My neighbor told me yesterday it is getting too expensive for her to work. $40 each day for gas.

[Horse with no Name]

First of all...before those that will chime and say move...she can't.

We live in a dying community. Schools are dying. Jobs are headed out faster than you can count. Businesses are shutting down. BUT, housing is cheap. You can afford your house payments. It is Texas, so very few can afford their utility bills, but...this lady can afford to live here.

Until now. Jobs are gone. She has had to go to work 2 hours a day one-way. She drives an economical vehicle.

She told me yesterday if it hits much higher, she won't be able to afford to go to work.

She is fairly apolitical...but she doesn't fall for the social scams that the republicans throw out there.

She doesn't care about gay marriage.

She doesn't care about abortion.

She cares that she can't afford to put gas in her car and go to work.

She cares that the schools are left unfunded this year and asks like many that I have heard in the last few weeks..."Where's the lottery money?" Where, indeed. It would be interesting to watch this story actually be covered because it was largely ignored when it happened.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4965934

She cares that her health insurance skyrocketed and is basically useless because of high copays.

She cares because ONE MORE small business closed its doors around here a couple of weeks ago and now those people have no jobs.

She cares because there isn't ANYONE doing anything about what affects us all the most.



I'd like to think she is in the majority...but then I met a lady at the gas pumps the other day. Blaming all of this on the Democrats. Too stupid to open her eyes and realize that she demonized me when...when it all comes down to it...I'm on her side.

But her masters have taught her to hate me...and that is what she will do. Because even in their evilness they realize, that they cannot carry out THEIR agenda unless neighbors hate neighbors.

[Historic NY]

1. So why isn't her elected Republican Governor doing something?

[Horse with no Name]

3. So...this is HER fault?

My fault?

I live here too and I voted against this shit...but I didn't win so it means I am stuck living with this shit.

Perry isn't going to do squat. He WANTS people to suffer so he can blame it on the Democrats.

[madokie]

15. Thats the way it works

You post something for the good of all and you get shat upon.
Peace :hi:
Rec'd too

[Historic NY]

27. The was my point.........all while he is looking for handouts .

Gas in NY is well above Texas's at the pump.

http://gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x914282

[Horse with no Name]

33. Seriously not be argumentative

but yes, the gas prices in New York might be higher...but there IS probably the best public transportation system in NY...whereas in Texas, there isn't.

I don't think many understand that Democrats in Texas are really not represented. Anywhere.
NOBODY cares about us. What we think. What we feel. If we put liberal stickers on our cars, our cars have a pretty good chance of being vandalized.

Now...I know that in NY the wages are higher than they are here--but the point is...EVERYONE is hurting. Everyone.

[pnwmom]

97. You're right about that. Everyone is hurting.

And that ties in with the OP, too. Almost everyone, in cities and in rural areas, at some point ends up having to move because of a job.

[freshwest]

140. That was my experience regarding advertising one's progressive and Democratic ideas.

I think a lot of people don't realize how vehicle dependent Texans are across the state. Where I live now, we have a lot less miles to cover and many more public transportation options.

[maxsolomon]

177. AMERICANS are vehicle dependent.

especially rural americans, but urban too: Fort Worth has NO public transportation.

[freshwest]

179. I know that. My area has so much public transportation many people don't bother with owning one.

We've been trying to move to something more like the UK. But there are many areas without public transportation, it was discarded in many cities in favor of pushing the automotive industry. It's going to be hard, if not impossible to change that, if at all in this economy.

[Autumn Colors]

155. New York CITY may have better mass transit

.... but New York is a very big state and once you get outside the NYC metro area, most people have to get where they're going by car... same as in Texas. In much of the state of New York, there is little to no mass transit.

Don't lump the entire STATE in with the city ... although by that gas price map, it looks like the entire state of New York's gas prices are higher than Texas.

Please remember that NYC and its metro area is a TINY part of the state geographically.

[freshwest]

139. My friends down there are simply enduring. In fact, they say that in their minds,

There is little difference between Texas now and the Mexico their families moved from generations ago to have more freedom. They describe the similarities with despair. But they will survive and have families members across the country and they care for each other.

[dkf]

2. $40/day in an economy car?

How far is she driving?

[Horse with no Name]

5. About 250 miles a day, round trip. n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

93. wow. that's some drive

[freshwest]

141. Been there, done that.

[Mason Dixon]

163. she said she drives two hours each way

Let me guess its uphill both ways! HA

so if its 125 miles each way to get to 250 total she would have an average speed of 62 miles per hour.

That's a pretty difficult average to attain, even on a long trip. That average includes backing out of the driveway; small streets and stop lights on the way to a highway. To maintain that average she would have to travel pretty freakin' fast on the highway

[madokie]

9. That would only be about 10 gallons of gas

so if she's getting 30 miles per gallon that would be 300 divide by 2 would be a 150 mile one trip. Many around here drive that daily, especially those in northwest Arkansas that drives to Tulsa each and every work day.

[Shagbark Hickory]

70. 10 x $4 = 40

[Bluenorthwest]

11. It says 'economical car' not economy car

and the OP says it is a two hour drive each way. Perhaps she needs to post the long form for you?

[blondeatlast]

25. +1. I was too late for the birfer thread, but very well done, BN!

:rofl:

[dkf]

34. Funny...if you google economical car they tend to give you a list of economy cars.

How that doesn't go hand in hand I don't know.

Of course if you don't understand that buying a gas guzzler for $2000 would not make it an economical car then you will have a harder time in life.

So yes, more information is helpful...if you want to call it a long form so be it.

Hawaii has only made it's own problem anyway. They should charge extra for those who want the long form. That's the conclusion I've come to after that thread.

[LanternWaste]

63. quite a bit more economical than buying four $2000 economy cars...

Purchasing a $2000 gas guzzler that lasts four years is quite a bit more economical than buying four $2000 economy cars that each lasts one year. :shrug:

[pnwmom]

86. Many states besides Hawaii have simple computerized print-outs.

Should they all change their systems because of the birther-nuts?

Don't you yet realize there is no way to satisfy those people?

[Quantess]

135. self edit

[JTFrog]

156. So you blame Hawaii??!??

FFS.

We've come to our own conclusions after your little thread and I doubt any of us agree with your birther nonsense.

Anyway, maybe the OP's friend should have bought a $2000 Prius. :eyes:

[Davis_X_Machina]

14. $4 a gal x 8 gal (240 mi. total per day, divided by 30 mpg.)

It's getting closer.

There are enough Boston-to-Portland commuters for me to have started to hear similar stories. The Amtrak/Concord Trailways parking situation at the Portland terminal is getting ridiculous, so people are responding as best they can. Only really helps people who work downtown, or who can switch to the T, though.

The average American commute is now suburb-to-suburb, and that's a problem.

Si non è vero, è ben' trovato.

[Skidmore]

17. If you live in rural America and don't farm , quite often the

nearest jobs to be found are a distance away. My husband commutes 50 mi. each day and he drives a 4 cyl. Some of his coworkers come commute 100 mi or more to be able to earn a wage on which you can support a family.

Right here in the middle of the breadbasket of the nation, we have villages and small towns which no longer have grocery stores. If you want to shop for food, you trek into the nearest population center where the jobs are.

There is a huge story to be told about rural America that hasn't been addressed since the farm crisis a couple of decades ago. We can't all live in cities and even less funds make it to the hinterlands than you would think in spite of all the screaming about farm subsidies.

[Horse with no Name]

20. Exactly.

In the climate of jobs today, I wouldn't move 20 miles for a job. Who knows if that job is going to be there next week.

There is a lot of poverty amongst the rural communities. It is just more discrete.

[Skidmore]

39. I should have also mentioned that most small farmers have a second job

to help them make ends meet.

[Horse with no Name]

47. Before we got out of the farming business

We kids ran the farm. We were 17 and 18. We did all of the feeding, the milking, the cleaning, etc. BOTH of my parents worked outside jobs and then came home to tie up the loose ends that we couldn't like buying feed, supplies, etc. This was when Reagan destroyed the family farms.

[Davis_X_Machina]

24. I talk on the radio...

...I'm a ham... to a guy who drives from the North Conway NH area to Bath Iron Works every day. 160 miles a day of back roads. His skilled trade isn't needed much anywhere except in defense industries, and the housing market in northern NH is keyed to the purchase of vacation properties.

[Gormy Cuss]

51. I've always been puzzled by people who don't move in that situation.

North Conway to Bath is a very long commute in the snow. Your other post about the people who commute from the Ptld area to Boston I find puzzling too but at least they have highway commutes or mass transit options and if the job in Boston disappears there's at least some possibility of finding work in the Portland area.

[Davis_X_Machina]

55. It's his house. The back woods of New England..

...used to be full -- there are still a fair number -- of small-to-medium sized machine shops, and other technical firms, doing mostly highly specialized DoD sub-sub-contractor work. He located to northern New Hampshire years ago for such a job.

Moving to Bath would require selling a house in a four-season resort area in the depths of a recession, and buying in coastal Maine, one of the few places where real estate values have help up fairly well, or in some cases increased. And Bath isn't exactly reliable and steady employment either.

[Gormy Cuss]

62. That's even more puzzling since it sounds like it's not his ancestral home.

I don't know what RE prices are like these days in North Conway but I do know that working at BIW doesn't require living on the coast. There's plenty of inland territory --along his current commute, as a matter of fact -- where the land prices are lower. BIW does have fairly routine cycles of hiring and laying off -- if this person sees BIW as a temp job then I can understand his reluctance to move.

[Davis_X_Machina]

68. Yeah, I drive from near Portland up to Long Lake, our commutes cross...

...but he's got no faith in the staying power of BIW.

[Shagbark Hickory]

73. Forgive my ignorance but then why live in a rural area then?

[readmoreoften]

76. Because it's expensive to live in the cities and suburbs.

Or maybe she owns a home. There are a lot of reasons.

[Shagbark Hickory]

99. Well you can't use the reason "because cities are too expensive" and complain about it being

too expensive to live in the country.

So please try again.

[truedelphi]

106. Yes you can. If you live in the country because you have been priced out

Of the city, and now that speculation is driving up the price of gas, and our politicians haven't the integrity to put together the light rail style of transportation that Europeans rely on, why can't we complain?

Our jobs that paid well have been outsourced and yet we somehow are supposed to overlook the Political Class and their shenanighans and not complain?

Why can't we complain? it is either that or revolt.

Money exists all around us. Even though it is a recession.

My Board of Supervisors just tapped into a Redevelopment Agency fund to purchase and remodel a turn of the century hotel boarding house, for its historic value. Despite the 1.5 million dollar price tag.

I could tell a similar story for every one of the five Counties around me. Money is there, it just is being set up so it only flows to the Big Monied People and the politicians.

[freshwest]

142. And such urban areas don't have community support of affordable housing, either.

[truedelphi]

171. Sadly, that is very very true. n/t

[freshwest]

173. Until the rural poor end up in the city, dispossessed of their land. That's the intent.

[pnwmom]

94. I can understand that if a person has a spouse with a local job

or children in school. Otherwise, I'd suggest moving. Having to move to be closer to a job isn't a problem specific to people in rural areas. People in cities frequently have to move to other cities. The whole economy has always been mobile -- it's not just the people in rural areas who lose their jobs and have to consider long commutes or moving.

[rpannier]

136. And who buys your house

It's easy to say move
But if you can't sell your house you can't afford a new one and still pay for the other one as well

[customerserviceguy]

154. Cheap gas pushes up the prices of rural properties

When you combine rising gas prices and a stagnant (or worse) real estate economy, you have much less chance of selling your house for anywhere near what you owe on it.

The only solution as I can see it is to find someone either in your small town, or along the way, and carpool with them to the big city.

[dixiegrrrrl]

182. another option, at that price, stay over night close to your job

a few days a week, if possible.
I have done that, when I was 100 miles from the job, which was in the city. Hooked up with friends overnight three times a week. It more bout driving the hours at night than it was about money at the time, but now with gas so
expensive, that adds up.

[Quantess]

133. Yes, this is partly why we end up sounding "elitist"

Because maybe....gasp...change will benefit you. No! The conservative mind does not like any changes, and that is why outdated religious customs, archaic beliefs are associated with social conservatives (in the USA and also in Islam). But, I digress. It's also why older people tend to be more socially conservative, because older people are less accustomed to change. Or, does a conservative outlook on life just plain make you seem older?

Sorry but some people are just slow to the punch.

[datasuspect]

150. yep

texas is the land of crazy commute stories.

i thought i had it bad when i had to drive from port arthur to orange (25 miles each way).

some other people i knew would have to do beaumont to houston and back every day.

but 250 miles (about a 3.5 hour trip) is horrifying.

[madokie]

4. Amazing isn't it

watch and see if the oil companies don't record record profits this quarter. Sorry sob's that would let their greed do this to anyone anywhere. its about tarpot, feathers and a rail to ride them out of town on time.

[Horse with no Name]

10. Yep. I think the time is nearing that we will see something happening

people are talking about. And they are mad. I just hope their anger is directed to the right place.

[madokie]

23. Thats what worries me too

that the anger is directed properly. Our msm tries to make it towards the tea baggers but I don't really think that there is enough of those bigoted bastids to make much difference so they don't worry me much but some of the other rightwing blowhards do though. You know the ones that Obama is coming to get their guns and first born, those are the ones that worry me.

[bobbolink]

92. You're going to see the REAL class war... between poor and middleclass.

and it won't be pretty.

The chance to change that outcome has been here for a long time.

That window of opportunity is closing.....................................................

[ejpoeta]

6. as long as we are slaves to the oil companies, then we are going to get soaked at the pump.

and the fact that oil is subsidized.... that we only pay half at the pump what the cost really is should be scary enough!! we pay the other half through our taxes. we need an alternative... i mean, we do not control oil prices. period. we never will. the only thing we can do is get away from oil. it's the only way we will ever come out ahead. and i do not mean natural gas either.... we need alternatives that we can do ourselves that will not harm us either. other countries are doing it. we are stubborn and refuse to see that there is a brick wall.

[Horse with no Name]

7. Oh we see it, but that brick wall doesn't have a lobbyist group. n/t

[AtheistCrusader]

161. Sorry but cheap gas is not the solution to 250-mile commutes.

That's unsustainable from a consumption standpoint.

[pnwmom]

8. Is there a reason she doesn't move to the other city?

Does she have a spouse who has a local job?

[madokie]

12. Did you read the OP?

guess not, huh

[pnwmom]

77. I did read it but apparently you didn't.

Nowhere in the OP does it mention whether she's married or not, which could have provided a reason for staying there as well as a source of income.

[haele]

119. It's expensive to move. It takes time to move.

I'm not arguing with anyone, just bringing another perspective in this discussion.

No difference if one is single, or married with kids. If she's spending all her "extra" funds putting gas in the tank, she probably doesn't have the minimum of at least $2K it would take at a minimum to move a hundred miles.
She might not have time to go around looking at places, and finding and dealing with a realator takes even more money. She might need to sell her house - nearly impossible in a dying community - and might have weighed the difference between moving and taking on a new mortgage or a lease in a new and unfamiliar neighborhood against the costs of a paid for house.
She might have obligations that keep here - family or friends that rely on her for assistance, or that she relies on for her personal sanity - especially if she's lived in that town for a while.

Most people with roots don't move until it's a last minute situation. Even a single woman can have developed roots and community to surround herself with.

It's just not that easy to move. That's why the military pays for their members to move, and why businesses used to pay relocation.

Notice I didn't say "just leave" - emptying one's bank account, taking an hour to stuff personal momentos, valuables, papers, and a enough clothes and utensils to last a month in your car and leaving the rest to whomever wants to squat in your former residence is much easier and far cheaper than getting everything boxed up to store for a month or two while you live in a hotel and then to schlepp it over once you find a place to live. And heaven help you if you have pets - it's much harder to find a place to live if you have pets.

Haele

[Horse with no Name]

13. She is a single woman who can afford her house where she is.

Her elderly parents are here and this is where her home is.

[Obamanaut]

42. When the gas price gets to the point where she is paying even more than presently,

and she can no longer afford even the current house payment, and loses the house - then what. Will people be allowed to say, 'she should have moved.'?

[jtuck004]

152. Respectfully - Where in the hell does she move to? Germany? And does anyone

think there aren't 15 million Americans behind her with the same damn problems? And another 15 million who may be working while watching their bills get larger and larger?

It ain't her, and the solution isn't moving.

The solution was, and still is, a jobs program that should have taken priority over supporting the thieving, lying, twisted, venal bankers. That jobs program could have been created by the gutless politicians that refused to take the people's side against the corporations filling their campaign coffers.

While those same politicians are paid $170,000 a year to taunt each other and find ways to cut further into the social safety net, apparently unaware that years of cuts, along with a lack of investment in the country and our neighbors, have put us in this place.

Btw, it looks like the foreclosure slowdown (only 240,000 in March) caused by the problems with MERS and paperwork is being resolved, so we can expect foreclosures to be picking up rapidly in the next few months. And along with that more business closures.

[Obamanaut]

170. She moves to where her job is so she doesn't spend all that $ on gas. Is her

job in Germany, or only about 100 miles away.

Respectfully, that was the obvious answer.

[jtuck004]

172. You didn't read the part about her home - and not being able to sell it.

Always some easy answer when one leaves out the hard parts.

[Obamanaut]

174. By not spending 200 dollars a week on gas, some of that money can go

to a cheap room and board type apartment where the job is.

Because she is not spending all that money for gas, the money not spent for room/board can be used to supplement the money already budgeted for upkeep on the current house.

Spending everything on gas will ultimately result in the loss of the home.

Or, she can complain to a neighbor who can post on an internet forum how the world is mistreating her, and have multiple strangers agree.

Sometimes life is really hard.

[jtuck004]

176. The problem exists for millions of unemployed and under-employed of our

neighbors, yet some have to take digs at the individual, who is easily the most powerless in this. The most likely scenerio
is that she moves, then the job vanishes because it wasn't worth a shit in the first place.

Life is tough, but greedy and ignorant people make it harder than it needs to be.

[madinmaryland]

184. Interestingly, I knew several people that would live where their job is (NYC area)

in a small efficiency apartment and then go home on the weekend. It was definitely worth it for them to do that and save the wear and tear of commuting or actually moving to the city altogether.

You also have to be the type of person whose family will let you do that sort of thing.

[pnwmom]

78. It might be better to live in the other town and visit her parents.

Two hours isn't a bad distance for a weekend visit; but it's a pretty terrible weekday commute.

[bobbolink]

109. This Is Not A Personal Problem, This Is A Societal Problem.

Really, it is the RW that always looks at things as personal problems.

It is time for us to go back to being Democrats.

[libmom74]

143. Thank you, excellent response

I really hate the goddamn "pull yourself up by your bootstraps brigade" ! The issue isn't that she should just move, the issue is that our government looks at the poor and working class people of this nation as disposable (and if a person is homeless they don't even bother to notice them at all), only corporate citizens matter.

[tavalon]

149. So true

I hope you are wrong that we are going to be battling one another instead of the real enemy.

[Obamanaut]

175. It IS a personal problem, and there have been many reasonable

suggestions as to coping with the problem.

[undeterred]

16. Maybe she could try to find other people to share the expense.

There is a section on craigslist and most companies have something. With gas being so high a lot of people are probably looking, and willing to be more flexible with hours.

[Jazz Ambassador]

18. You said don't say it, but...

She needs to move. $40 day is $1200/month. You didn't say where in Texas she or her job are, but $1200/month gets you a pretty nice apartment in San Antonio, fro example. It would also be the mortgage payment on a ~200,000 house -- and $200,000 buys you a pretty nice house pretty much anywhere in Texas.

Beyond that, let's face it: gasoline should be as expensive as it is now; in fact, it should be more expensive. I can't remember which European minister said a couple of years ago that "there's nothing wrong with America that a $2/gallon gas tax wouldn't fix," but he was right. We built an unsustainable (and butt-ugly) landscape based on the notion that cheap gas was forever; it was fun while it lasted, but people need to understand that, when they're commuting 250 miles a day, they are part of the problem that needs to be fixed. Sad, but true.

- your explanation about the elderly parents came in while I was composing. I suppose that makes a difference, if she's actually a caregiver for them.

[Horse with no Name]

19. Ahhh nice of you to join the conversation

So you are advocating that someone who has lived in the same rural area her entire life and has a $200 month house payment, lives somewhere where she can help take care of her elderly parents, pull up stakes and move so she can start over in her 50's? What happens if her job craps out? That does happen frequently, you know.

Seriously? It's really NOT as easy as you would like for it to be.

Oh, as in most industrialized countries that pay high prices for gases...they also offer healthcare and other benefits of paying those high prices...last I looked, we don't.

[Pacifist Patriot]

21. This suggestion always rankles me.

Moving is not always an option. In fact, many of us are well and properly stuck.

[Horse with no Name]

28. I know the feeling.

I've been stuck for awhile and it is starting to make more sense to just ride it out here as opposed to trying to move.

I think schools in the urban areas are going to take a bigger hit than the rural ones--that is my gut feeling. So, in the long run, even though my gas does cost me more, I think being right where I am is in our best interests.

[w8liftinglady]

I agree- I live "Rural", and the DISD is goiing to suffer way worse than we are

[Horse with no Name]

46. Yep. Luckily for us, in the entire second grade in our school

there are less than 35 kids. Even if every one of them were in the same class, they have all gone to school together their entire life and it wouldn't affect the kids much. In the entire second grade, all but one or two is on the honor roll.
I know the cuts are going to hurt everyone...but I don't see them affecting the kids as much as the staff.
The one thing that I feel will happen in the cities is that there will be a zero tolerance policy on bad behavior and more of those kids will be expelled.
The next fear that I have is that they will bring these problem kids out this way and disrupt our school.:(

[guitar man]

36. +1000

I paid my little house and property off back in '04. My job is 100 miles from home. I don't commute every day anymore, I bought a well used travel trailer and keep it in a RV park near the job.

I could sell my house and move, but to get into a paid for house near work would put us in the worst part of town. And I'm not getting back under a mortgage, no way, no how.

[pnwmom]

95. So that's a valid choice for you. My problem with the OP

is it's implying that this woman has no good choice other than to pay $1200 a month for gas or quit her job.

But she probably has another choice, and one that many Americans would choose -- to put that money in a rental near the place where she works.

Doesn't matter whether you live in a rural area or a city -- most Americans at some time move to another place because of a job. And a single person can do this more easily than someone with a spouse with a job, or children in school.

[Jazz Ambassador]

31. Look, I'm sympathetic.

I just edited my response to say xposted over your explanation about the elderly parents. Mea culpa.

Otherwise, though, I'll stand by what I said. Economies change, places become unlivable, and people move. Ask the Irish. Ask the Okies. It sucks, but you seem to be suggesting either that gasoline needs to be made cheap again or that thriving economies need to return to rural America, and neither of those seem at all likely (and the former doesn't even seem desireable). Of course I'd rather see this woman have access to single-payer health care, and of course I'd like to see the jobless rate fall, but it's not clear that either of these things would solve her problem.

[sammytko]

38. I agree with you, she needs to move

I've been to those west Texas towns. I lived in Van Horn for a few months because we were working on one of the radar sites out in the "mountains".

I remember one woman from the town because she worked everywhere. She was a waitress, her family rented out their ranch for movies - I think Lonesome Dove was filmed there - and they were trying to restore the old hotel there. There were some other things she did. And they were the well off ones.

Land was 50 dollars an acre! But there is no there 'there'.

What is she going to do when her parents get really old and so does she?

Heck i live 20 miles from San Antonio, and no way would I live further.

My family moved here in the 40s. Thank goodness they didn't decide to live in the hinterlands.

Even now my nephew complains "Why are we HERE?" Its funny. He's moving to New York City after college.

[bobbolink]

110. Yes, Judge.

:puke:

[sammytko]

112. yes i judge thanks

i live in Texas. These small towns out in the middle of nowhere sprang up when they served a purpose.

If its out in the Abilene area, probably some type of stop off point for the cattle drives. And those didn't even last that long - 20 years maybe. Maybe it was oil boom for a short while - who knows, but its not as if the family was there for eons. No reason for her not to move.

We're going through a gas boom in the even smaller towns south of where I live. Can't find a place to rent for miles, but do you think they are going to stick around once its over - NO. The small towns will be poor and small just like they were before.

They are even closing post offices in our area. Not enough people to make it worthwhile.

But on with the original post:

Her parents are probably getting SS benefits and together they could pull up stakes and find a better place.

I live in a small town with a new hospital 7 miles away, but I'll probably move to the city to be closer to better geriatric health care.

[bobbolink]

114. Please tell us your problems, so we can fix you, also.

Goddess, please save us from AUTHORITARIANS who still can't discern the difference between PERSONAL problems and SOCIETAL problems!

Kinda like the RW.....

[sammytko]

131. i have no problems, but thanks anyway - u are such a love!

[w8liftinglady]

43. People need to remember ,Texas has almost NO public transportation

Arlington,Texas... Home of Cowboy Stadium and University of Texas-Arlington, as well as the GM Plant and a major train hub....has NO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
You can thank Joe Barton for that one.

My partner lives in Henderson County and drives to Dallas.

Like MOST rural workers in Texas(myself included),we all drive to work....regardless of whether we live in a small town or city.

[pnwmom]

80. The transportation system there really is awful.

But the woman could also think about putting that money she's spending on gas into renting a closer apartment instead, and visiting her parents on weekends. Just to keep her sanity. Driving for 4 hours every day would drive me loony.

[datasuspect]

151. when i lived there they had some of the best roads i have ever driven

don't know how that's working out now.

but yeah, texans love their vehicles. don't look for public transportation infrastructure there anytime soon.

[pnwmom]

79. Look, the economy sucks, and we know who to blame. But as a practical matter

as a woman in my fifties, spending 4 hours per day on my commute would be HELL. This woman obviously thinks it's worth it -- but I'm not going to feel especially sorry for her for making that choice.

[alarimer]

83. but the only practical solution is either move or find a job closer.

There are no other options that make sense. She is spending way more in gas than she would pay for a apartment near her work. Presumably she either can handle the house payments even with the gas outlay. Now, it may not be possible to sell that house but perhaps rent it out? Or let her parents live there (assuming they don't already).

The option of getting a job closer may not exist where she is. But she cannot just quit without having anything else. She would eventually lose the house too and then what?

So it boils down to either move closer to work or find a job closer to where she lives. "It's where she grew up" is not a very good reason to stay someplace there are no jobs or with a ridiculous commute like that. It is impractical and foolish. Some small towns really deserve to die.

[Veruca Salt]

102. It does make sense though

the following:

She needs to move. $40 day is $1200/month. You didn't say where in Texas she or her job are, but $1200/month gets you a pretty nice apartment in San Antonio, fro example. It would also be the mortgage payment on a ~200,000 house -- and $200,000 buys you a pretty nice house pretty much anywhere in Texas.

You said her current payment is 200/mth on her house, I'm not sure what upkeep is but what about moving close to work, getting an apartment but also keeping her current cheap rural house?

I know people who have done that in other areas of the country. 1200/mth is a lot and just on face value; deduct the current monthly payment for her house and still have 1000 for an apartment near work.

She could also look for an apartment that is tenet at will so she doesn't have to worry about breaking a lease.

[sammytko]

113. It would be less than 1200, since she probably doesn't work every day,

maybe 800? Still a lot!

I spend maybe 60 on gas a month.

[AtheistCrusader]

162. She's also losing 3 hours a day commuting.

It's not JUST the cost of gas. How much is your free time worth?

Mine means time with my family. I can't even put a price on it.

[SoCalDem]

89. Using Europe in this "argument" is apples & slingshots

not even close enough to be apples & oranges:

The cost of "petrol" in Europe is mostly TAXES..

Those taxes go to support a MASSIVE public transportation system that we DON'T have (and probably never will have)..

Taxes in Europe also fund an excellent (for now at least) PUBLIC HEALTH CARE SYSTEM that we DON'T have (and won't have until the boomers all die off)

Taxes also provide unemployment compensation there that is a LOT kinder than we have here

Taxes there provide a safety net for elders

Taxes there provide education benefits that allow young people to study & graduate without soul-crushing life-long debt like we have here.

Taxes there pay for a broad-ranging array of services that citizens deserve...there are strong unions, well-paid workers with 6-7 weeks of PAID vacation yearly, child care benefits, PAID maternity leave for BOTH parents

Europe treats their citizens with dignity and actually provides some benefits with the citizenship...unlike here.

TAXES support the whole system and people don't mind paying taxes there because they don't also have to shell out HUGE payments to already-rich (and greedy) insurance companies..

Many people here in the US would gladly switch "systems", if given the chance.

Their cars are also a LOT more efficient than the behemoth gas guzzlers we allow..

[JVS]

145. One more thing.

In my experience in Western Europe, the idea of driving 100 miles or so for a job is nearly unthinkable. Most people would continue collecting an unemployment stipend rather than be expected to take a job so far away. I knew one person who commuted 40 miles, but that was on the train line. And I did know one woman who commuted 3 days a week to her job, which was about 60 miles away. But this was a special case, her husband was a professor at Oxford and the library there was actually better for her research interest than the one at her place of work.

[rpannier]

137. Let's say she moves (or wants to move)

Who buys her house?

If she can't find a buyer then she's stuck having to buy a new house (or rent) at the same time paying for the upkeep, protection and taxes on the other house. And the insurance -- which is more expensive if the house is empty.

[dixiegrrrrl]

183. 40.00 a day x 5 days a week =200.00 x 4 weeks = 800.00 a month.

Unless she works 30 days a month, then it is your figure of 1200.00 a month.

[Search4Justice]

22. It's beyond sad to see our family, friends, and neighbors..

... falling around us and know that we are in no position to help them. Where this is headed, scares the heck out of me, but the realist inside me, knows that we have already crossed the tipping point. There is a place beyond despair and hopelessness, it's when you come to know that when you have nothing left, you have nothing to lose. Tens of millions of desperate people with nothing left to lose, is THE recipe for revolution.

[Donnachaidh]

26. has she even considered finding riders to share the cost?

Too many times people spend far too much driving back and forth, but do nothing to try to carpool. Yes, your town is dying - but there are others in town who also commute -- any attempts to pull together on costs?

[Horse with no Name]

29. She is the only person that I know from here that drives that far West to work

Most of the folks that live here drive East or North.

I actually assumed until yesterday that she did as well.

[Donnachaidh]

37. she needs to research to see if others drive that way

Look, I'm not trying to knock her - but I'll bet there are people who do drive that way. And if she can't move, she really doesn't have many options. She should look into rideshare sites for the area, as well as Craigslist.

[Name removed]

111. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Donnachaidh]

120. oh come on Bobbie -- talk about a kneejerk answer

RW response? Are you frigging kidding me?

I didn't claim to have the perfect solution. But if someone has a problem they need to at least TRY to find a solution. Until all options are looked at, what's the point?

[bobbolink]

123. NOBODY here is called on to "find solutions" for complete strangers.

THAT *is* the RW way.

I am truly amazed at how deeply seated our idea dealing with strangers is in this country.

Maybe when more of you find yourselves in that position, you all will understand what it feels like.

These are mostly NOT personal problems... they are SOCIETAL problems, and as Democrats, that is what we should be looking at.

We USED to do that. We have swallowed the kool aid a few too many times.

Thank you for the abusive PM. Sorta proved my point, doncha think?

There *is* a difference between someone who asks for a favor or help, and unsolicited advice. As a matter of fact, Dear Amy used to say, "Unsolicited advice is an ego trip."

[Quantess]

117. Maybe she isn't good at problem-solving.

I fully agree with you, but, some people can't figure out solutions on their own. And if you make suggestions to them, they will come up with solutions why it won't work.

[Donnachaidh]

121. yes, that's a possibility too

I know a few folks like that.

[bobbolink]

125. Amazing. Unsolicited advice to strangers. Such an enlightened "progressive" trait.

[Quantess]

129. Notice I'm not advocating unsolicited advice to strangers, because,

A lot of people will come up with excuses why the suggestions won't work.

At the same time, it's also true that some people aren't good at problem-solving, on their own.

People who tend toward both of those traits will probably have a harder time adapting to life's trials and tribulations.

(edit to clarify)

[bobbolink]

181. It doesn't occur to you that maybe your "advice" is faulty, or that the person, who you don't know,

understands much more about the situation than you do.

No, it is always a blame on the stranger, rather than looking at other possibilities that may involve you.

Yet, I am not supposed to say that is exactly what the RW does, and we condemn them for it.

So, keep blaming.. I'm sure it warms the soul.

[Atman]

30. She made a bad choice. That's one hell of a commute. Now get this...

I am fortunate enough to work for the Democrats (indirectly...Dem ad agency). Our office is in a fairly remote location, and while my commute is only about ten miles, several of my co-workers had commutes of 30 miles or more. Last time gas hit $4, the boss came around and handed everybody checks for $700 to help cover the cost of driving to work.

Democrats really are better people than greedy pig-fucker Republicans.

[LynneSin]

32. People were told they should leave the city and find homes in the suburb

I work with people who easily drive 1-2 hours a day to come to work here. And I have no clue how they can afford to do that.

I was able to find a job in the city and when I bought my house, some 6 years after being at the same job, I also bought it in the city. I go thru about a tank of gas each month. I also bought in the city for another reason - if I did lose my job I'm 2 miles from the local train station and I would be able to take the train up to Philly and look for jobs there too.

[tuckessee]

35. Clearly she lives too far away from her workplace.

There's no reason why she can't move if she wanted to. What's her excuse?

[Quantess]

116. I'm wondering the same thing.

[bobbolink]

40. Yet, so many "progressives" want a huge raise in the federal gas tax.

So MORE people can stop working because they can't afford it. And will also be unable to afford food, because as fuel goes up, so does food and other goods.

But there is no talking reality or common sense to those people.

They are in love with federal gas taxes.

[Mulhane]

48. Those taxes are supposed to help people, not fund war

Progressives want more gas tax to fund intelligent alternatives to the car. There was some insincere references to high speed rail. Texas shot one such proposition down...a hi-speed route between Houston and DFW. This typical "cars-only" mentality was exposed as deadly when Houston (and New Orleans) tried to evacuate ahead of Katrina....instant gridlock.

[bobbolink]

90. Well, it sure didn't take long to get here, huh? Losing jobs, not being able to get food.... all

that is OK.

And they keep saying we should be afraid of the tea party. :rofl:

[bobbolink]

91. But "deadly" doesn't bother you when its poor people who suffer and die.

Some morals.

[w4rma]

50. Are you sure it would have that effect? It might force speculation down, instead, due to lessened

demand and generally pissed off people. The gas prices, in general, may not change but the funds could be redirected towards public transit programs to offset these prices.

[Horse with no Name]

53. I wish it really worked that way

but in MY country...the more money that is made at the pump, the only thing it means is higher bonuses for the CEO's and stockholders and more hurt for the consumer.

[kestrel91316]

41. I'm not clear about why someone would live 125 miles from where they work.

Texas or not. That simply doesn't make sense to me.

But then, I live 2 miles from where I work, near a mass transit route.

[Horse with no Name]

45. Because as the jobs kept leaving

People went to the next town...when they left there....they went to the next and then to the next and to the next.

Real estate is a joke around here. You cannot sell it. Nobody is buying. A realtor friend told me that it has been almost TWO years since ANY real estate has sold in this county.

What people who don't live in Texas really don't understand is the massiveness of this state.

We live in a very rural area. The closest town of substance is 45 miles. Then the next closest is another 45 miles--and these aren't even "big towns"...they are towns of about 45,000.

The largest city that is close to us is over 3 hours away.

It's hard for folks to comprehend about "being stuck" somewhere. But when you have a house that you can afford but couldn't sell...and work for a living for small wages, have elderly parents that are nearby, moving really is NOT an option. Especially for a 50-year old woman who works at a production type job that *may* or *may not* be there next month.

[pnwmom]

82. But for $1200 a month she's paying in gas, she could rent a nice place

in the other town (on a month-to-month basis if she's worried about job security) and help with her parents on weekends.

She does have choices -- she's not as locked in as people are with children in schools and spouses with local jobs.

Few people like having to move because of a job, but most people have done it at one time or another. My sister recently was offered that choice by her company -- either lose her job or move to a whole different state, because they were "consolidating." So she and her husband moved even though it meant her husband had to retire early. (Hers was the higher income and they needed it.) She hated having to move away from her adult children, but her original city was in the dregs so she did what she had to do.

As it turned out, one of her children also transferred out to a third state; and her other child eventually got a job in her new state.

In the U.S., most people follow jobs. That's why the average home is occupied less than 7 years.

[truedelphi]

107. Good post, Horse with no name. n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

130. Amen. Texas is massive.

Native Texan here, lived here all my life.

People in other states don't understand that major cities are not 25, 50 miles away.

The nearest big city to Houston is Austin and that is 190 miles, San Antonio is 200, and Dallas is 250. Brownsville is about 350. New Orleans is 350 miles from Houston. El Paso is 700 miles. Seven hundred miles.

Texas is 800 miles from north to south and from east to west.

I live in East Texas, which is not quite as unpopulated as West or North Texas, but it's 20 miles to the nearest grocery store in the county seat, of 8,000 people.

If I want to do any real shopping I have to go to Houston or Dallas.

[Search4Justice]

49. I think you make a couple very misinformed ..

... assumptions:

1)Mass transit?

More places than not in this nation, there is NO form of "mass transit" available.

2)Work?

Tried to find a job lately? There are 5 applicants for every job, my friend and that's crappy, minimum wage or slightly more part time jobs, with NO benefits.

Wake up.

[pnwmom]

84. S/he's not assuming there is mass transit there in Texas.

Or that there are plenty of jobs available.

But she's saying that it's hard to imagine choosing to live 125 miles away from work.

[bobbolink]

126. You are right.. this is just more of the "personal problem" rather than "SOCIETAL problem"

This is what we expect of the RW.. Democrats USED to be the ones looking to make things better for EVERYONE, rather than trying to find the blame in individuals.

How far we have fallen. :cry:

[badtoworse]

44. There are only two ways to lower prices

Increase the supply or reduce the demand. We are not doing a good job at either.

[PADemD]

52. Can she rent a room in town for five nights and drive home on weekends?

[Horse with no Name]

54. I don't know

I honestly am not completely aware of her entire situation other than what I have mentioned. I do know that the area that she works is a pretty expensive place to live...

When I was commuting, I stayed in a hotel and came home on weekends. It worked for me...but was pretty hard on my family.

[pnwmom]

85. It would be hard on a family, but she's single.

Two hours isn't such a bad distance from elderly parents, and she could visit them on weekends.

[and-justice-for-all]

56. It seems both of those women need to be educated as to

why things are the way they are and who is really responsible. The Dems did nothing that would affect gas prices (It is called Wall Street and Rice Speculation), insurance premiums go because the death panel insurance companies do not give two shits about ones well-being (profits is all they matters to them).

If these people want to really care, they need to stop voting for fascist pukes who really do not give a fuck about them. Pukes watch out for Wall Street, big business and their own ideologies...that is it.

[kentauros]

57. Can she telecommute instead?

I'm always surprised at how little recognition this idea gets, especially when gas prices go up. Most office jobs can be managed from home, yet it's rarely an option offered. Seems to me she would have a good reason to ask, or her employer would face losing an employee, when they don't have to.

[Horse with no Name]

59. She works at a production type job

I agree, there are wayyyy too many jobs that could telecommunicate. That certainly needs to become an option for many.

[kentauros]

60. The last time gasoline went up this high,

I completely expected to see billboards in town telling people how to telecommute. Never happened. There were billboards on carpooling, van-pooling and using the buses more. And when the topic is brought up on DU or elsewhere, it seems like it never gets any traction, either.

I understand you can't do it with hands-on type jobs, such as for your neighbor, but it really makes me wonder, what is the resistance? Where's it coming from and why?

[Horse with no Name]

61. There are a lot of service jobs that depend on the worker bees.

Think of the things these workers could cut out...

Gas, clothing, eating out, car maintenance, road tolls, etc.

Our economy is soooo fragile. It isn't dependent upon manufacturing anymore...it is dependent on service jobs. I think that TPTB aren't going to promote anything that would interrupt this equilibrium.

[kentauros]

64. That's true.

At the same time, you have big network companies like Cisco advertising the technology to really enable telecommuting with big-screen video and all the other bells and whistles. Makes you wonder who's buying their products if not Americans, or not many... ;)

[taught_me_patience]

58. She should buy a Prius

It looks like her commute is 250 miles and she is filling 10g/day. Thus, her car is getting 25mpg... not an economical vehicle. If she got a prius and increased her mileage to 40mpg, she'd cut her gas bill to $25/day. She'd save $300/mo... more than the cost of a used Prius.

[Horse with no Name]

69. There is a lack of understanding

In this particular part of rural Texas, living here is CHEAP.

If I told you that you could buy a 3000 sq ft brick home in pretty good condition for about $25k...you can buy land cheap. We have lots of water out here. Lakes, rivers, streams. Lots of grass, good land for growing, etc. Low tax base.

These things came with a huge price tag. Low paying jobs, failing schools, etc.

I don't remember the last time there was new construction here. It has been at least 10 years.

The realtor friend says that there hasn't been any real estate sold here for the last 2 years.

I don't know her situation, but she drives one of those really small toyota trucks. The kind that fits 2 people, 3 if you squeeze. It is an older model. Her house is simple and plain. But very well maintained.

She works long hours.

I don't think she has the disposable income necessary to purchase a Prius. People around here are pretty much existing. Not a lot of new cars running the roads here.

[Obamanaut]

138. Buy American - get a Chevy Volt

some of the $200/week would go a long way toward a monthly car payment on a Prius, or preferably, a Volt: "...I don't think she has the disposable income necessary to purchase a Prius..."

and get 1,000 miles on a tank of gas

Chevy Volt Owners Going 1000 Miles Before Refilling

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=439&topic_id=911644

[mountainlion55]

159. old hippie

You say there is lots of cheap land. Good water. Good growing land. I wonder if it would be possible to start some kind of co-op or communes and say screw the system. after all its screwing you! I agree that what you are describing is a societal problem. I just think that the vast majority of our ruling class likes to screw us in the.

[whistler162]

178. My penny thought and you can keep the change...

but if she works long hours and commutes 4 hours daily then she can't have anytime during the week to care for her parents and a cheap room or shared apartment in the city is more sensible than the alternative of falling asleep some night returning home and having a crash.

In the past when a town became economically unviable most of the citizens packed up and moved on. Now a days we commute to a better situation if it can be found. Automotives have changed much.

[bobbolink]

127. How nice that you are offering that to her.

[taught_me_patience]

134. She's already spending $800/mo (at least) on gas

and I outlined how she could save at least $300/mo on gas with a Prius, which could pay for the car. What's your point?

[Wounded Bear]

65. I can relate.....

I'm not quite there, but almost.

[Zax2me]

66. Texas oil clan at it again....

Little bush never really went away, did he?

[Wounded Bear]

67. "Little Bush" was the symptom, not the disease. nt

[jeff47]

71. A few practical things that could actually help her

Instead of spouting off with "move" or "buy a new car", here's a couple things she could do today to help:

1) Make sure her tires are properly inflated. Makes a very large difference in her fuel economy.

2) Make sure her car is as light as possible. If there's stuff in there "just in case" or because she forgot about it, take it out. Again, helps fuel economy. Consider even more severe changes like removing the back seat if it's never used.

3) Make sure to accelerate slowly. Sure, the car companies talk about their incredible 0-60 performance, but that burns a ton of gas.

[Horse with no Name]

74. Thanks. I'll pass these on to her.

She will be grateful.

[Shagbark Hickory]

72. So she doesn't get paid more than about $40 per day, you're saying?

Or a little less than minimum wage?

[Horse with no Name]

75. I don't know what she makes.

She is an hourly employee. I do know that.

A "good" wage in this area is $10/hour and $15/hour is almost unheard of. So, I am guessing that is the range.

[Shagbark Hickory]

100. Then it sounds like she's bad at numbers. Most republicans are. nt

[leftyladyfrommo]

81. Wow! That's a lot of gas.

I drive all the time - up to 300 miles a day sometimes. It costs me $35 to fill my tank now and I can go 300 miles on a tank. I drive a Yaris.

[eleny]

87. Perhaps she could rent a room in someone's home for the weekday nights

When I was in high school my folks rented out a room in our home. This was in Queens, NY. One man lived out on Long Island and the commute was very long. Another renter worked as an airline attendant who worked out of JFK which was only several miles from our neighborhood.

If a family home could be found where she could rent and eat for about or less than the fuel costs, it might be something to think about. At least it would give her the ability to rest up better during the week and not put so much wear and tear on her vehicle.

She's between a rock and hard place because moving doesn't appear to be an option. I wish her well.

[pnwmom]

98. She could rent an apartment for much less than the $1200 per month

she's spending on gas.

I guess she doesn't mind the driving as much as I would!

[eleny]

104. It appears that she needs to be near her parents

Family needs often trump other concerns.

[Electric Monk]

88. A 2 hour commute each way every day is insane.

That's like working another part time job, except instead of getting paid for it she is paying for the privilege.

[Gregorian]

101. American society is designed around the automobile.

How dare anyone question this.

I can't comment on how I feel about those who travel to work by car, let alone those who drive crazy distances just to get to and back. I'd be banned. It's not because I commuted by bike for many years, in rain, snow, sickness, by bike. Or that my father did the same. I also was addicted to the automobile until pushed by some brilliant friends to abandon it. It's the ruination of this country. Of this planet. It's why we're unhealthy. It's so many things.

[Quantess]

118. No flames here. It's the truth!

Go ahead and say it. :toast:

The American way of life revolves around the car. You have to live in places like NYC, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and a handful of other cities if you expect to live a fulfilling American lifestyle without a motor vehicle.

This will be a factor in the decline of the USA. Not to mention the environment.

[Hannah Bell]

96. kr

[Vanje]

103. Car-pooling

It works for me.

[Capitalocracy]

105. I feel for her...

I'd be better off than I am right now if I could EARN a steady $40 a day.

[etherealtruth]

108. How horrible for her

Unlike others (a few) in this thread .... I understand "stuck" ....and it sucks

[Brigid]

115. Tell your neighbor she has plenty of company.

And not just in Texas.

[lildreamer316]

122. WTF IS WRONG with some of you in this thread??

Husband is in the same situation. He works in TWO cities that are BOTH OVER 100 miles from our house.

1) He just got these jobs in the last three months. After being out of work over six months.
2) We only have one car. CANNOT AFFORD ANOTHER ONE. Not our fault. (SIDE NOTE: DO NOT HAVE house payment. DO NOT have credit cards. DO NOT have car payment. STILL cannot afford another car.)
3) The rail lines day service (which is the ONLY ONE THAT will get him to work in TIME) were SUSPENDED for two months while Amtrack worked on the lines. NOT OUR FAULT. ONLY OPTION for alternate transport that WE COULD AFFORD. No one else doing this treck to carpool, we checked.
4) The house THAT I OWN is in TRUST for me and I do not get ownership of it until a year and a half from now. So I cannot sell EVEN IF I WANTED TO.
5) The house I own NEEDS EXTENSIVE WORK before I will even be ALLOWED to sell it (don't ask, septic issues) YOU gonna pay for that?
6)We don't know which job is better, and we are extremely grateful that he got both of them. He works in a fairly specialized career and has lots of experience (at 34 years old). What he does is now in high demand (for whatever reason) and he has a good possibility of making a lot of money at it (tips). So there are many variables to consider in EVENTUALLY deciding which job to stick with. But right now we need the money so badly that he can't give up either one.
7)I don't have anyone to watch my child so he has to travel with us.
8)I have to drive him so I can have the car. He does stay in each city several days.
9)In this housing market, do you even think I'd be able to sell my house fast enough to have money to either rent soemthing for us to live in, or put down on another one? Can you guarantee that? Didn't think so.

SO - we drive him to BOTH jobs. EVERY WEEK. It takes the same as the lady in the OP -$40 or more. I have a child, so I have to have a car with, oh I dunno, FOUR DOORS. So excuse the hell out of me for not having a tiny car. (I actually own a Honda Del Sol, 2 seater, 35 to the gallon that is..GUESS WHAT..broken down!! Someone want to fix that for me? HA) I bought a car that I could AFFORD, that was somewhat decent on gas (29-31/gal when in top shape); and that DOES NOT HAVE A CAR PAYMENT. So again excuse me for choosing to try and be responsible and decrease my debt load. I live in the suburb of medium-sized city where my husband has worked at every job in his field available, and some that are not. They either do not have room for him at the moment or are extremely low-pay. So, again,excuse me for not insisting that he accept that instead of the people that were BEGGING him to come work. In bigger cities. With better pay. In THIS ECONOMY.

I will move WHEN. I. CAN. That is not now. It is not up to you. You do not know what this lady in the OP, or I, are dealing with. THIS IS A (supposedly)FREE COUNTRY. Can we not live where we want and expect to get where we need to ( I know, I know.. take responsibility and don't complain about it, we need to work on more public transport)? We can't all just pick up and move at a moment, or even a MONTH's notice. It's expensive and wrenching and can take you away from support systems that make it possible to live, and even quietly perceive life as even *slightly* enjoyable.

I can't believe some of you,being so flippant,arrogant and dismissive. We who have chosen to do this kind of driving for work were quietly doing it, and minding our own biz until conditions made it/are making it almost impossible for us to get to the FEW jobs that we were LUCKY ENOUGH to find. THE POINT IS that the squeeze is on from ALL sides and you should be WITH us, not trying to tear us down and find fault.

Way to band together and show support in the obvious CLASS WAR that this is, DU. Bravo. Good friggin' show.

[Horse with no Name]

128. Thank you. I am appalled at some of the responses here.

You know, because elderly parents ONLY need care on the weekends...magical fairies appear and take care of them during the week.

[readmoreoften]

144. +1

[FooshIt]

124. She consumes too much gas.

I'm lucky if I can spend 40 on gas in two weeks.

[roody]

132. I pity anyone who has to spend that much time in a car.

[Sherman A1]

146. Take time to explain to her that this is the result of 30+ years

of the GOP's work, cite the examples of stagnate wages, no energy policy and alike. This discussion will not all happen at one time, but it must begin.

[upi402]

147. WHERE MY JOBS AT MR BONER???????????????

:grr:

[indimuse]

148. KNR! n/t

[bobburgster]

153. Your last sentence, says it all!

"But her masters have taught her to hate me...and that is what she will do. Because even in their evilness they realize, that they cannot carry out THEIR agenda unless neighbors hate neighbors."


What a truthful shame!

[NuttyFluffers]

157. dying town, being priced into oblivion. sounds like she has no choice but to move.

the way you wrote this all i can see is either she ups and moves or stay and gets trapped in a dying town. both will be hard, but only one sounds like guaranteed destruction.

people may rant and rail against that, but from what's written what other options are there? if gas stays at $4 a gallon or goes higher, what are her options? plant a garden and wait for a miracle? if she has little hope to change her expenditures, and a guaranteed end to her income if prices stay or increase, then it's suicide to do anything else but move. sad, but there seems to be no other real answer. we may feel all we want, but personal logistics are an unforgiving reality.

[sammytko]

168. thank you! These towns have been on life support for years

When we used to go through them, we would ask ourselves, why? Why stay here if there is no future and you will spend the rest of your life scrambling to make a living of any kind.

Its like those towns in Iowa that were paying people to move there. Well not paying them, but giving them free land. The land wasn't worth much.

[BlueJazz]

158. I'd like to offer one solution. >>

If her parents are able to take care of themselves during the week, maybe she could get an inexpensive room
from monday to friday each week.

I say this because one of my customer's daughters live 100 miles from work.
She pays $65.00 a week for a small room (in a house...the people are GLAD to get the extra dough).. about 10 miles from her work office...Monday through Friday.
She goes home Friday night.

[Lorien]

160. This is one more reason why we need a National high speed rail system with light

rail connectors serving every region of the Country.

[Mason Dixon]

164. Monorail! Monorail!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEZjzsnPhnw

Yes light rail that's the ticket. Just check out Jacksonville Florida. Perfect example of mid-size American city looking to moderize itself. How cares how many millions it cost or that it runs from Somewhere to Nowhere. Or the fact that NO ONE rides it. Not even the homless looking for a place to sit down.

Every region of the country sure is funny. That Wichita to Oklahoma City leg will be packed!

[cbdo2007]

169. This won't help - she'll always find some reason to complain.

"Light rail still drops me off 5 blocks from my work. You expect me to walk the rest of it??"

"I can't afford a light rail ticket, when I still have to drive 20 miles to/from for the train"

She wants someone to come along and solve her problems for her. Then when they're solved she'll just find another reason why it can't work.

[yeswecanandwedid]

180. That doesn't seem fair. You assume a bit too much for me. nt

[Mason Dixon]

165. Up hill Right? Both Ways

[MrMickeysMom]

166. A belated BIG THANK YOU, HWNN...

That was a fucking GREAT archive...

I actually took the time (I've little, but needed to) to read the archive and it seems that well thought out posts like this should be more the norm. It's too bad I wasn't lurking much in 05 when this deserved the light of day.... However, it is timeless in even too late INFORMING those who WISHED to shed light on it. (God, I miss SLaD's posts, too.)

Also, some early stuff about one of the new criminal Republican Govs.... Florida Governor SCOTT.... Isn't it amazing how these guys are now in place to TOTALLY screw the public who they try to pit against one another?

There is NOTHING this woman can do, outside of advertising a "ride along" to defray gas costs. Meanwhile, the schools are left without any of the funding, and these criminals continue to build their rap sheets.

KICK

[valerief]

167. They ALL taking the money and running. Jobs aren't the only thing exiting this country. nt