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GoGogebic · 07-23-2011, 02:06 AM

There is a man from the Rockford Area and for the sake of this story I will call him Mike. Mike spent approximately 20 years working at a factory making parts for appliances. He worked his way up the ladder and was eventually named the Lead Guy. Mike was wise with his money and did an excellent job supporting his family. His sacrifices gave his children many of the things he never had, but after nearly two decades the company he worked for was sold. Almost all the operations were moved to a town over 80 miles north. Fortunately, unlike many people hurt my the 2009 downturn he still had a job, but now it was a 1hr and 45 min drive away. With the unemployment in Rockford hovering around 19% at the time of his company's sale, he didn't have much of a choice.He had to take the job just to survive.

While the drive time affected his family life, the cost of driving hurt just as badly. It cost Mike about $30 dollars a day to drive to work, and while his pay was decent the $6260.80 a year was crippling. This battle between work and family thankfully came to an end after a 1 1/2 years. Mike recently accepted a great job a few minutes from home and His life has returned to some sort of normalcy.

Mike's story is typical of thousands of people around this country, but there seems to be even more individuals who's extreme commuting battle is just starting and isn't ending for the foreseeable future. The missed family time experienced by people like Mike is extremely stressful, but the financial burden can be even more stressful. Especially since many times these people, due to spouse layoffs, are already the sole bread winner . What these people need is the piece of mind that comes from the financial freedom brought by efficient transportation. In some areas this comes in the form of public transportation or ride-sharing, but for many of us this can only come in the form of a cheap, reliable, fuel efficient vehicle. These days car companies boast of 40 mpg, but the 1995 Honda Civic VX got over 50 mpg. So that being said 40 mpg isn't really that impressive. What is needed is a vehicle that returns the cost of driving to the days of 1 dollar gas. Do you agree? If so what are your suggestions? I know I have one.

07-23-2011, 02:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
GoGogebic EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: wisconsin Posts: 36 Thanks: 6 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Middle America Worker's Story There is a man from the Rockford Area and for the sake of this story I will call him Mike. Mike spent approximately 20 years working at a factory making parts for appliances. He worked his way up the ladder and was eventually named the Lead Guy. Mike was wise with his money and did an excellent job supporting his family. His sacrifices gave his children many of the things he never had, but after nearly two decades the company he worked for was sold. Almost all the operations were moved to a town over 80 miles north. Fortunately, unlike many people hurt my the 2009 downturn he still had a job, but now it was a 1hr and 45 min drive away. With the unemployment in Rockford hovering around 19% at the time of his company's sale, he didn't have much of a choice.He had to take the job just to survive. While the drive time affected his family life, the cost of driving hurt just as badly. It cost Mike about $30 dollars a day to drive to work, and while his pay was decent the $6260.80 a year was crippling. This battle between work and family thankfully came to an end after a 1 1/2 years. Mike recently accepted a great job a few minutes from home and His life has returned to some sort of normalcy. Mike's story is typical of thousands of people around this country, but there seems to be even more individuals who's extreme commuting battle is just starting and isn't ending for the foreseeable future. The missed family time experienced by people like Mike is extremely stressful, but the financial burden can be even more stressful. Especially since many times these people, due to spouse layoffs, are already the sole bread winner . What these people need is the piece of mind that comes from the financial freedom brought by efficient transportation. In some areas this comes in the form of public transportation or ride-sharing, but for many of us this can only come in the form of a cheap, reliable, fuel efficient vehicle. These days car companies boast of 40 mpg, but the 1995 Honda Civic VX got over 50 mpg. So that being said 40 mpg isn't really that impressive. What is needed is a vehicle that returns the cost of driving to the days of 1 dollar gas. Do you agree? If so what are your suggestions? I know I have one.