Quote:
Originally Posted by Autobahnschleicher
Fuel is still dirt cheap.
Call me when we reach about 5€/L or 23$/gallon, below that fuel costs don't realy matter much in the overall costs of living.
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That is coming from a place of privilege IMO. I know many, many people who have their decresonary income reduced to basically zero with cost of gas even at $3.50/gal. My sister in law with a bachelor's degree and 10+ years with the same company as a supervisor with Head Start inc couldn't afford to rent let alone buy in our simple Montana town. So even with the best reliable economy car she could afford, a stripped down fwd CRV getting 30 mpg on her commute, she spends over $4000/yr on gas at just $3.50/gal. That's 10% of her gross pay. This is repeated over and over again by all the service industry jobs done by hard working barely getting by people. There is no bus, no train, and rent for the simplest place in town is $1500 now. To buy at least $400,000. They are forced to live 20, 30, even 60 miles away. These gas prices and anything higher just further turn people poor. Many now are just deciding to give up, stay home, and live on welfare. Hence a big worker shortage in a supposedly rapidly growing city. It's great for my 16 year old with zero experience. She landed a $12/hr job with flexible schedule and has almost no expenses. There are many $15/hr offers she could take too but she likes the crew she has and likes serving at the retirement home, vs a fast food restaurant. She of course will have to move out of town if she ever wants to live on her own. Bottom line these high energy costs hurt the working poor the hardest. While the rich live close to their job, and can afford a $50,000 EV and then get a $7500 tax break for that, and then stick a $10,000 solar array on the roof and get another big tax break for that, just so they can drive 2 miles to work and then 30 miles on a weekend going to dinner, brewerys, and the theater or something. Yeah, even $50/gal gas would be nothing for them.