According to http://www.participate.net/terrapass my car burns approximately 732 gallons of gas a year. That means I spend about $1610 on gas over the course of a year. That's a lot more than a transit pass. And my Jeep produces 14,321 pounds of carbon dioxide every year from emissions. That's five times the weight of my car.
Normally I wouldn't care, because carbon dioxide helps trees grow, and I like trees; and normally I wouldn't care because it's obvious to me that God has systems in place to ensure the earth never gets too hot or cold to sustain life; but tonight I watched Syriana, and tonight I realized that people are dying so that I can drive my car around for $1610 a year. I'm not ok with that. I'll ride the bus if it means less people will die. The only thing is, I'm not sure riding the bus is going to save lives. And so I feel impotent, sort of like I felt after Constant Gardener, and after Hotel Rwanda.
And now I'm going to eat some toast, and go lay down, and forget all about this. And maybe I'll look into a bus pass.
wow- seems like you had a just a little time to think about this topic. Maybe a little too much time. Cars a better thana bus because busses are not only slower but if you miss one you're stuck! You might want to rethink the whole buss pass thing. Just don't do it!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, edie, I see you're taking the whole "convenience takes precedence over human life" tack. Yes, well done.
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about a Transit pass here, is you can ride all the buses, and Sounder, and light rail. And in the next few years light rail will go everywhere Sounder doesn't, and Sounder will run constantly. You'll be able to get around pretty well without a car. And a few people can live longer in the Middle East, or in China, or Khazakstan, and I like that.
ReplyDeleteHumans > oil. Humans > money. Humans > me.
That movie isn't the whole truth. Some truth and some pretend. It is Hollywood you must understand. Try researching a bit.
ReplyDeleteMy father has one of those passes and even he says people should use cars. What would happen if we all stopped driving cars. Millions of people would be o ut of work. Gas stations would all but shut down. Street crews woudl no longer be needed. Those nice men and woman that repair and widen are roads would have nothing to do anymore. If we all got transit passes millions of people would be out of work. So you really have to weigh the cost here. A few people affected or millions of people affected.
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I'm not really worried about the oil business falling apart. First of all, if everyone rides transit, there are going to be a hell of a lot of buses on the roads, and a lot of trains running on diesel. And then, even if everyone stopped driving cars, there's still a million other uses for oil (Chapstick anyone?). Also, all those people riding transit will have so much more time to be innovative, and will probably come up with ideas that will revitalize the economy and feed the hungry and save the whales and everything. So I'm OK with the ramifications.
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