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