Korean Job Discussion Forums

Manner of Speaking · Joined: 09 Jan 2003

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/11/business/10transit.php

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

Perhaps we'll see droves of fact-finding commissions coming to the ROK to find out how they have structured cheap and efficient public transportation. It wouldn't be a bad idea.

What concerns me is that huge portions of the US are not suitable for public transportation. Bus lines can be put in the cities, subways can be built, but what do farmers do?

A good many of the school districts are consolidated. Several towns send kids to one centralized school. Athletic programs depend on driving a minimum of 20 miles to the next school for a game. I used to teach in a high school that was in a conference that was almost 100 miles from one side to the other.

I grew up in a town that no longer has a grocery store. My mom had to drive 10 miles to get a quart of milk. (Fortunately she moved to the 'city' last year.) Small towns like that are going to die. How would you like to be stuck owning a home in a small town, unable to afford to drive to the grocery store and, obviously, unable to sell?

The human implications of this are just beginning to surface.

DCJames · Joined: 27 Jul 2006

The huge increase in prices and the inability of government to do anything about it just shows how much more powerful Big Oil is compared to any form of government in the US.

Sad

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

The government and the financial sector did their part to raise gas prices by reckless policies that served to weaken the dollar.

I think urban areas need to re-develop mass transit, and farmers in rural areas need to just use vehicles that run on vegetable by-products.

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:29 am Post subject:

How about repealing the repealed Mileage limits that the Clinton administration enacted? It was the first administration since I believe Nixon that lowered minimum fuel mileages, all to allow Americans to buy gas guzzling Yukons, Suburbans, and of course, Hummers, which are now sitting rusting in the foreclosed driveways of people who borrowed over their heads.

Bring on the Civics, the Golfs, and the Matiz's.

wannago · Joined: 16 Apr 2004

OneWayTraffic · Joined: 14 Mar 2005

blaseblasphemener · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject:

mises · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: retired

As of April 2007 here are the list of the biggest petroleum companies in terms of oil reserves, figures in billions of barrels:[1]

* Saudi Arabian Oil Company 295
* National Iranian Oil Company 287
* Qatar Petroleum 165
* Abu Dhabi National Oil Company 137
* Iraq National Oil Company 137
* Gazprom 115
* Kuwait Petroleum Corporation 107
* Petr�leos de Venezuela S.A. 102
* Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation 62
* National Oil Corporation (Libya) 45
* Sonatrach 40
* Rosneft 35
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_petroleum_companies

http://www.energyintel.com/documentdetail.asp?document_id=218175

nicholas_chiasson · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Location: Samcheok

time to buy rosneft

mises · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: retired

I hope we now understand why the United States government cannot just wave a magic wand and !POOF! oil profits go down with prices.

Live near work/school. Walk as much as possible (sorry Canadians). Buy a small car. Live in a city with effective and affordable mass transit.

For example, Philadelphia. Rents are cheap, there are good universities to improve upon ones unemployable arts degree, great nightlife and an incredible park.

If you are in, or from Phoenix, Vegas, So-Cal, South Florida or Atlanta (and the rest of the South) you should likely leave. Cities without good transit (or the base on which to build a useful transit system) and that depend on suburbs are going to have a very tough future. Those cities with transit (DC, Philly, Chicago, NYC, Boston) will see a renaissance as middle class folks move back into the cities.

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

philly, yeah, think I'll pass.

San Francisco and Portland, OR are two cities on the west coast with decent mass transit. Denver has put a lot of effort into higher density living and mass trans.

An interesting comparison between PHX and Denver. Alas, you have to be a subscriber to the economist to access the article.

Two quotes from the piece:

mises · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: retired

Portland and San Fran, yes, you're right. I forgot about them!

This article has DC as the best place for 'walkers' to live:
http://www.romow.com/health-blog/like-to-walk-washington-dc-is-your-kind-of-town/

Denver and Seattle deserve honorable mention, for sure. Philly is really quite a cool place. I was there recently and had a great time. I could see myself setting up there. Phoenix and Vegas are just screwed. I don't know how those cities aren't going to become large ghettos..

Maybe you saw this Atlantic article? It is quite good...
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/subprime

For the past 10 years, billions of dollars in profit has been made in pushing the suburbs out farther and farther. In my opinion, the profit now will be in fixing this unfortunate situation.

Manner of Speaking · Joined: 09 Jan 2003

One thing I found interesting about the article is that many public transit systems in the US are partly financed by sales tax revenues; as a Canadian I didn't know this. As far as I know, in Canada most of the urban public transit systems are financed by federal or provincial subsidies, in addition to fare revenues. I think given the size of the urban US population, it will be easier for US cities to divert more and more of their transportation fleet to public transit than it will be for Canadian cities.

But one thing is noticeable in the US...it seems that the municipal level governments have been taking the lead in expanding public transit, with little or no assistance from the state or federal governments.

Ya-ta Boy, I agree with your comments...but it seems to me that by its very nature, public transit is largely an urban phenomenon. It's true that as oil prices go up the rural areas and the badly-planned suburban wastelands - that are so much a part of the Canadian landscape - are going to be the most adversely affected.

mises · Joined: 05 Nov 2007 Location: retired

It will be difficult to connect small towns with large cities. Bus systems will likely have to suffice for most families.

But within small towns, above-ground street cars (that run on electricity generated from nuke power, once we get our heads together) like New Orleans or San Fransisco is very possible. Or a bus system on some alternative fuel.