I already own the most fuel efficient vehicle I need without going out and spending more money to buy another more expensive POS that I can not maintain myself.
Sorry, didn't read this statement correctly the first time. I took you to mean that you had a high mpg vehicle that you could not maintain on your own.
I can maintain my own vehicle, I refuse to buy something that I will not be able to maintain such as some electric POS that will not tow an aircraft or haul an R-2800 in the bed.
Well, if you've already gotten in your mind that the product offered is a POS, whichever product you've looked at, I doubt we'll get very far into this convo. People with large weights to be hauled are obviously going to be saddled with larger, less fuel effecient vehicles.
The fact of the matter remains that most major metropolitan areas will not be able to be self sufficient when it comes to food, or most commonly used goods without serious relaxation of local EPA, Worker's Rights, and FDA regulations. Not to mention, that unless you are going to turn that urban center's workforce into manual labor, you still have to have the equipment necessary to farm. The amount of land needed to support Chicago alone is massive. The price of a barrel of oil going over $200 will simply be too much for most economies to handle.
Where there is a will, there is a way. If we as consumers create the demand for local food, it will be fufilled. Will our food supplies change much? Probably not. At least not with the crazy subsidies we hand out yearly. If we wish to keep discussing the merits of encouraging local foods, I suggest we move it to another thread.
Rail, while a nice alternative to over the road hauling is not the alternative. You stilll have to have trucks to get items to and from the rail depot and from the depot to the final destination.
Actually, its the best alternative we have available. Most of the infrastructure, as far as right-of-way and major industrial connections are there. Improving what we already have is mostly all thats needed. Well, and a system to seperate the freight from the passenger timetables to make rail travel appealing.
With more reliance on rail we'd be taking the large cross country trucks off the roads. They would be replaced with local drivers making the deliveries from the local depots and vice versa. Jobs still there, local now infact. Goods still delivered. And it would take less fuel, helping to ease our reliance on foreign evergy.
As I said before, a barrel of oil going over $200 will cause a war. My bet is it will be global.
Doubt it. Unless we're the ones starting it. Everyone else is making money off it being so expensive.
