Adjustment
By Mitch Berg
One of those things we conservatives take on faith (a faith that is pretty much always answered, as a matter of fact) is that the market sorts out all things.
Now – will drilling in ANWR or off the coast or in the Badlands of North Dakota drop the price of gas by half instantly? Of course not.
But a lot of us are paying a lot less for gas – less, even, than we were when gas was under $3 a gallon.
In my case – well, I bike to work from April through (crosses fingers) most of October. And my company pays half the price of my Metro Transit “all you can ride” card, and my bus almost literally goes door to door – faster, in most cases, than the combination of driving and then walking from a parking spot. I do it out of a combination of loving biking, liking being in some kind of shape, and scando-scottish penurity.
Speed Gibson (AKA “the best blogger in the Twin Cities that you’re probably not reading enough of, now that Roosh has retired/started posting at “Shot”)? Well, he provides a glimpse into the “grass-roots” free market response to gas prices:
After the DFL shoved the various new rail transit taxes through the 2008 session, I vowed not to pay it. I can report that I have more than succeeded, adjusting my driving habits to reduce my gasoline consumption and raising my use of buses.
Biking to spite the DFL? Kudos!
Now, with bus fares going up to again cover the rail losses this fall I needed a way to avoid paying the extra quarter as well. For that and other reasons including pleasure and exercise, I purchased a used bicycle. I just got it tonight (the shop refurbs it after you buy it), and I really like it. Actually, the left pedal fell off after 1/2 mile and I had to limp back for a quick repair and re-inspection, but all is well now…Meanwhile, I’ll be really green, using no fossil fuels every time I bike to work, just under 6 miles. Plus, I’ll save the $4 bus fare or the $2 gas plus depreciation.
Y’know, there’s a great protest idea for the next session; the next time the DFL agitates to raise the transit taxes, there should be a ride-by of Republicanson bikes.
(But they’ll probably start taxing bikes).
July 28th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Just got back from a trip to Seattle on the leftist coast. There can’t be too many more bike friendly communities in the US. The town was preparing for the monthly Critical Mass bike ride where mobs(squadrons? flocks? prides?) of bike riders take over the streets and stop motor vehicle traffic to assert their equal rights to the road. One of my contacts there said there should be a tax on bikes as they are carving more and more bike lanes out of roads paid for by fuel taxes and the bicyclists are getting a free ride.
Apparently no one is safe as the news reported that the mob “attacked” a Subaru (no mention of Alpaca wearing occupants or Wellstone! bumper sticker). The driver decided that he didn’t want to wait for a group of 100 cyclists to pass by before backing out of his parking space. The mob surrounded him and in his version of the story, threatened to flip his car over. He tried to intimidate the cyclists by revving his engine, but in his panic, didn’t notice the Subaru was in gear. He hit a couple of riders and the mob tracked him down, broke out his car’s windows and slashed his tires before going upside his head head with a bike lock.
http://www.komonews.com/news/25962894.html
Watch for transportation to come to a halt when cyclists start attacking the many, many Subaru’s in Mpls/StP.
July 28th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Why don’t the Crunchy Conservatives just join the Green Party? They’d be much happier there. Then they can worship Al Gore in public and quit pretending that they get capitalism.
As for the critical mass losers, I wonder what they have to do to be classified as domestic terrorists?