Gas prices causing poor to make hard choices

[The Straight Story]

Gas prices causing poor to make hard choices

By RITA PRICE
The Columbus Dispatch

snip --

Eleven years ago, any kind of car - even an old gas-guzzler - was likely to be seen as a welcome companion on the journey toward independence and employment as mandated by the 1996 welfare-reform act.

Now, the family friend is part foe.
.....

For 22-year-old Paula Bolender, a single mother of two young children, being able to put gas in her 1995 Chevy Lumina meant giving up telephone service.

"I have no land line, no cell phone, nothing," she said. "It takes $50 to fill the tank. That was the trade-off."


"You should have seen me this morning - I was counting change at the gas station," she said, her face blushing at the memory. "I came up with $4. One gallon."

Bolender walks to the grocery store, occasionally borrows from a relative and tries to use the bus as much as possible. But to make it from her home to the day-care center and on to work, she has to invest almost three hours and three bus transfers.

Tameka McCreary has all but given up on driving. "I can't go anywhere," she said.

A 21-year-old mother of two, McCreary works 20 hours a week through a job-training program at the Opportunity Center. She gets $410 a month, and fully half of that would go to gasoline if she were to fill up once a week.

....
"We made a promise as a country that we would help provide child care and transportation so that people could work," she said. "This is really narrowing the margins."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OH_GAS_PRICES_POOR_OHOL-?SITE=WBNSTV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[bobbolink]

1. And so many "liberals" want to RAISE gas taxes!!!

sputter, mutter....

How much suffering will it take to get the message across?????

[wellst0nev0ter]

3. Well, The Gas Taxes Will Benefit In Improving And Expanding Roads And Infrastructure

the rise in gas prices without the taxes only go to the pockets of fatcat oilmen. At least with taxes you get something back.

[bobbolink]

4. How many people are you willing to sacrifice for that????

Is it possible for you to consider those who will suffer because of your decisions????????????????

[uppityperson]

16. take the money from funding the occupation of Iraq

[bobbolink]

22. ?

Huh?

[uppityperson]

23. Use gas taxes, apply them to getting better mass transit, roads, etc

Or use money that has gone into funding the occupation of Iraq for that. You seem to be against raising taxes, I would like certain taxes collected and then used for the proper things, not for funding Iraq occupation. For instance, use gas taxes to pay for transit stuff. AND, rather than having Big Oil making grossly gross net profits (tax the corportaions), you could keep gas at, say $2.50/gal, make Big Oil give up grossly high net profits but that money be for stuff gas taxes should go for.

If I were queen of the universe, things would be different. Taxes would be high, net profits lower, much more social service stuff provided rather than giving money to my buddies corporations via war crap.

[bobbolink]

26. Thank you for understanding how you would hurt poor people.

:sarcasm:

Gotta love the regressive taxes proposed by "liberals"

[uppityperson]

27. You are welcome, since I am poor myself.

I guess you must approve of taxing for everything and using that money for illegal wars and to give cronies more money. I don't. I also don't think that Big Oil should make as much as they do and have no problem with taking that money from them. If I were queen, food would be affordable and available, as would health care, affordable and good, and education. If you chose to interpret this as regressive taxes by "liberals", I think you are just looking for a fight, or else just like to not understand, just insult. bobbolink, you are not the only one who is poor, who has been poor, who has or is suffering. If you wish to just insult and fight, go do it with someone else.

[bobbolink]

30. Oh, yes, you're absolutely right... I'm really a republican in disguise

So, you can feel all superior.

When you are ready to understand what it's like for others, and to care, let me know.

edited to say... I'm sick of this "you're either in agreement with me or you're a Republican" crap, so I'm making more use of that nice button.

Bye now...

[uppityperson]

32. where the heck did you read that?

You start by insulting me, then say I insult you? I really don't get you. I don't understand why you want to fight since we are in agreement that taxes hurt the poor the most. I think that how taxes are used is very wrong and you say I am calling you a republican and feeling superior? Or am I feeling superior by saying I am poor, have been very poor, on the street with a young child and this means I am superior? I don't understand why you want to fight, but you can fight by yourself.

[JANdad]

9. Yeah!

Because we all know that all a municipality has to do is order new roads and infrastructure on Ebay and can have it shipped overnight and voila! All your problems solved!

[devilgrrl]

10. Do you honestly think that this administration would spend tax money on things that make sense?

Not that I disagree with you because I don't but look what they're spending tax dollars on now. Abstinence Only, Leave no child behind, giving it to Pat Robertson and Rev. Moon, breaks for the top 1%, etc... you know what I mean?

[Marrah_G]

11. None of that really means anything to someone struggling to feed/house their family

To some people another dollar or so a gallon is a pain but manageable. For others the price of gas + heating oil + rise in food prices is sinking them quickly.

For myself if prices go much higher I will need to take a second job and leave my kids to raise themselves. It's a shitty choice to have to make.

[DemBones DemBones]

17. The way things have been going, I would not count on getting

gas taxes back for infrastructure. As someone else said, they'd go to Rev. Moon or to Halliburton.

[wellst0nev0ter]

20. Jesus, When Did The Taxpayers League Begin Posting Here

Any of you who think the recent price gouging is because of taxes, please raise your hands. When I talk about raising gas taxes, I'm talking about 10 cents at most, not exactly an amount that will keep people from putting food on their family.

I don't know about you, but where I came from, the taxaphobia has contributed to longer commutes, gridlocks up the ying-yang, piss-poor and expensive public transportation and overall congestion and pollution. Oh, ten cents per gallon is too much, but wasting 8 bucks on a 2-hour commute, that's A-OK!

Think, people.

[B Calm]

21. Why not use our income tax instead?

[jsamuel]

29. because that would make too much sense

One person I talked to said it was because they wanted to "punish" car drives. They were completely unfeeling and unforgiving about it. Quite disturbing from a so called "liberal."

[bobbolink]

25. Thanks so much for understanding how you would hurt poor people,.

:sarcasm:

[wellst0nev0ter]

33. I Guess I Want To Hurt Myself Then

because I'm as poor as God knows what. But I still see the sense in moving forward and building our transportation infrastructure so that we won't have to waste so much money on gasoline in the first place.

But I guess the "liberals" you admire aren't that forward thinking, are they?

[jsamuel]

34. I think the big difference here is the urban poor vs the rural poor.

The idea of a gas tax might work in a city environment because the poor could just use public transportation. However, in a rural environment (where most poor people are) it would confine them to their homes and make them lose their jobs.

[wellst0nev0ter]

35. What? Rural Folks Don't Have Roads Too?

And they can't have reliable alternative transportation systems as well?

My ain't I learning a lot in this thread?

[uppityperson]

37. Yes, we rural poor have roads, but not public transit

Our county says it would cost too much to put more public transit into rural areas. I disagree, think that if they would put even a small carrier out in a few loops a few times a day it would pay. It is frustrating. They tried 1 run a day and people didn't use it so they canceled it. 1 run a day? How do I get into town to go to the grocery store AND back home, or to work AND home, on 1 run a day?

[wellst0nev0ter]

41. It's Too Bad We Have Antitax Nimbyists Putting Roadblocks To Progress.

It's as if some folks simply don't want economic development.

[uppityperson]

42. I think people fear having more and more taxes AND everything costing more too

Allocation of resources, wise usage of monies, differentiating what is the responsibility of a Larger Body (gvt on community, local, state, fed levels) to provide for those it represents and is employed by and what is private responsibility. I think I had a problem upthread of the difference between raising taxes (meaning gathering money) and raising taxes (gathering More money than is currently gathered) also.

Gvts are responsible to their citizen/owners to provide for them as a group what they as individuals are unable to provide for. Schools, roads, safety, health, libraries, human services, etc. I think that everyone should be provided basic housing/shelter, food, health care, education, mass transit, child care, jobs and these should also be funded by taxes. (UP's utopia has a bunch of stuff)

How to tax is difficult since the Have-Nots always pay more than the Haves, especially with the Haves in power. The Fear the Haves promote is if they get taxed more, people won't work to make more since they will have to pay more. I see this combining with the Desire of Many to strike it rich (win the lottery, etc) which makes them willing to have less, get by with less, live more insecurely because Someday, they might Strike it Rich and damned if they want to pay more in taxes.

Utopian and naive, I know, but I just wish people wouldn't live so in fear and causing the need to lord it over each other. I don't want to call anyone nimbys, and won't, but communication is difficult and important.

Whew, just took my stop coughing meds so I can sleep soon and soon I will not be making much sense here tonight. Night.

[jsamuel]

39. Your never going to learn if you assume you know everything already.

Alternative transportation works well in high population areas, but if you didn't notice, there are no public transportation systems that service rural areas. If you raised gas taxes, in a couple of weeks or months people would not be able to afford the gas to get to their jobs. Part of the reason these people live in the rural areas is because they can't afford a house or apartment in the city, but many have their jobs far away. Me and my wife do alright, but she has to drive an hour to work and an hour back everyday because that is where her job is. We went into debt to buy a Prius to do the best we could for saving gas and carpool. Others who are not able to buy a Prius and make less will have much worse problems than us. And there are a lot of them. In our town we are in the top 80% of income, but compared to the rest of the country we are in the bottom 30% (and we both work full time).

[wellst0nev0ter]

40. Yes, Commuting For Two Hours Is MUCH Cheaper Than Having Reliable Public Transit

Servicing your area.

Or is that logic completely ass backwards since I also live outside the city, but use the public transit that exists as much as I can. If you think rural folks don't deserve better roads and public transit, just come out and say so, don't blame the rise in gas prices on taxes since in the long run gas taxes would actually lower gas prices anyways if it's used right.

[DemBones DemBones]

14. This liberal doesn't want to raise gas taxes. Tax corporations.

Tax the very rich (i.e., undo those Bushian tax cuts.)

Tax estates over $2 million (or whatever the cap was; it was $2 million in 1996.)

This country has not worked to build good public transportation as it should have and has encouraged urban sprawl. People have to drive to work, to shop, to go to the doctor.

Wal-Mart put the Kroger on our side of town out of business, now we have to drive at least ten miles farther (that's twenty miles round trip) to shop at Kroger.

The gas prices are hard on everyone, but hardest on the poor.

[bobbolink]

24. You GOT IT! But, so many "liberals" want a raised gas tax to "discourage driving"

GAK!

That's what I'm trying to get at!

There was recently a thread with an article showing that MOST PEOPLE won't cut back driving because of raised gas prices. Yet, a lot of "liberals" can't seem to shift their thinking, and forge ahead calling for gas taxes.

They just can't get that it only hurts poor people. It doesn't change driving habits.

"Tax corporations."

You got that right.

You Have My Vote! :hi:

[catmandu57]

38. Damn right

Just a few short years ago we had a 500 trillion dollar surplus, we could afford to put fuel in our cars, we had choices, now the goddamn fucking no good useless eaters have all the fucking money, we're bogged down in a senseless fucking war people are dying everyday to prove the the chimpenfuhrer has a bigger one than poppy, the fucking oil companies have been raking in recod profits, corporations have been getting away with murder, cronies rule the land, amnesia is rampant. I'm so fucking sick of this, I'm getting madder every damn day, I wish our "democrats" in government would get off their collective asses and do something about the stuff that matters to the great majority of Americans.
Stuff like getting rid of these fucking criminals sucking at the teat and getting fat, taxing the living fucking hell out of the rich, the oil cos. the corps. giving us healthcare, getting the hell out of Iraq, focusing on renewable energy, mass transit even for our rural areas.
At one time, their was what was called the interurban railine here, long since paved over, but people could ride it the twenty miles to go to work in a larger town. There is existing railroads, passenger trains could run on a little further ip the road, same story tale people to where the work is, but no we have to fund a senseless fucking war and make sure the haves and fucking have mores can feather their nest deeper, while children go without, and people die without healthcare and have to choose between eating, or gasoline. I'm fucking fed up.

[jsamuel]

28. I agree

thanks for speaking out

[bobbolink]

31. Thanks! As you see further on, I was even accused of being a RWer!

Absolutely amazing!

I long for the days when liberals actually "got it"!

[gollygee]

2. I remember once upon a time coming up with only $4

and only being able to get a bit less than half a tank. Now it's one gallon.

[proud patriot]

5. when I had my first car usually spent $5 a week

on gas .. that gave me a half tank .

[anitar1]

6. The price of gas has really impacted my budget.

I can sympathize with the lady. My sister asked how much it cost to fill my tank. I told her I didn't know as I cannot afford to buy that much gas. Everything goes up by the week except my income. Becoming old in this country is so wonderful.

[Warpy]

7. I don't know how service workers are doing it

although I've seen a lot more people at the bus stops here in the city. Our bus service stops running at 7 PM, though, so anyone who works past 6 PM needs to scramble for alternatives.

I haven't seen people hitching to work, but I suppose that is next.

The decrease in sales at the discount houses like Walmart and Target is a very serious sign. Unfortunately the men inside the DC beltway are oblivious to it.

Inflation is driving wages far below subsistence, the amount it takes to keep a worker alive and returning to work. This is not a good thing.

[kineneb]

8. we so understand

Those of us on fixed incomes have watched our spending shrink as costs increase. No inflation, my arse; it should be pegged at around 10-12% or more.

We live off Hubby's SSDI, and will have to, for as long as he lives (probably only a few more years), and I have applied for SSI, because I don't qualify to get SSDI for my mental health issues (lack of work units). I so love it when folks try to be encouraging and say there is a "light at the end of the tunnel". Well, there isn't; it is pitch black down there. Things will not get better for us, and I will live on in even deeper poverty, once Hubby is gone.

[devilgrrl]

12. Check out this nugget of wisdom and sensitivity...

Drivers will pay no matter the cost

I have heard and read enough about the rising price of gas. Gas prices are high, and everyone knows that. The original shock from a year or two ago when it soared from $2-plus to $3- plus a gallon was something we all needed to adjust to, but by now we have. The average American purchases approximately 600 gallons of fuel each year. Face it, you will have to spend $600 more annually than you used to. I agree that having to pay these exorbitant prices stinks. I also feel that oil companies should not be allowed such record profits, but we have no choice.

We as a society have demonstrated that we rely on driving our own vehicles as a source of independence. People who need a truck or SUV will not cram themselves into a sub-compact just to save a few bucks. So here it is in a nutshell — whether it’s $3.24 or $2.99 per gallon, it doesn’t matter, we will all still go to the pumps and fill up. If your budget is that closely affected by the roughly $50 per month you are spending, try skipping a few cups of that not-so-cheap drive-through coffee or bottled water. Ounce for ounce, we pay more for coffee and bottled water than we do for fuel, but you don’t seem to hear anything newsworthy about that, now do you?

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/everybodyscolumn/story/90247.html

[MadHound]

13. I'm soooo tired of the gas/coffee/milk/water comparison. It is meaningless

And by the by, it might be different up in Buffalo, but out here in the midwest, the good ol' boys are putting away the SUVs and trucks, and are indeed getting smaller, more fuel efficient cars. The trucks are only brought out now to do what they were designed to do, be a work vehicle and haul stuff.

[DemBones DemBones]

15. I don't think the poor are buying bottled water or lattes. nt

[uppityperson]

18. My decisions are things like which food to cut back on, medicine, etc.

I can drive little less than I do, what is getting me is food is going up fast, and people are spending less on my business also. Stuff costs more all the way around, people have less to spend, all the way around, cut back on what you can but also realize that by not patronizing my business, I have less to spend on yours, round and round and round and round.

It is getting to be quite a balancing act, yet Big Oil profits are going up and up.

[Initech]

19. There is absolutely no reason why gas should be as high as it is.

I understand if it were more expensive and we were actually getting something out of it (like Europe or Canada), but there's no reason why gas should be as expensive as it is, it's greed pure and simple. Makes me sick.

[ComerPerro]

36. waiting for the pseudo-liberals to come in and offer their advice, such as

"Well, she should just drive less and it wouldn't be a problem" or "maybe she should buy a more fuel-efficient car"