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Originally Posted by Beavoid
As an American who believes in a generally free market I have to disagree. It is not the job of government to support business financially and promote their products for them.
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That's not what I'm wishing for. Without officially supporting a product or private a company, which I believe is illegal anyway, it's the state/local authorities role to make all markets as accessible as one another. Many investors that would be ready to put their money on renewable energy products can't because the infrastructures for their use, fabrication and maintenance don't even exist. Often, the same goes for the needed regulations. For them to exist it takes an impulse from authorities (laws, authorisations, building permits, etc...). But it's not happening because of the lobbying from the likes petrol and transport compagnies. This won't change until it's these people's financial interest to do so, saddly.
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Originally Posted by Beavoid
As an argument I must say that gas would be cheaper if there weren't so many ridiculous (ridiculous if you are not an environmentalist or GW enthusiast) regulations on drilling. In addition, there are ridiculous taxes that have, none of them, been used in their appropriate manners. The money just goes away...
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Taxes yes, regulations no, way less than taxes anyway. I work for oil companies and I'm not anywhere near worrying for them or their profit when I see the margin they make on a gallon of petrol.
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Originally Posted by Beavoid
I don't know how things are in Montreal, but I am sure there must be some alternative to driving there on your own every day and facing traffic jams. Buses, metro, biking, walking, carpooling... Where you live and work is a choice you make and you must deal with its excellence and hardships. Another alternative would be another job, another place to live. But you probably like your job and don't want to move and so won't do either of those things. Most people don't, but those are choices they make. When gas prices went up, I moved closer to town, drove less in general, and saved uncountable sums of money.
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Buses : The hours don't fit. When I said the public transport is crap is Montreal, I meant crap. I work in an industrial area where thousands of people work and the last bus near my company is a 16:00. In my job I hardly ever finish my day before 17:00.
Metro : I could but I'd need to take the bus before and after. That's 1h30 in the morning, and another one in the evening. That would make me leave my house too early to drop my kid at kindergarden, and leave my job to late to pick her up.
Cycling/Walking : too far.
Carpooling : Can't be done. I'm a consultant, me and my colleagues hardly ever go to the same working place.
It's no use moving near my job. The area is polluted and a crap place to live. I don't call that a choice when you have children.
We are considering moving closer to town to get closer to my gf's job. That would save us a car and all the spendings from it. But kindergardens are saturated (because of the government...) so we're stuck with the one we have now and it's holding us back... We're going to move anyway I think but I'll still have to use my car for my job.
The only hope is to change job, which might happen quite soon, but that's because of possible personal luck, that doesn't happen to everyone.
So... to resume
... if the city transport company did a better job and if the government was pro-active regarding the kindergarden situation, I would have a choice, be sure I'd make the right one. Right now I can't.
Ponrauil
09-29-2006, 11:26 PM
