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YourHub.com \\ Ventura \\ Stories \\ Posting is no longer available. \\ Letter to the Editor

The High Price of Gas

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Contributed by: Richard Senate on 5/7/2007

Enough is enough! Why is it that California, the place that defined the car culture in the past, is now being gouged at the pump? With increases this steep it will not be long before the economy will be hit and hit hard. First the housing prices are plunging and now the mother's milk of transportation is eating away the family budget. They say its going to get worse as the summer comes. What is going to happen when gas hits six dollars a gallon or eight? There is only so much the budget of the average family can take before it starts to hurt. The poor are getting pummeled now but the Middle Class and even the upper class will pay the piper in due time. It's all well and good to talk about low mileage cars and electrics but, they will not solve the problems we face now. Besides just driving less there is little the people can do by themselves.
But, we can pressure our elected officials to act. That's why we have a democracy in the first place.
We can do the following:
1. E-mail or write to the Governor and state assemblymen to reduce the state gas taxes. Even a few pennies a gallon will help. This they could do without having to resort to punishing gas companies.
2. Put more money into low-cost public transportation like trains and buses. This would help the poor most of all and get people off the roads.
3. Start a car pool program at your work or school to save money. People helping people has always been better than depending on the government.
4. Use the internet and mail order catalogs to purchase things rather than waste gas with trips to the mall.
5. Dust off your bike and, when you can, use it to get around when the weather is good. If worst comes to worst try walking! Our car culture has defined how we live and where our services are located so this idea is of limited use.
6. Park your eight cylinder SUV and use your smaller car. For the time being we shall all have to do our bit, husbands and wives can share a car until this gas mess is worked out.
7. Let your kids ride to school on the school bus rather than driving them. It will be good for their character. Your taxes pay for the bus--why not use it?
We are Americans. We can figure this out and do it without resorting to drastic means such as turning to nationalizing the oil companies so the US Government can run them with all the efficiency of the US Post Office.

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