Because of responses something to the tune of this:
"Becasue we are exercising our rights to excessively consume and exercising our social freedom to be socially irresponsible. Frankly its none of your business if we can or cant afford $3 gas, and how much money we have in our retirement account... or how much of a mortgage we have, or how much credit card debt we have - so stop it.
We're Americans, so we can comsume, not be able to afford it, and then complain abut the costs being unfair, all the while doing it to ourselves - its our right."
OK, now that I got out, I have been trained all along to watch consumption, and to keep the fuel economy high to reduce operating costs. Speed is a major factor and most dont think about it at all - they may think number of cylinders or number of horsepower or vehicle size, but speed is so unapparent, especially the difference that 10 MPH can make in ANY car - large or small..
All the nearly free credit and out of whack real estate prices (partially as a result of the credit) have disconnected a lot of folks from what they really are... which is not rich, which is poor. They should watch the pennies that slip through the grasp as their own doing - but its so much easier to not criticise their driving style, but rather blame big oil, the government, the terrorists, the traders, the hurricanes, or whatever else. Dollar cost of fuel is easily apparent, deltas in prie are apparent, driving style as it relates to consumption and their actual fuel bill is just too much thinking and math... especially if you can just gripe and swipe the credit card - and not have to get to the root of the problem - complaining makes it feel good enough to get by... and if 'griping and swiping' gets too annoying - throw $100 at an oxygen sensor and think that youre all the better.
Couple that with only a very small fraction of people understanding anythng about physics other than that gravity keeps things onthe ground... and the understanding of the factors relating to economy are way to addvanced for their small brains - anything beyond seeing what has last happened with "Bradgolena" or "Vaungniston" or Jessica Simpson or Paris Hilton and fulfilment of illusions of money and grandor are just too much in terms of brain exercise and thinking for them...
Kids that havent even graduated high school can have amazing grasp of some of this stuff, and adults professionally employed with college degrees can be so dense it isnt funny. In the end, it comes down to how much brainpower and consideration you care to employ.
JMH
[ July 22, 2006, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: JHZR2 ]
