It is correlated in the US by what is affordably survivable by most.
Lower gas prices, but strangling healthcare costs, etc. (that so happen
to be offered fully by countries with high gas prices) - made this bad
US system somewhat survivable. Considering it "good" is exactly what
someone in your position would intellectualize but can afford it no
matter what gas ever goes up to.
Many of us can't just simply make immediate "wiser" choices. We can't
just hop to another closer job that will come close to covering our
bills. Simply change the house to a more efficient boiler? Switch to gas
heat? I don't have the few thousand dollars to quickly do that. Switch
to wind? Solar? That's many more thousands of dollars.
I realize these amounts of money wouldn't even register to someone
sought after for major capital restructuring such as yourself, so it is
purely by academically analyzing the disconnected "big picture" that you
are saying such things - economics professor or not. People here in the
US aren't "wasteful" because they are irresponsible. The irresponsible
wasteful ones here are the ones that are not even affected by these
increasing gas prices. Gas prices won't affect their lifestyle no matter
how high they go. The majority that are not in that position need to get
to whatever job they can get to best cover their costs of living. These
costs don't as easily allow people to just cavalierly concentrate on
being as "green" as possibly partly because here they are NOT relieved
of the fear of keeping themselves and their families healthy. Those
costs here are obscene, so people need to go where they have to go to
get work - and in many cases they need a car to do it. Not everyone can
just choose some set-for-life career with full health coverage just
because they were simply "smart" enough to make the right "choice" in life.
Many will be on the street before they have a chance to put "wiser"
choices into practical action.
Nathan wrote:
> Larry,
>
> The price of health care has nothing to do with the price of oil. It
> IS a good thing that gasoline prices have gone up in the US Now the
> market is doing what no US politician has dared do (increase gas
> taxes). Good.
>
> Nathan
>
>
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