After reading the thread on high gas prices in the Politics forum, it made me think fo something....high gas and oil prices actually help to further our cause. The higher gas prices go, the greater the need and the greater the financial feasibility for good mass transit and commuter rail. More people might be interested in riding a commuter train to work for $5 if they're having to pay $3 a gallon for gasoline and $8 a day to park downtown!


Also, this furthers our cause in improving the inner city and encouraging more residents to move downtown. I just signed a 12 month lease on a condo at Hefner and May Ave. As I was pumping gasoline into my car today at $2.03 a gallon, I thought to myself....if gas prices keep rising, after my lease is up, I'm moving closer to downtown.

See, high gas prices has its benefits.

Good point. Now we need to dump I(s)took in favor of someone who will fight for Oklahoma City and our right to rapid transit.

If you'd come down a mile, you could have filled up at Albertson's for a buck ninety-seven point nine.

Patrick, I know that living downtown has saved me a LOT of money as far as gas goes. It definitely helps to offset the higher rent I pay -- that and the time savings. I have about 1 more hour today to use productively that, if I had stayed in Edmond, I otherwise would not have had.

High gas prices are not a problem if you don't drive much. I live right by campus in Norman and barely ever drive. I walk to class and Campus Corner and get rides usually if I need to go somewhere else. I have a car but it sits in the parking lot most of the time. I love this lifestyle and I don't plan on ever having to drive much.

If gas prices continue to skyrocket you will see more downtown housing proposals and interest will continue to increase. If I were a developer I would be exploiting this because even if gas prices go down again they will NEVER be as low as we were once used to. Eventually you will be saving money by living downtown even if the rent is higher because you won't have to buy as much gas.

And they're not going down anytime soon, so yeah, now is a good time for rail advocates to press the case. But I think they'd have to hit outrageous highs ($3 a gallon) before Joe Blow starts to care about mass transit and inner city living.

How about rail/inner city advocates buy a billboard. Just like the national debt clock, a daily tracker of the highest metro gas price and the yearly cost of commuting could be shown, with the figure changing weekly. We might want to say what different things could be bought (vacation, tuition, home improvement, etc) with the amount we spend on gas.

2.50 (price) x 30 (gallons for a family) x 52 (weeks) = $3900 a year on gas.

That's conservative estimate, too. IMHO when it hits $3/gallon is when people will start clamoring for a change or looking at commuting alternatives. In actuality, we may want to use an annual figure that shows the difference between what the "normal" gas spending would be and what we pay now, but you get the point.

I saw Istook Saturday serving as grand marshall of the St. Patrick's Day parade. I was tempted to scream: "Hey Earnest...thanks for the light rail..........in Salt Lake City!"

I saw Istook Saturday serving as grand marshall of the St. Patrick's Day parade. I was tempted to scream: "Hey Earnest...thanks for the light rail..........in Salt Lake City!"

I wish you would have. He needs to know the damage he does to his own people.

I didn't agree that light rail would be a great idea at present in either place. Unless he knows something about SLC that I do not (other than that they have a lot of money to donate to campaigns, and hold the power of heaven or hell over him), I start to become suspicious.

If he's going to claim fiscal conservative status, he needs to always be fiscally conservative.

Well, he's coming to the city for a couple of town meetings this month, but he's made a point of limiting the agenda to what he wants to talk about. (For two meetings outside the city, no such restrictions have been announced.)

Well, he's coming to the city for a couple of town meetings this month, but he's made a point of limiting the agenda to what he wants to talk about. (For two meetings outside the city, no such restrictions have been announced.)

To be fair, that's simply not the case.

He did specifically say in his post card to everyone in the district (I'm assuming you got one) that they would "allow for open dialogue about any subject of interest to you".

The schedule, if you're interested is as follows:

Thursday, March 24th, 6:30PM @ PC High School Auditorium: WebWise Kids: protecting our children form on-line predators -- with Supt. Sandy Garrett

Tuesday, March 29th, 20:00 AM
Town Hall Meeting -- open forum
Justice Rudolph Hargrave Community Center
123 Mekusukey, Wewoka, OK

Tuesday, March 29th, 4:00PM
Town Hall Meeting, Open Forum
Shawnee Public Library, Room B.
101 N. Philadelphia, Shawnee, OK

Tuesday, March 31, 6:30PM
Seniors & Seniors on Social Security: Panel discussion with HS Seniors and Senior Citizens on Social Security
Garvey Center Recital Hall, OK Christian Univ.
2501 E. Memorial Rd. Edmond, OK.

Again, to be fair to you, it is notable that the "Open forums" are being held in Wewoka and Shawnee, meaning that I seriously doubt mainstream news organizations will make the trip, as well as most of us that have questions about such things as Light Rail and Salt Lake City.

I seriously wouldn't be surprised if we see $3 per gallon gasoline prices by the end of the year. I don't see prices going down anytime soon.