Renault Serbia

Should America Find Ways To Cut Cost Of Living?

I think that if we had more passenger trains, fast trans America trains like the Eurocar in Europe and a lot more Trams everywhere in America, we could cut our gas expence down by 80%. If we had more solar panels we would cut down another chunk on light and gas, if food service workers owned the franchises they would be better off. Saving would certinely save the people.

Public Comments

1. We need to stop the central heating.
2. Public transportation would be a good start, although I don't know where you get your statistics.
3. go back to the old way of living. we live a life of consumption and cry about global warming...... the more we want the more the factories will work and the more oil and more of everything..... !!
4. No we need to drill more oil and build more refineries. To do that, we need to vote out all the eco-sympathizers in government and get people in who are actually intelligent.
5. We are being forced to do this. Since I graduated from college, I've been cutting out extras steadily. I've even cut what used to be necessities and are still promoted as necessities. (clothing, health care, etc.) Globalization is the main culprit and we need our government to cancel NAFTA and the WTO. We have to be environmentally aware. It's important for the future. We know better than our ancestors of what happens. We need to band together to stomp out the corruption that has taken over our government. That is very expensive. It's everywhere. We should stop it at the top and work our way down. edit: New development should encourage walkways and we should do more to get people walking. Right now, cars are favored over pedestrians. That needs to change! I like walking more than driving. I'd love to ride my bike to more places. Cars stop me because I value my life. Most of the drivers are too distracted. I don't trust any of them.
6. Once Eisenhower decided to build the Interstate Highway System he sent us down a path that we will likely never stray from: The train systems of Europe are all paid for by tax dollars just like our highways were... To go to a train based system here now would mean starting from scratch and re-taxing everybody again... something that is not likely to get tax-payer approval I believe... We would cut personal gas expenses, but increase the fees we pay to ride these systems... for some people that might work out as a better deal, but others will fear that it will actually increase their living expenses... And food service workers would not increase quality by being the owners - there's too much turnover amongst that group of employees - I would feel better knowing the owner of the franchise is someone whose permanent living depended on maintaining quality...
7. It would help larger population centers. Not the rural areas. Plus, where do you get the money to build these forms of transportation? Electricity is 70% coal generated. Check with the department of energy. Nice emissions. At this point in time, alternative fuels for motor vehicles is our best alternative. It's financially viable, for the first time. We've had the majority of this technology for decades. I remember viable electric cars during the seventies. Now, the public is interested in BUYING these cars. Instead of viewing them as a curiosity. Americans love their cars. It's been a part of our society since the 1890s. We have a deep rooted need for mobility. You've talked about cutting oil dependence, not necessarily the cost of living. hence my answer. Cutting our cost of living would mean not being so self interested. Do you think it's called the "Me" generation for giggles? As a nation, we consume the vast majority of the worlds resources. It's the land of plenty, remember? No one figured on the cost of this mass consumption. Just the profits. And that's you answer. Profits. As long as big money can make their profits, we will be spoon-fed what we think we need. Look at advertising. Do you honestly need a #$%^ car to feel sexy? My wife does that, not my car! Do commuters need a 10,000 pound payload capacity pickup truck, to take their 1 butt to work? Is it that big? Go on a diet! Do we really need a monster SUV, with 44 inch wheels? It's the "mine's bigger" mentality. I think people are too selfish, in general, to care. As long as you don't upset their lives directly, they don't care. The only reason we're doing anything with alternative energies, is because we no longer control the price of oil. The oil companies were de-regulated. That's why the price shot up. Not the "shortage" of oil. We have enough to last 3 generations. And that's before it becomes noticable. Go back to the department of energy. Read carefully. Once you get around the double talk, it becomes clearer. If you cut the cost of living, have the oil companies cut the cost of diesel fuel. Name me one product that is NOT shipped in a tractor trailer. If oil is so scarce, and costs so much, how can the oil companies post phenominal record profits? It's called " what the market will bear". Plain and simple. When we get together and tell them "enough is enough" it will change. Until the whole country is unified in this, NOTHING will change.
8. A guy on the radio the other day said that in Europe cars are used for 78% of trips and in the U.S., with our inferior public transport system the number is 82%. Not a big difference. Also, he pointed out that public transportation systems are only more economical when operating at a certain capacity. Not when it's empty on its return trip, or the relatively empty weekend and mid-day rides. Add it all up and the cars are actually more efficient. Look around. America has lowered the cost of living exponentially in the last couple hundred years and it keeps getting cheaper. Now it's easy to pay for the basics like food, clothing and shelter. So much easier that most of us can also afford the luxuries of cars, travel, cell phones, over the counter medications, cable TV, Internet access, computers, Guitar Hero, daily lattes and Britney-watch.