netmouse: Firefly, natch. (Big Damn Heroes)
netmouse ([personal profile] netmouse) wrote2008-05-14 01:02 pm

Better than a gas tax holiday

Carl Levin makes a statement about what can be done to lower gas prices and improve the energy market in the U.S.

[identity profile] dagibbs.livejournal.com 2008-05-14 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Toronto has a functioning subway system. I have lots of friends that live in Toronto without owning a car.

I have friends who live in Ottawa without owning a car. They will rent a car when they need it, or use an urban car-sharing type program.

I have lots of friends that live in Montreal without owning a car.

Canada had approximately the same gas costs 50 years ago. We still have sprawl -- there are far too many people who commute to/from Toronto from the exurbs (scary that that word needs to exist), but different choices could have been made.

To a certain extent I think it may come down to a different balance of collective good (which is often long-term in its benefits) and individual benefit (which is far too often short-term in its benefits, but long-term in its bad effects).
elizilla: (Default)

[personal profile] elizilla 2008-05-14 09:19 pm (UTC)(link)
The USA doesn't have a lot of places where you can live without a car, and the places it does have are so expensive that they're beyond the reach of many of the people who truly need to live without cars.