Nine Shift

Gas and Democracy

I don't know what is more fascinating. Watching the 21st century values emerge, or the 20th century values collapse.

Thomas Friedman continues to shout out for a collapsing set of values.  His latest column advocates the incredulous (to me) belief that oil prices are tied to democracy.  Get this:  the lower the price of gas, the more democracy flourishes.

Friedman continues to believe in the oil based economy, and America as right and moral and leader of the world.  The same state of denial going on in the British Empire 100 years ago.

(Photo: Isabel Allende. Her husband was President of Chile when the U.S. overthrew his democratically elected government 35 years ago.  I remember it with great pain and embarrassment for our country.)

Gas hits $4 a gallon: time to celebrate!

Today gasoline hit $4 a gallon in my home state of Wisconsin, much earlier than I would have predicted.

Time to celebrate!  How are you going to "celebrate" $4 gas?

The week has seen a whole bunch of articles on alternative travel,  including bikes, train ridership up, carpooling, and much more.  Let us know: how are you going to celebrate $4 a gallon gas?

AAA funds trains to replace cars

National Train Day is May 10 in the USA.
Americans will "celebrate" by whining.  Most will whine about high gas prices for their cars.
I and other Train advocates will whine about American trains being so far behind European trains.

Irony of the week.  American Automobile Association (AAA) gives a 10% discount for Amtrak train tickets.
So AAA is, in effect, helping to fund trains to replace cars.
We like it.

(Photo: Julie gets complimentary coffee, newspaper and meals on our Amtrak trip from New Orleans  to Wisconsin this week. We got a roomette, cost still cheap.)

Gas prices not driving cars down

NineShift has always maintained that the high price of gas is not why cars are in decline.
The high gas prices help the transition to trains, but the main reason is that you cannot work and drive.

We've wondered, however, whether hay prices were similarly high in 1908, as carriages went into decline.
Car sales are on pace to decline 10% from 2000 to 2010, just like carriage sales declined 10% from 1900 to 1910.

But, according to this New York Times story from 1908, hay prices were low that year. 
Either way, hay prices of course had no impact on the decline of the horse and buggy.
(Photo courtesy of freefoto.com)
Just like gas prices have no serious impact on the decline of the car today.