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The Funny Thing Is

Bill Bunker — Thu, 8 May 2008 11:50:50 -0400

The funny thing about the present fuel crisis is the following.

Clinton and McCain want to roll back the gas tax which would be about 45 cents on fuel for the three months of the Summer.

Opponents argue that this would save the "average" person about $75.

When fuel was $3.12, no one was complaining or calling it a crisis. Over the last two months, it has climbed in price to $3.55-$3.60, which is by all measures the same amount the roll back of the gas tax would be...45 cents.

Now if you do the math, that means that over two months the gas increase has cost the "average" person $50.

Over 8 weeks that is an increase of $6.25 in their weekly gasoline bill. Heavy commuters aside, it seems to me that is not alot of money. Anyone who is anxious about the increase should be able to find a way to shift the burden and save $6.25 elsewhere.

Long commuters are the ones that would be most affected.

The second half of that story is that some politicians are saying that we would ONLY save $75. That tells me that those same politicians can not care much that we have ONLY spent $50 more over the last two months if we were an "average" person.

Americans feel entitled to certain things and I am not sure why. Fuel and health care are front and center.

Terri is correct that we do not need to drive monster vehicles. The ones that give me the biggest anxiety are the four wheel drive Dodge RAM trucks that many of the contractors and their employees drive 100 miles an hour on the interstate. These guys drive like they are shielded like a tank and as if they are invincible. There sitting on the back is strapped a ladder and nothing else in the truck and most of the time no passengers.

The speed and offensive driving aside, they are flushing fuel down the toilet!

American way of life

Terri Oberg — Wed, 7 May 2008 09:07:09 -0400

....that is essentially what it boils down to. We are a country made up of spoiled children. We have become a nation of people who like the freedom of just hopping in our cars and driving where ever we wish to go, from around the block to the pizza joint to cross country to visit friends or explore some wondrous place.

I am as guilty as the next guy. Until gas prices started sky rocketing, I thought nothing of making more then one trip into Concord in one day (a 15 + mile round trip each time). Trains went the way of the dinosaurs because they weren't as convenient as hopping in the car. There are schedules to keep, one would have to plan their trip to Boston around the train schedule. How much more convenient is it to just come and go when you want and/or need? Who wants to share a ride with strangers when we can go in the solitude and comfort of our own cars? New Hampshire is growing by leaps and bounds from the influx of people wanting to experience that solitude and comfort.

This is the mentality of the country we live in. I mean, seriously, do we really need to drive a vehicle that is nearly the size of a small house? Until I start using a bicycle to get around, walk to the pizza joint to get dinner and sell my S.O.'s big truck and boat I won't be complaining about the rising gas prices.

I remember the gas shortages in the 70's. That's when car companies started producing smaller, "compact" cars. I remember my Dad getting a Vega and calling it "the bug" because it was so much smaller than any other car they'd ever owned. Now it would be considered a mid-size car by today's standards. We are a nation that waits until there is a crisis that effects our way of life before we demand changes be made. This spike in gas prices is no different.

Also, those countries that have been around for so much longer then us, have an infrastructure that won't accomodate our big, gas guzzling vehicles. There is more then one reason they drive minis and find other modes of transport. There are plenty of times I think simpler is better. There are even times I think some of God's other creatures are smater then we are because they aren't raping and mutilating Earth; they just take what they need and leave the rest alone.

I can't stand seeing parents

Bri Andlinger — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 15:58:46 -0400

I can't stand seeing parents be manipulated by their own kids like that. Is it really that difficult to put your foot down and say "no"?! It seems that parents are more concerned with saving face and not being embarrassed when their kid throws a temper tantrum when they say no, so they just let them dictate.

And yeah, it would be one thing to take kids to a later movie if school isn't in session... but in the 2-5 year old age range, it still seems a little late to me once the whole thing is over.

My bedtime was the same way, set bedtimes that got later as I got older... that's how it's gonna be when I have kids.

I've known a few parents who

Bri Andlinger — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 15:55:56 -0400

I've known a few parents who just put their kids to bed when they get tired... that thought just baffles me. My kids are going to have a set bedtime, and it will slowly get later as they get older. That's how it was for me!

And yes, I am with you when it comes to age-appropriate movies for little kids. This goes along with taking an obviously immature 10 year old to a movie that is rated PG-13 or even R. I've seen it.... And if you ask my mom, she'll tell you that PG-13 is almost the equivalent of what used to be R...

Crazy.

Ah...I remember those days!

Susan Sherrouse — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:19:47 -0400

Remember Jurassic Park? Remember all the media hype that went along with it? My three kids got so sucked into it that we HAD to go and see it. I think the kids were 8, 6 and 4. The youngest was completely traumatized by the dinosaurs, and we ended up out in the lobby for a good portion of the movie.

Hate to say it, but alot of these films are so incredibly hyped up to kids, that the kids end up pressuring the parents to take them to see the movie. And then there is the pre-concieved notion that a cartoon is for 'kids,' and I've seen some cartoons which were clearly NOT intended for viewing by children.

As for taking kids to movies that begin at 7:20PM...I've got no answer on that one. Down here in GA, that would be OK, as the kids here have been out of school since just before Memorial Day, so kids can sleep in in the morning. Personally, my kids had set bedtimes, which got progressivly later as they got older.

I don't really get the

Nicole Henninger — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 00:30:29 -0400

I don't really get the parents that insisting on taking their young child to a movie that starts at 7:20 PM either... Do people not put their kids to bed at 8 PM anymore?

I was maybe 8 or 9 before my parents took me to the theater... and even then, that was only one time. I didn't go to the theater with any frequency till I was older than 16... and I find it to be a rather overrated experience... You pay a ton of money to not be able to pause the movie to go to the bathroom.

What really bugs me is the parents who take their young children to see a movie that is completely not age appropriate and then get angry with their child for being terrified.

As for the abnormally short light cycle... You might want to report that to the city... I can't remember off hand who you need to call to report it to though.