Stephen Dame Wrote:Summiteer Wrote:Ahoy, not sure if any of you's got this email but It sounds like a smart way to combat the growing pricez of Gaz; it reads like this;
WE CAN & BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS"
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> >>Dear friends & family;
We are going to hit close to a $1.42 a Litre by the summer.
Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some
intelligent, united action.
Phillip Hollsworth, "
I'm all for collective action, and I'll glady throw some dirt on the oil companies... but that e-mail is just spam. Gas prices won't get anywhere near $1.42/L this summer or any other summer over the next five to ten years.
Yep, gas prices suck, but compared to Europe, we're still spoiled.
Plus, people are starving elsewhere on the planet... I really could care less if I'm paying $1 a litre... life goes on in comfortable Canada.
Stephen, I understand fully what you are saying. If I may though, I would like to give you another perspective. I don't mean this to be an argument and I'm not negating your above statement. It's just that things are not as easy as that for some of us.
You see, I am a single mother of a five-year old son. I have a full time job and still live on or slightly below the poverty-line. (The net-income required to be included in this group seems to change everytime the government decides it wants to cut funding for much needed programs.) I had to move several kms outside of the capital just so I could afford decent housing. The $1000/month it would cost me to live in the city limits just isn't in my budget. (I do not qualify for any kind of housing subsidy). OC Transpo does not service my area, therefore I must drive to work. My son is still in daycare, and like all daycare programs a school bus service is not provided. This means I must drive him there. There is no grocery or department stores in my neighbourhood so again, transportation is essential. Car-pooling is an option, but as the price of gas rises, so does the cost of sharing a ride.
Something else to consider is the cost of all goods and services that rely on ground shipment as means of transporting its product. This includes but is not limited to: all food (meat, produce, dairy, specialty items such as kosher and halal), all material goods (from furniture to sporting goods, even toiletries and assorted sundry. Can anyone afford to pay $8 a tube for toothpaste?), and almost everything else we use on a daily basis. Hell, even our mail service is predominately delivered by ground. I know that any cost of living raise that I may receive will not cover the skyrocketing prices that can occur with the hike in fuel.
As far as saying that prices will not climb to $1.42/litre, I think this may be a case of "whistling-past-the-boneyard". I remember when I began driving 20 years ago, most people said gas would never get over 50 cents. " It would never be allowed to happen. Why, people will be outraged." These are the sorts of statements I heard from just about everyone. As you can see, 50 cents is no longer an outrage, but a beautiful dream.
What about all the everyday people who use vehicles as means of employment? How will fuel prices affect their bottom line? What about those who work driving for others? What will happen when employers decide to cut corners and lay off employees just to stay ahead? Many people may suddenly find themselves in unexpected dire straits.
The tax on gas is considerably higher than what most people realize. In the end it runs close to 44% of the "pump-price". Somewhat more than a few cents a litre. Add this to the hidden taxes we already pay, and it's making more than a few of us less comfortable.
I know that the every day living conditions in other countries are very grim. My parents worked for a well known charitable organization and spent may years living in Kenya. I've had occassion to visit them there and I've seen first hand what abject poverty is. However, by saying that we have it better than others, does not make the situation we are facing o.k. It is time something was done. I can not offer any solutions. I wish truly wish I could.
Don't get me wrong. I consider myself very fortunate to live in this country and to have access to all the luxuries that go along with it. I am grateful to be working and to have sufficient food and shelter. My son never has to go hungry and I appreciate what a blessing that is. But I fear that with higher fuel prices there is a chance that all may change. It's a chance I can not afford to take.
