4 to 5 bucks for gas coming!?

[Ron Green]

47. I salute your efforts and your thoughtfulness

on this complex matter, and agree with you that class division should not be made worse by solutions to a problem caused by such issues ("white flight," speculative development, GMAC financing, etc.)

My overall concern is that the automobile is ingrained in our culture to a point that's as harmful as any drug. As a teenager in the early '60s I grew up in a world of cheap gas, loud pipes, lovers' lanes and all the trappings of a world built around the car. It's taken me many years to feel appropriately about my continuing use of a car: caution, and some guilt. This first step in the addict's recovery is essential if we're going to move beyond oil slavery, and calling for cheap gas doesn't help.

Until we really internalize a vision of a post-automobile world, we're moving deck chairs. Our celebration of the survival of U.S. automakers is a case in point.

Last night, I drove with my wife about 40 miles to a picturesque little town to have Valentine's Day dinner. I still value the opportunity to do this, and don't want thoughts of shame and guilt to cloud such an event, but an extra five bucks for the fuel for such a trip is not out of line.