Quite frankly, I think we should scrap all the oil/coal power plants and replace them with something, anything that doesn't require oil. it wouldn't solve the problem, sure, but it would at least help.

on another note, I don't know where you guys are living in America, but Holmen, my home town, is a tiny little place that just bearly pushed past one thousand residents. I'd call you lazy if you couldn't walk to the grocery store, the gas station, the bar, the other bar, the third bar, the forth bar, or the pizzaria or pizza corale, or to school. it was a great stress reliever on my mom, if I ever missed the bus, I just walked. sucked in the winter though....

Portrait - Lived there for 15 years. Also, the rail system in America already IS extensive. It was the primary transport system for decades until the automobile. Almost every town in America has a rail system thats hooked to the nation grid. With proper investment America could have a system that parallels Europe's, again.

Blackwater - NBC is reporting that in the past 3 months rail travel passengers in America have increased 35% and bus travelers have increaed by about the same amount. They say by next year there will be close to double the number of average travelers on both systems. In fact, most municipalities are having to increase their bus schedules now due to overcrowding on morning and afternoon commute lines.

Line - That is a balls now isn't it? The same problem is found in most major cities. I lived in Richmond, VA for a while and they also had this problem. The area where all the clubs are located is called Shockoe Bottom, but the sidewalks end before you get there. To get there you have to take a car on the interstate and get off an exit OR walk across a bridge with no sidewalk (which is very busy) and through an inner city neighborhood that has high gun violence (and also has no sidewalk). This meant anyone working or going out to a club has to drive or get a taxi. Even though there is a college along with ample apartments no more than a 10 minute walk away, the place is still only accessible via automobile only.

Molly - CNN and NBC both said consumption had dropped, but only slightly. Of course that is the first time in American hisotry since they started keeping track of consumption that the rate had decreased instead of increased. It's a start at least.

Kontan - The day is fast approaching when everyone in America will have to find a job they can walk to. It's going to change the nation. In the end it will be for the better, of course, people are going to have to get used to America like it was in the early 1900's - living in one place for life and only the rich will be able to hop coast to coast on a whim.

Actually, if there's alternative fuels being released, such as the water powered cars, I could see even the low middle class being able to travel long distances. Electric trains, water powered trains, water fueled cars that can reach speeds of 80 miles an hour...

It can be done. But the rich, well... I guess in some way, they're going to have to give a little for it to happen. :-/

We had a hydrogen powered model-car thing to look at in chemistry...

It kinda went so slow it was nearly going backwards, and looked like a 1980's time travel machine gone low budget....

Slightly miffed, *flies nuclear flag*

Sternn- I couldn't find anything definate- was that an over all drop (inclusing corporation) or household/individual drop?

While I don’t like or support Bush in anyway (the man should never stray from his cue cards) I am quite sick of him being the skate goat for the oil and economy crisis. The man can’t speak coherent English and people still choose to believe the man is capable of fucking up so badly. I once was watching a ventriloquist and he asked his puppet ‘there must be a few good jobs left for puppets?’ to which the puppet answered ‘yeah, but the president got it.’ The true blame I believe rides on the American consumer and the responsibility they have to buy efficient cars or carpool. If it cost you 12$ to get to and from work each day that would be cut in haft if you would drive a coworker, or if you bought a car that was 10-15 miles to the gallon more efficient (depending on the car you drive now) it would only cost 7-8$. Grow a garden, I have a vegetable patch that I weed every night, and the pick from in the morning and I’ll save hundreds of dollars this summer. Or even better BUY LOCAL, in my area I buy my meat dairy and bread within 15 miles of where I live at a farmers market, you can even find organic eggs for a few dollars less a dozen then at super markets. The population is lazy, and this is a normal Economic down turn to which people will adapt and learn how cope with the differences. Gas isn’t going down anytime soon, and prices aren’t going down, the option is to change the way you live, and I don’t mean not going to Florida this year, I mean seeing their economic means and living within them.

http://www.google.ie/search?q=americ...L_enIE212IE212

A free market works!

People are ditching their SUVs and large trucks for more compact cars! Imagine that, no govt influence or stupid laws.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...vs-820373.html

I myself only own one gas guzzler and that's because she's a sexy 60's classic. I don't drive it more than once or twice a week. It gets about 9mpg if I'm lucky. My other two cars get around 25mpg and my bikes get between 40-65mpg.

Another thing. Gas was around 2.90 4 years ago, now with a majority of dems in the congress and senate it's up around 4 bucks. Another thing to note is that neither side wants a comprimise. Not even a 1/2 and 1/2 thing.

The free market works all right, even in unexpected ways (for me).
I now get to work from home Mondays and Fridays, so I only commute three days a week, two weeks a month! (The other two weeks are driven by my carpool buddy.)

From 20+ days of driving a month down to six, thanks to carpooling and telecommuting. I'm almost glad gas prices went up! J/K!

I want to work from home so I don't ever have to drive except for errands and emergencies.

One problem.

Even starting at four years, there wasn't a democratic majority until the 2006 election. Considering this is 2008, that's only two years ago. Therefore the trend must have started before democrats were in power.

In fact, taking a look at the charts reveals that gas has been in a continual climb for six years from $1.30 USD / Gallon (2002-2003ish) { Source Set the location to USA Average, select "6 Years"}. From 2003-2007, the majority party was the Republicans { Source } in the 108th and 109th congresses.

So your point was what, again?

"So your point was what, again?"

That both parties aren't doing anything, and haven't been doing anything for ages. And for people like you to say or insinuate that it's all one parties doing is ignorant and short sighted. Also, if any one side had a decent enough idea or actually wanted to accomplish anything other than bickering and trying to stick to their bases they could accomplish something in a matter of days. Sometimes you just have to quit talking and do it.

Where exactly did I insinuate that this was anyone's fault? All I said is that the trend had to have started before the democrats were in currently in power.

You're the one insinuating more then I.

Otherwise I agree with you.

You know, that parenthetical interjection reminded me of something. One of the reasons I can't trust capitalism is that: the unexpected ways which aren't random at all - the proverbial Invisible Hand.
How free is free enterprise when even Adam Smith called the Invisible Hand the important factor in capitalist economics? It is less egalitarian and becomes just as authoritarian as statist socialism; the only difference is we bow not to another human, but to an incorporeal phenomenon.

Actually, you are bowing to another human. Technically, you're enabling the dreams of a single person, in a way saying yourself that their aspirations are greater than yours.

Yep and it's only gonna get worse.