It's a Catch-22. We live outside the cities where the rent is too high and find a reasonably affordable place in the suburbs. We commute into the city to work, using the 30+ minute drive to catch up on news or listen to the latest audio-book to sharpen our business skills.
Now with gas prices over the $3.00 per gallon mark, our housing savings is being eaten up by our gas expenses. For some of us, we are lucky enough to have public transportation as an alternative. The saying is Californians are in love with their cars and won't "do" public transportation - I say they'll do it as soon as it is offered.
I used to live 10 minutes from my work, and I used to rent a place all by myself easily - that was 8 years ago. Now my commute is over an hour - being forced out of town with the rent prices up into space, and I make over $10,000.00 a year more than I did when I could afford to live in town.
So now I can either drive myself to work and spend another $300.00 a month on gas or try out the bus system here made especially for others like me who still work in town and have been finacially booted out of the housing market. I am going to use the bus - it is only a little over a $100.00 for a month pass.
Since Bush has been in office, this is what it comes down to. Middle Class workers unable to afford housing. Middle Class workers unable to afford the commute to work. The good thing is maybe our country will accept the idea of public transportation and use it regularly as part of our independence from oil.
We are in the middle of a great change. We will be able to tell our grandkids we lived through the last dying days of the oil reign. Alternative fuel vehicles will be here soon - after all necessity is the mother of invention. I think the high oil prices are Bush's friends' way of saying lets squeeze out all the profit we can while we still have some left to sell.
In the meantime, the middle class, the backbone of America has to pay the price, literally - making our ruling class their billions.
Have you had to move outside city limits to live afforadably? Has your commute gotten longer? Are you using or prepared to use public transportation?
When Nadar ran in 2000, he something to the effect that he hopes Bush wins, because it will get SO BAD under Bush that we as Americans will finally be forced to get serious about conserving our natural resources, living green and other things that matter. I hope Nadar is right, I'd think we are hitting the bottom of the barrel and ready to make a 180 degree turnaround than think we are heading towards the collapse of America for once and for all.
Personally, I think Bush has done a great job of showing us how bad it can get and I'm ready for a regime change now. I don't think we can afford any more of his presidency.