Remember that many leftists are cheering that people are changing their behavior in this way. This intent is to inflict enough pain to change how people live their lives.
Millions of Americans who rely on their cars for work are changing their habits, signing up for carpools or even ditching their cars for bicycles as gas prices recently hit $5 per gallon for the first time ever. This week, it’s averaging $4.95 per gallon nationwide, up from $3.06 per gallon a year ago, according to AAA.
And the prices are having a huge ripple effect in our economy.
“This is an unwelcome development for those companies that are trying to get people back to the office,” Lewis said. “It is one more reasonable reason why those employees are pushing back.”
Lewis has around 100 employees in Norwalk. Before COVID, 85% of them were in the office at least two days a week. Now, maybe 25% of them are. Lewis — and many of his clients — would like to see employees in the office more but say gas prices are a huge barrier.
“If you are the company that requires everyone to come in all the time, you’re a pariah,” he said.
Oh, but Biden may send you $100 of your own money in the form of a gas card. That’ll fix it.
The Lefties are twisting their own tits on this one. They are cheering the pain caused by the high prices of the evil fossil fuels,,, while at the same time lamenting the economic pain felt by their pride and joys, the big cities, which don’t have the daily flow of visitors in the form of office employees. They’re too book smart and not world wise to understand the dichotomy of their own thoughts.
YES. This is a good thing. While there are a dozen negatives to the high gas prices, the fact that people may try to use some of the services that their tax dollars already pay for (bike lanes & mass transit), And maybe a small percentage realize that it is worth the extra 15 minutes of time in their day to take a bus because they can relax while riding, or that the 3-4 miles to work can be done on a bike. These are what we call “Silver Linings”. Or people actually follow thru on car pooling.
One of my best friends goes into the NWMutual office downtown 1-2 times a week. And he takes the bus from West Bend whenever he does it, and has for the past 5 years or so. He loves that he doesn’t have to think about the traffic and can work or play while riding.
Again, this is the free market working as it should. If there is less demand for gas, the price will go down. Maybe a small fraction of these people will actually continue with things like biking or carpooling when gas goes down in price come fall/winter.
Jason, I just read an article last week that said the price of gas hasn’t yet affected the average miles that Americans are putting on their vehicles yet. Basically people hate it, but it hasn’t swayed their overall habits for the most part.
>Again, this is the free market working as it should.
Government manipulation of energy policy designed to severely throttle an industry in order to create false choices for consumers is the very anthesis of laissez-faire economics. Cheer the pain all you want, but don’t call it a free market choice. That’s going to be a tough sell around here. Some of us know better.
Pollyanna Lives!!
Being tied to a bus (or carpool) schedule has problems when one needs to go someplace inter-day, like visit the MD, quick run to a specialty-item store (the gun shop) OR–most problematic–has kids to manage through school, soccer, baseball, swimming, (etc.)
Granted, this will marginally cut consumption of gasoline, but as observed above, it’s not “free market” in any sense of the term when Gummint makes it so.
Johnny, I have never insulted you in the past, but your statement was moronic, insulting and elitist.
I now am a taxi driver. I have to pay for the gas I use. While I am not losing money, but Biden’s policies are killing me.
And not everyone, especially those who live in small to.mefium cities have access to a decent bus service
And the elderly, the disabled and those who have no driver’s license certainly don’t have access to bus service if they live in a small to medium cities.
You’re better than this, Johnny.
Mar, as I stated there are a dozen downsides to the gas prices that hurt lower and middle class. But there are millions of people who can easily use mass transit or bike to their jobs that currently don’t. Mostly because they find it easier and quicker to drive themselves. But, if this worldwide mess shows people there is a cheaper way, maybe some with stick with it. Or create new habits.
And almost all medium+ sized cities have mass transit of some sort.
Dad29, it is called “planning ahead”. If you know you need to do one of those things, you drive yourself. Otherwise a majority of people drive to work, and drive home. Rarely with a stop between. And if you need a “quick run”, nothing is stopping you from doing it after you get home other than laziness. Oh, and the “gummint” isn’t making anything happen. This is the free market at work. High demand + low supply = high prices.
And Mar/Dad29, we have gone thru in other threads my opinion that regardless of the policies, gas prices (and inflation) would be high. The entire world is seeing inflation hit due to supply chain issues. I was unaware that the Biden policies caused 7%+ inflation in: India, Mexico, Canada, Germany, EU, Spain, Netherlands, & UK.
Again, Johnny, you are being elitist.
Yes, big cities might have have decent but dangerous mass transit.
I live in an area of 40,000 people. We have 4 bus routes and area size that is of bigger than Milwaukee County.and they just run once an hour, stop a7 on weekdays and 3 on Sunday and off on Sunday.
Of course, if you live smaller towns, or in rural areas, there is no bus service and you are screwed.
The world does revolve around big cities.
Mar, mass transit in the city of Milwaukee is very safe. It is as safe as the area of town you are in.
Well, considering that 250M people live in urban areas and only about 50M in rural areas… the US kinda DOES revolve around urban (and suburban) areas. Not every small town needs a mass transit system, and that is unfortunate for them that they can’t support it. Suburbs make up about 2:1 the ratio of suburban : urban. These are the pros and cons people need to consider when deciding where to live. I don’t fault anyone for living in the suburbs and driving into the city to work, but I don’t want to hear them complain about the cost of gas or the amount of traffic. I just moved last year from the city of Milwaukee to Bayside. I knew that it would be more travel for me (less for my wife). And that is why I choose to drive a very economical car.
I would say get used to gas prices, I don’t know if they are going to go down much. I wouldn’t be shocked if $3-$4 / gallon was the new norm from here on out. If the oil companies don’t want to open additional refinery capacity, then we either import oil from the Middle East or elsewhere, or we pay more for our oil.
Going back to the original discussion, hopefully this WILL change the habits of people who can do it.
Oh, and the “gummint” isn’t making anything happen. This is the free market at work. High demand + low supply = high prices.
The half-lie Bumper Sticker of gold-coast Democrats.
“Low Supply” has EVERYTHING to do with Government both here and abroad. Chicken-Little fearmongering about non-existent climate disasters (based on the very peculiar religious belief that Perfect Climate was in 1955 or sumpin sumpin) have led to policies which have eroded US refining and production–with the objective of matching European prices for gasoline because Europe, ya’know.
IOW, shove your North Shore Nancy propaganda where the sun never shines, pal. Were you as pure as you claim, you would be walking to work. How about it?
Dad29, my wife walks or bikes to work now when the weather is nice. She is less than a mile from her work now. Which is why we moved up here.
Sometimes I DO walk to work… right down into my basement office and work all day from there, then I walk upstairs. But, my work office is in downtown MIL and it would not make sense for me to walk. I haven’t yet looked into bussing from here, but doubt that it will make sense based on my work schedule, it is on the agenda at some point.
Ohhhh. That is the first time I have been called a NS Nancy! Thanks. I spent 15 years in the city over by Pulaski HS, but now I truly feel like I am part of my new neighborhood now. But hey, coming from a guy who is clearly scared to come into the “big city”. That means a lot.
I’ve spent more time living in, working in, performing in, and visiting the Big City than you have, pal. Probably have 20++ years on you. But then, I’m no fool. That CCW license I have is………..operational.
I haven’t yet looked into bussing from here, but doubt that it will make sense based on my work schedule, it is on the agenda at some point.
Preach/Practice dichotomy. Surprise!!!! /sarc
Let’s have a new Government policy dictating that only 8-bit gates may be used in computers beginning 2025. Think the price of computing-time will go up? Think development of new 64-bit chips will continue? Think that will cost you?
Well, too bad. Those 64-bit thingies are demolishing the environment and YOU are an Environmental Rapist. So you’re going back to 8-bit gates. Hope you remember BAL and ladder-logic, pal.
>These are what we call “Silver Linings”.
>Mar, as I stated there are a dozen downsides to the gas prices that hurt lower and middle class.
>Oh, and the “gummint” isn’t making anything happen. This is the free market at work. High demand + low supply = high prices.
JonnyV, these do not compute.
First, a silver lining is a positive or pseudo-positive derived from a negative situation, you can briefly say that ‘there are negatives’, but your whole point has been that these Government forced changes are actually good for us all so how are there silver linings in something that is good for us?
Second, you admit it hurts the lower and middle classes, but still call it good. That is because apparently it does not really affect you…the definition of elitism. Lastly, your total disconnect between Government mandates and free market is truly severed here, maybe an example would help? Free market equals the XL extension on the keystone pipeline. Business wants it, the public demand wants it, but we don’t have it purely because Government opinion denied it. That is NOT free market. You can acknowledge this, correct? All the left obfuscation of blaming ALL inflation on Russia and accusing the right of blaming it ALL on Biden aside, you can admit that Government restriction impedes free market, right? And you can admit that Government limiting supply (while still allowing big business to just gouge the people for their profits) is artificially affecting the law of supply and demand, right?