I just caught a bit of Chuck Todd on “Morning Joe.” He mentioned that, politically, he keeps thinking about the family who moved out of the city into the exurbs. They moved for a bigger house and better schools. Now their house isn’t worth what it used to be, their property taxes have increased because the counties they live in have raised the fees and assessments without changing the services much and now they’re not getting any benefit out of the lower assessed value of their house, and their commute is costing them $100 per month where it used to cost them $50.
Pretty much.
Now we’re in for a lot of pain as we readjust. I wonder if higher gas prices will reduce the incentive for sprawl — if you think of urban areas as a bubble, the higher energy prices may serve as sort of external pressure inward that, to one extent or another, counteracts the internal pressure outward. Just a thought.
That has been one of my gripes about the traditional “treehuggers”: living in the country.
5 years ago, I drove and polluted as much as I wanted, weighed 100 lbs more, and didn’t recycle. I had no tolerance for those that told me I was destroying the planet. Now that I have changed many of those habbits, I have been more annoyed by the people that say they’re trying to save the planet and live in the woods.
Living among nature is one of the worst things for the planet. While it might feel nice, all those miles that you’re driving from your cabin into town just screw things up all the more. People have this image of the city as a dirty, polluting place, but it is the greenest way to live.
Again, another reason why higher fuel costs are not a bad thing. Saw this morning that coal and natural gas costs have went up 100% in the last 5 years, and now the electric companies are starting to charge for it. I was the only house on my street yesterday that had the windows open, even though the temp maxxed out at 76. I wonder if everyone will keep their A/C on when it costs 2x as much?
Maybe if our AC gets more expensive, we’ll go back to building porches on our houses and get to know our neighbors, for better and worse.
I once heard a quip to the effect of “a conservationist is just a guy who already built his cabin in the woods.”
Well, higher gas prices might reduce the urge to flee to the suburbs, but there we are wanting to build light rail that will help secure the flight.
As for me, I would move back to the city if the taxes went down by 75%, the crime rate went down by 80%, and the insurance rates went down in accordance with the crime rates. The policies of our cities drive us away as much as the lack of impervious surfaces.
There wouldn’t be sprawl if there wasn’t zoning. People build in the exurbs because that’s where they can build. Good luck buiding in the city or built out inner ‘burb.
I don’t think that a/c is really the problem. Electricity is still dirt cheap. It is natural gas that is going to bankrupt you this winter. NG costs twice what it did last year.
Get your caulking and insulating done now!
I’ve been threatening my wife that I’m going to buy her a clothesline.
I had my widows open last night when I arrived home from vacaton. My wife also got the shock of her life when she jumped in the shower and I had forgotten to turn up the water heater from vacation setting!
Yes, I now wonder why I bought a house seven miles away from the church. But back then (six years ago) gas was barely over a dollar a gallon. If I moved now, the tax rate in Griffith would more than eat any savings I’d gain in reduced fuel costs. In fact I’d be a couple grand in the hole each year.
You’re complaining about 7 miles? That’s nothing!
My old man is in the same boat as you. He’s at about 7 miles or so. He used to bike to work when he was younger, but age (62) and the job (mailman) put an end to that.
He’s been looking at motorcylces, but I suggested a moped.
Back when I was a wee lad in the ’70’s, I desperately wanted a moped. But looking into it, I see that they’re not really made anymore.
Too bad. I was hoping that mopeds would come back just like wood stoves and Presidential candidates telling us what temperatures to set our thermostats to.
Other alternative is ethanol. Just to plug my other blog, I’m finding that my non-flex-fuel car is driving very well on the stuff, and over time I’m able to add more and more E85 to a tank. It’s 50 cents a gallon cheaper than gas at Meijer.
Aren’t these new enough for you?
Sportsbay
Or Google Honda Metropolitan or Yamaha C3 – scooters seem to have edged out mopeds – but they both occupy the same 49cc environmental niche.
Yeah, on Thursday, I think I’ll ride my bike to work. I have an appointment in Dyer today and have to visit someone in the hospital in Chicago tomorrow, so I need my car those two days.
Nice! That didn’t come up when I googled “moped”. I only got scooters, which of course are not mopeds.
Thanks!
You know, when I was in elementary school, I had to walk to school. No buses. It was about a 15 minute walk. Walked home for lunch, too.
I always DREAMED of having a moped.
I should buy one just because I can. Live the dream.
According to my bike computer, I’m 7.57 miles from home to work. Trip time, 28 minutes.
How long does it take you to drive, Rev? For me, it is 15 minutes. I usually take my clothes in for the week on a rainy day & drive, then bike in and change clothes on the other days.
The other nice part about riding in that distance is you get a 1-hour workout that only “costs” you 30 minutes, if you exclude the time you would have been sitting in a car anyhow.
Its the only way I can make sure I get my exercise in. Otherwise, I’ll snooze past the time I should have gotten up to workout, or “not feel like it” when it is after supper.
I put a clothesline up a couple of months ago. It’s on the upper part of a two story front porch with an overhang, so the clothes are not in direct sun but dry more from the breeze. I like that I don’t have to run and fold the clothes before they wrinkle like with a dryer. They’re hung straight, and I can go get them when I please. Without the direct sunlight, drying time is 4-8 hours or so.
It’s easier to keep the house cool if the dryer isn’t going for several hours on wash days.
Using the cooler porch windows, I had put off using the AC until last week, when my wife came home and the dogs panted enough that she insisted the AC had to be turned on. If it were just me, I’d use the windows all summer.
Just to let you know that you don’t have to move to the country to see wildlife. We live around 65th st. and Allisonville in Indy.
We chase raccoons out of the dog food in the garage at least twice a summer. One morning I heard scratching at the back door to the garage and when I opened it 3 baby raccoons scattered. They had been shut in overnight.
We had three deer run through our front yard last fall.
We rescued a great horned owl that had been hit by a car on nearby Dean Rd. (actually we just called the rehabbers after we covered it up with a laundry basket).
And just last week my husband reported that he saw a coyote crossing the road.
My only complaint about this area is that there are no sidewalks but I could walk down to Allisonville to catch a bus if I had to.
Just to let you know that you don’t have to move to the country to see wildlife. We live around 65th st. and Allisonville in Indy.
Ditto here. Deer, hawks, owls, rabbits, coyotes, etc.
Actually, we’ve also got quite a seagull problem in town! I have no idea where they came from, but they all live in the Meijer parking lot behind the neighborhood. They’re constantly flying around causing trouble.
So there’s a bit of conflict between the… legitimate wildlife… and the interlopers. The hawks and the seagulls, in particular. I had a dead, mostly eaten seagull in the backyard. I’m guessing the hawk did that.
I’m such a suburban boy. I almost puked when I came across the remains, writhing with maggots as it was. Gross.