Scootin' Fool

It's been a relatively uneventful few days for me. There's been the usual, scootin' to and from work, the occasional moron who insists on tailgating me despite my exceeding the speed limit. Nothing really earth shattering on that score.

I did see a used Kymco People 250 at a local motorcycle shop. It was interesting enough and would certainly enhance my ability to ride a litttle faster, but I can't really afford to lay out the money on it right at present. I really do enjoy my little 50cc, but its just a bit too pokey for highway riding (not to mention that the tires are so small). I need something that will still save me money on gas but get me from place to place without any trouble.

I was reading Gerry's most recent blog on Scootlancaster, and I do have to disagree with him on his opinion of Baraq Obama's recent comment about conserving gas by pumping up the tires on your vehicle and getting a tuneup. Sure, it might help fuel economy a little bit (negligible from what I understand), but Mr. Obama's statement strikes me as trite and more than a little cocky. Here he is, a man who makes more than 6 figures a year, trying to tell the little guy (that's us who make less than 50g a year), that we need to just suck it up and pump up our tires. As I understand it, he also opposes offering an innovation prize for electric car research. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about adapting and conserving resources, heck, I bought a scooter to save money on gas and it sure helps, but I get really tired of politicians who aren't willing to work toward real solutions but would rather push their own political agenda despite what the people overwhelmingly beg them to do.

So much for change.

The idea that we should drill for oil on U.S. territory as a temporary solution, while we also
research alternative energy options in an effort to become less dependent on foreign oil is not a bad one at all. I don't think it's a good thing that we're paying $4.00 a gallon for gas since many families just can't afford to go out and get a scooter or hybrid. Public transportation is pretty unreliable in many areas and doesn't solve the problem of commuting for many people. Sure, it's different in some of the larger cities with a decent subway, but here in rural PA, it's not such a great solution.

Let's take a great example. My mother is 64 years old. She lives alone (my father passed away four years ago), and makes less than 30,000 a year. She drives 20 miles to work each day in Western Massachusetts. She is a school teacher and at her age, she could not get a job at another school, no one would take her (simple fact). She can't just up and move, her house is paid for and she could not afford to pay rent on an apartment. What do Mr. Obama's words do for her? How much practical assistance is that to her? I'll tell ya, it ain't much.

Should we conserve? Sure. I know I do, and I know my family does. Should we let politicians be all snobby and say "Oh, poor you, you're having trouble affording food because of the high gas prices? Oh, here, here's a packet of saltines. Aren't I so wonderful?"

Sorry Barry, it doesn't resonate. Pretty speeches are great, but they don't fix anything.