by Beery1 » Thu 16 May 2013, 12:59:27
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SeaGypsy', 'S')uckers like the providers of all those services? Should they prefer to go out of business if they can't 'do it on a bike'? (Just askin')

If they can make a profit while buying gasoline and passing the costs on to consumers, that's fine - for now.
However, no one is making a profit by buying gasoline at a gas station and then burning it to get to and from work. That is stupid. It was stupid 35 years ago when I decided not to get caught in that money sink, and it's even more stupid now. And the stupidity of it will continue to rise exponentially.
I realize that I'm saying that many people here have shackled themselves to the stupid wagon, and I realize that the message is not gonna be well received by many, but that doesn't make it any less true.
And as for those companies that use gasoline to make a profit - their time is getting short too. They'd better have a back-up plan for when oil gets so expensive (or the economy makes it so even at today's prices) that no one can afford their product anymore.
Gasoline powered vehicles are a drain on every motorist's resources. The average car costs nearly $10,000 per year to operate (
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf ... ership.asp). According to the AAA:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 't')he average person spends $9,641 per year for the privilege of driving. Keep in mind that these estimated costs are based on an average gasoline cost of $2.256 per gallon.
As we all know well, gasoline is no longer $2.25 a gallon.
So anyway, that's effectively an extra $10,000 per year in my paycheck - $10,000 that a motorist earning the same salary is burning - literally - and getting nothing useful for it.
And all a person needs to do to stop burning that $10,000 is to choose to live within 10 miles (or better 5 miles - better still 2 miles, as I do) of work and amenities, and then sell that money burner.
And for those who can't move closer to work because of family commitments, lack of funds or whatever, well okay, maybe you have a good excuse. But it's an 'excuse', not a 'reason'. the question is, when things get tight, will that excuse be good enough? Because things might get real bad quite soon, and when that happens your car will be a liability, you can count on that. And if you're in the exurbs and you don't have alternative modes of transportation, you will be up shit creek, almost literally without a paddle.
If burning $10,000 per year makes any sense at all to anyone now, it soon won't. Gasoline may get you places, but it is not your friend, nor is your car. When peak oil really makes itself plain, your over-reliance on these things will bite you and every other motorist in the butt.