US Addictions: Gasoline and Spending May 2, 2006
The USA is addicted. Addicted to gas and addicted to spending (i.e. not saving), and we are not making any sacrifices to fix these addictions. Last week’s story from the NY times on gas prices going up raised an eyebrow for me for one reason. So far, the $3 per gallon price has not persuaded many commuters to change their behavior. According to the article, there has been no increase in registration for a program that arranges carpools and vanpools for the county that includes Seattle and Bellevue. What are people are waiting for? At what price does gas have to be in order for people to start changing their habits? For all the anger and talk about “rediculous” gas prices and the fall of consumer oriented businesses, Americans aren’t sacrificing their bad habits.
This reminds me of Americans not sacrificing to save money for emergency funds thinking that there are other ways to get money, either by taking out more loans or tapping home equity to pay for emergencies. There’s no need to wait for hybrid cars to be more mainstream, for fuel cells or a new government fuel economy mandate when we can drive less, trade down to a more fuel efficient car, or carpool. We have the means to reduce our gasoline consumption NOW without expensive technology. We also have the means to adjust our standard of living without much sacrifice. When we realize that the World’s oil is tapped or our home equity is tapped, we won’t have the luxury of making more. Can we kick our bad habits??
Source:
As Gas Prices Go Up, Impact Trickles Down
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: April 30, 2006