Hang 'em high

The following text is taken from Mr. Jon Gorey's opinion posted to GetMyVote a campaign being run by Talk of the Nation, an NPR program with some roots here in Philly. The website encourages listeners to write, tape, video their thought, their core beliefs and send them in. Initially conceived of as a way of collecting opinions for later broadcasts it is slowly becoming a cross section of well versed and diverse listeners - democrat, republican, and independents alike.

Check out TotN host Neal Conan "the barbarian" and his introduction below.



As a city dweller, and, supposably, a designer with green ideals, and a bike rider I find Mr Gorey's opinion appealing, although also a little extreme - but certainly appealing after dealing with the SUVs and sportscars riding in my bike lane this AM.

"Oil prices (keep 'em high!)

I am unabashedly liberal. People complain about paying taxes? Frankly I don't even think I pay enough. A little wage garnering in exchange for health care, education, and safer streets seems like a fair deal to me.

So something has irked me for awhile: there's no candidate out there (that I know of anyway) who will stand up and say:

"You know what? Gas prices are high... and I'm gonna let 'em stay that way. Because you all need to stop driving so damn much so we can ween ourselves off oil, Middle Eastern or otherwise."

Honestly no candidate could get away with that stance, especially not on the democratic side, where both Obama and Clinton are trying to assuage the fears of low-income voters in a faltering economy. Can you blame them?

The thing is... the environment is a key issue for the left. And just about everyone agrees that if we were less dependent on foreign oil, we'd be in a lot better shape economically and in terms of international security and relations. But the key reason we ARE so dependent in the first place is that oil was so cheap for so long, and for decades we allowed our lifestyles and infrastructure to develop with cheap gas as a given.

Would people be driving 50 miles to work each day from exurban mcmansion developments if gasoline prices in the US had mirrored those of Europe's for the last 20 years? Some would, but certainly not as many.

Everyone likes the idea of changing their lifestyles for the better -- whether it's saving the environment or quitting smoking, it all sounds great on paper or on New Year's Eve -- but the one thing people truly respond to is economics. Many people finally quit smoking when it simply becomes too much of a financial burden to buy a pack every day. And the only thing that's really going to get a lot of people in this country to change their behavior, to use less gasoline, to make better decisions in terms of the cars they buy and the places they live, is to keep gas prices high and force them to break the habit.

One other (probably more politically viable) idea would be to foster telecommuting as technology advances. It's not exactly a solution, but it would still help somewhat, without requiring a radical overhaul of infrastructure. Though I do worry it would lead to more vacant cities and the general detachment that sprawl generates, when tight-knit urban centers of commerce and community are in fact better for society."

On a more measured side of things there was also this opinion posted by TSnowed27604 , whatever that name means- his point being that we can be a happier, safer, more fuel efficient economy by driving 55 mph. Sure it's slow. But he ends by stating that his car - rated for 32 mpg gets 37 - multiply that over the life span of the car...that's many many more miles-per-carbon. Since biting the bullet and purchasing my own vehicle I have been keeping myself to a similar set of rules and I can say that my car which is slated to get 39-42 mpg gets better than 47 especially if i'm going 55 on the highway. It takes a little self discipline to not feel bad as the rest of traffic whizzes by you at 75 on the turnpike, but if someone can be responsible for themselves in other, more important, ways why not with their fuel mileage - it would seem we're not asking for much.

"I can drive 55.

Now I was just a little kid in the late 70s and correct me if I'm wrong but when oil prices went up, the country dropped the interstate highway speed limit to 55 mph. Also, last summer as I listened to Talk of the Nation there was a discussion about fuel ecomony and it was stated that due to wind resistance and drag, all vehicles lose efficiency after 60 mph. No matter if it's a pickup or a Ferrari. The guests at the time (when gas prices were about where they are now) stated that for every 5 mph you drive above 60, you are paying an extra $.20 PER MIILE since your engine has to work so much harder. With this in mind and in the spirit of reducing greenhouse gases as well as being patriotic, here is my idea. We should drop the highway speed limit back to 55mph. If the stats from that show are accurate (or even close to accurate) imagine the immediate reduction in demand for gas/oil. Now you may say, no one is going to slow down and everyone will speed anyway. I've thought of that too. In Europe speed is monitored by a camera/radar system that catches speeders and tickets are sent by mail. The technology is out there and ready for implementation here in the States. I propose lowering the speed limit to 55 but allowing a grace zone of 5 mph. The law is 55 mph but if you're clocked doing 58 or so, no ticket. This will get rid of the appeals and complaints such as "My odometer is off"or "I was going downhill." Above 60 however and you're busted. And the fine is tied to the speed. Maybe something like $10 for each mile per hour over 55. So you're clock doing 61, that's a $60 ticket plus fees/court costs. 70? $150. The money can be used for alternative fuel research or badly needed transportation infrastructure upgrades/repairs. The result will be less demand for oil, lower gas prices, less money going to foreign anti-American regimes, a cleaner environment, money for an even cleaner environment / better roads and bridges, and a source of funding that is not a tax increase. This is coming from someone who used to have a Mustang GT and loved to go fast but we all have to make sacrifices even when our elected leaders are politically afraid to ask it of us. When driving on the highway now, I get in the right-hand lane and set the cruise. Getting your doors blown off is frustrating at first but I now average 37 mpg in my car rated to get 32 mpg."

Well said.