Most people can't afford to live closer to work, and the more benefit there will be to living closer to a major city center, where the most jobs will be, the fewer that will be able to afford it. You won't save enough on gas to be able to pay for the place you'd be able to live at.
It's not a huge problem in places that don't encourage urban sprawl.
Most people can't afford to live closer to work, and the more benefit there will be to living closer to a major city center, where the most jobs will be, the fewer that will be able to afford it. You won't save enough on gas to be able to pay for the place you'd be able to live at.
It's not a huge problem in places that don't encourage urban sprawl.
Or you know, slap your telecoms upside the head to improve the infrastructure so that more people can do the virtual commute and work out of their home.
Gnome-Interruptus on
MWO: Adamski
0
Options
FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
Most people can't afford to live closer to work, and the more benefit there will be to living closer to a major city center, where the most jobs will be, the fewer that will be able to afford it. You won't save enough on gas to be able to pay for the place you'd be able to live at.
It's not a huge problem in places that don't encourage urban sprawl.
Or you know, slap your telecoms upside the head to improve the infrastructure so that more people can do the virtual commute and work out of their home.
More importantly, what's stopping any individual person from just deciding to go 55 on their own to save gas?
That's a remarkably good way to cause an accident.
What? Look, any road with a 65-75 speed limit will have more than one lane. Stay the fuck out of the leftmost one and you'll be fine with 40-55. That's what the slow lanes are for.
No they really aren't. In fact, most states have minimum speed limits specifically because some people think that. But even where it is legal, how does that lead to it not causing more accidents?
First, the minimum speed limit on a 75 MPH road will not be lower than 60.
Second, stay out of the damn fast lane and it won't cause more accidents. Your claim is the one that needs statistics, not mine.
Look, I'm not saying you should got 20 on the Interstate here. 55 on a highway is reasonable.
Most people can't afford to live closer to work, and the more benefit there will be to living closer to a major city center, where the most jobs will be, the fewer that will be able to afford it. You won't save enough on gas to be able to pay for the place you'd be able to live at.
It's not a huge problem in places that don't encourage urban sprawl.
Or you know, slap your telecoms upside the head to improve the infrastructure so that more people can do the virtual commute and work out of their home.
Or improve public transportation.
Do Both.
Make it a requirement in some jobs that at least a few times during the week you tele-work. Saves gas, saves money, and free's up traffic on the highways.
Improve public transportation so that it is available to more citizens in more areas.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
You know what's awesome? Not shitting up the politics thread for a second day running with arguments that having nothing to do with the election and would be nicely suited to their own damn thread.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
More relevantly, the buzz de jour is that Obama's final four is down to Sebelius, Kaine, Biden, and Bayh. The only one out of that group that really interests me, in the sense that I'd be interested in their 2015 run for the White House is Biden, and I'm not sure he can keep his foot out of his mouth long enough to be effective either for Obama or himself.
There is no possible way McCain wins this election without some sort of crazy scandal.
You are greatly underestimating the amount of people who won't vote for Obama because he is black, possibly a Muslim, or because they know McCain was in Vietnam. A very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, are extremely out of touch with modern issues, and still think black nationalism is a huge issue, and therefore won't vote for Obama. The majority of them have been left behind with the old world of the 60s and 70s while this huge surge of modernity has been sweeping over the nation since 2000. It is sad but true, most of the old folks have been completely left behind in the wake of the new millenium, and these are the people that will be voting for McCain.
You keep using this word, "majority," but I don't think you know what it means.
If you're right that "a very very large majority...won't vote for Obama," his polling ceiling should be around 35%. If that.
The number of people who won't vote for Obama over his race, or rumors about his religion, or because of a 40-year-old war, are the minority. Possibly as high as 10-20%, but no bigger than that. Far larger is the group of people who won't vote for Obama because he's a Democrat, or he's "the most liberal U.S. senator in the world," or he's not 100% opposed to Roe v. Wade, or he was never in the military.
I used the word correctly, and I do know what it means, so please don't make a belittling pass at my intelligence.
A very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, are extremely out of touch with modern issues, and still think black nationalism is a huge issue, and therefore won't vote for Obama.
Perhaps it is that first part that got you off track from what my point is, which I believe I stated clearly further in the paragraph, and you even bolded my point for me, which is:
It is sad but true, most of the old folks have been completely left behind in the wake of the new millenium, and these are the people that will be voting for McCain.
There are a lot of elderly out there that will not vote for Obama because of the reasons I specified. Like I said, a very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, will not vote for Obama. That's just a slice of the pie. If I could rephrase it I would say, "A very large majority of McCain's generation in the country will not vote for Obama." That's just a slice of the pie, but it is a big slice, as is the younger part of the country that WILL vote for Obama.
McCain's generation is a large majority of the country, as far as I know.
More relevantly, the buzz de jour is that Obama's final four is down to Sebelius, Kaine, Biden, and Bayh. The only one out of that group that really interests me, in the sense that I'd be interested in their 2015 run for the White House is Biden, and I'm not sure he can keep his foot out of his mouth long enough to be effective either for Obama or himself.
He'd be 73 by then. This was probably his best shot at getting the Presidency and he didn't really win out. From what he's said on MTP and others he doesn't really want to get demoted to Veep either. It'd be a dream ticket, assuming less gaffes, but I doubt it'll happen. If that list's accurate I'd say Kaine for the geographical diversity.
There is no possible way McCain wins this election without some sort of crazy scandal.
You are greatly underestimating the amount of people who won't vote for Obama because he is black, possibly a Muslim, or because they know McCain was in Vietnam. A very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, are extremely out of touch with modern issues, and still think black nationalism is a huge issue, and therefore won't vote for Obama. The majority of them have been left behind with the old world of the 60s and 70s while this huge surge of modernity has been sweeping over the nation since 2000. It is sad but true, most of the old folks have been completely left behind in the wake of the new millenium, and these are the people that will be voting for McCain.
You keep using this word, "majority," but I don't think you know what it means.
If you're right that "a very very large majority...won't vote for Obama," his polling ceiling should be around 35%. If that.
The number of people who won't vote for Obama over his race, or rumors about his religion, or because of a 40-year-old war, are the minority. Possibly as high as 10-20%, but no bigger than that. Far larger is the group of people who won't vote for Obama because he's a Democrat, or he's "the most liberal U.S. senator in the world," or he's not 100% opposed to Roe v. Wade, or he was never in the military.
I used the word correctly, and I do know what it means, so please don't make a belittling pass at my intelligence.
A very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, are extremely out of touch with modern issues, and still think black nationalism is a huge issue, and therefore won't vote for Obama.
Perhaps it is that first part that got you off track from what my point is, which I believe I stated clearly further in the paragraph, and you even bolded my point for me, which is:
It is sad but true, most of the old folks have been completely left behind in the wake of the new millenium, and these are the people that will be voting for McCain.
There are a lot of elderly out there that will not vote for Obama because of the reasons I specified. Like I said, a very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, will not vote for Obama. That's just a slice of the pie. If I could rephrase it I would say, "A very large majority of McCain's generation in the country will not vote for Obama." That's just a slice of the pie, but it is a big slice, as is the younger part of the country that WILL vote for Obama.
McCain's generation is a large majority of the country, as far as I know.
Actually, they aren't. The 70+ set does not constitute >160 million people. Even if you limit it to the voting populace they aren't >55-60%.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
Some people have friends or families that live places that aren't in the city. Some people have jobs that require driving. Some people can't afford city living. Some people can't find jobs in the city.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
Some people have friends or families that live places that aren't in the city. Some people have jobs that require driving. Some people can't afford city living. Some people can't find jobs in the city.
84% of the country lives in a metropolitan area. 54% in a metropolitan area with a population greater than 1 million. While it certainly isn't applicable to everyone, the number of people who really need their car rather than prefer it over our horrific public transit system isn't all that large.
moniker on
0
Options
HedgethornAssociate Professor of Historical Hobby HorsesIn the Lions' DenRegistered Userregular
There is no possible way McCain wins this election without some sort of crazy scandal.
You are greatly underestimating the amount of people who won't vote for Obama because he is black, possibly a Muslim, or because they know McCain was in Vietnam. A very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, are extremely out of touch with modern issues, and still think black nationalism is a huge issue, and therefore won't vote for Obama. The majority of them have been left behind with the old world of the 60s and 70s while this huge surge of modernity has been sweeping over the nation since 2000. It is sad but true, most of the old folks have been completely left behind in the wake of the new millenium, and these are the people that will be voting for McCain.
You keep using this word, "majority," but I don't think you know what it means.
If you're right that "a very very large majority...won't vote for Obama," his polling ceiling should be around 35%. If that.
The number of people who won't vote for Obama over his race, or rumors about his religion, or because of a 40-year-old war, are the minority. Possibly as high as 10-20%, but no bigger than that. Far larger is the group of people who won't vote for Obama because he's a Democrat, or he's "the most liberal U.S. senator in the world," or he's not 100% opposed to Roe v. Wade, or he was never in the military.
I used the word correctly, and I do know what it means, so please don't make a belittling pass at my intelligence.
A very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, are extremely out of touch with modern issues, and still think black nationalism is a huge issue, and therefore won't vote for Obama.
Perhaps it is that first part that got you off track from what my point is, which I believe I stated clearly further in the paragraph, and you even bolded my point for me, which is:
It is sad but true, most of the old folks have been completely left behind in the wake of the new millenium, and these are the people that will be voting for McCain.
There are a lot of elderly out there that will not vote for Obama because of the reasons I specified. Like I said, a very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, will not vote for Obama. That's just a slice of the pie. If I could rephrase it I would say, "A very large majority of McCain's generation in the country will not vote for Obama." That's just a slice of the pie, but it is a big slice, as is the younger part of the country that WILL vote for Obama.
McCain's generation is a large majority of the country, as far as I know.
"Majority" means greater than 50%. A "very very large majority" would imply something like 65-80% of the country. If that proportion of the country would not vote for Obama, the polls would pick it up.
According to Wiki, the age breakdown of the country is as follows:
0–19 years: 27.4%
20–64 years: 60.1%
65 years and over: 12.6%
McCain is from the pre-boomer generation (63+). So McCain's generation, along with the generation before him, only makes around 15% of the population, maybe 20% of the voting age population. Far from a majority.
Obama is actually a boomer himself (though he's on the young end of the boomers). They make up about 25% of the population (30-35% of the voting age population). So that leaves nearly half of the voting age population belonging to generation X or the Millennial Generation.
So, no, McCain's generation is not a large majority of the population. If they were, Social Security would have gone bust two decades ago.
Edit: Kudos to moniker and Qingu for making my point ten minutes earlier.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
Some people have friends or families that live places that aren't in the city. Some people have jobs that require driving. Some people can't afford city living. Some people can't find jobs in the city.
84% of the country lives in a metropolitan area. 54% in a metropolitan area with a population greater than 1 million. While it certainly isn't applicable to everyone, the number of people who really need their car rather than prefer it over our horrific public transit system isn't all that large.
All I know is that while Atlanta's metro has millions of people, the mass transit system is sparse. The nearest MARTA stop to me is about 30 miles away.
"Now whether that fits into 16 months or not, or one month, or whatever, the point is it's got to be conditions-based," he added, saying that's the point Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, "is trying to get over as we go into this political season."
This of course being the McCain that said the logistics of pulling out in 16 months would be unfeasible.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
Some people have friends or families that live places that aren't in the city. Some people have jobs that require driving. Some people can't afford city living. Some people can't find jobs in the city.
84% of the country lives in a metropolitan area. 54% in a metropolitan area with a population greater than 1 million. While it certainly isn't applicable to everyone, the number of people who really need their car rather than prefer it over our horrific public transit system isn't all that large.
All I know is that while Atlanta's metro has millions of people, the mass transit system is sparse. The nearest MARTA stop to me is about 30 miles away.
I've heard that public transportation in a lot of southern cities is bad (from my southern girlfriend). Apparently this is because southern states are poor as hell.
I think what's needed, in addition to more and better public transportation, are more quick, easy car rental services like Zipcar. If it were easier to rent a car for the day to visit some relatives or buy a bunch of shit at Costco, people wouldn't need to burden themselves with car ownership as much.
Qingu on
0
Options
HedgethornAssociate Professor of Historical Hobby HorsesIn the Lions' DenRegistered Userregular
McCain's generation is a large majority of the country, as far as I know.
From Wikipedia:
0–19 years: 27.4%
20–64 years: 60.1% 65 years and over: 12.6%
McCain's generation is significant, but it's not anywhere close to a majority.
The word "majority" means over 50%. I'm pretty sure the word you're thinking of is "plurality."
McCain's generation isn't even a plurality. The so-called "Silent Generation" is (I believe) the smallest generation of the 20th Century, since they were the children of the Depression.
"Now whether that fits into 16 months or not, or one month, or whatever, the point is it's got to be conditions-based," he added, saying that's the point Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, "is trying to get over as we go into this political season."
This of course being the McCain that said the logistics of pulling out in 16 months would be unfeasible.
But one month? NO FUCKING PROBLEM.
The biggest concern here is that Obama gets locked into the 16 month claim rather than 16 months being the best case scenario to logistically remove our troop presence barring implosion.
I wonder if McCain actually know what the words he utters mean sometimes.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
Some people have friends or families that live places that aren't in the city. Some people have jobs that require driving. Some people can't afford city living. Some people can't find jobs in the city.
84% of the country lives in a metropolitan area. 54% in a metropolitan area with a population greater than 1 million. While it certainly isn't applicable to everyone, the number of people who really need their car rather than prefer it over our horrific public transit system isn't all that large.
All I know is that while Atlanta's metro has millions of people, the mass transit system is sparse. The nearest MARTA stop to me is about 30 miles away.
I've heard that public transportation in a lot of southern cities is bad (from my southern girlfriend). Apparently this is because southern states are poor as hell.
I think what's needed, in addition to more and better public transportation, are more quick, easy car rental services like Zipcar. If it were easier to rent a car for the day to visit some relatives or buy a bunch of shit at Costco, people wouldn't need to burden themselves with car ownership as much.
Georgia is pretty well-off, so I don't think that's a factor. And I like the idea of easy day rentals.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
From everything I've heard (and seen when I've been through there) that's a special case though. The infrastructure in NoVa is f'ed hard.
"Now whether that fits into 16 months or not, or one month, or whatever, the point is it's got to be conditions-based," he added, saying that's the point Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, "is trying to get over as we go into this political season."
This of course being the McCain that said the logistics of pulling out in 16 months would be unfeasible.
But one month? NO FUCKING PROBLEM.
The biggest concern here is that Obama gets locked into the 16 month claim rather than 16 months being the best case scenario to logistically remove our troop presence barring implosion.
I wonder if McCain actually know what the words he utters mean sometimes.
I'm pretty sure 16 months is already built to give considerable wiggle-room. We're talking Spring of 2010. Logistically moving the troops out of Iraq should only take a few months. The 16 months allows for doing so gradually to reduce the bloodshed (and who knows maybe even create some stability) and also allows getting the troops out "ahead of schedule".
He also usually uses the qualifier "combat troops" most of the time. I have a feeling a fair amount of trainers and infrastructure people will be there longer as well as tactical units sitting in Kuwait in case things get out of hand.
For Kaine info raisingkaine.com might be a good stop - progressive Virginia blog originally launched to help him get elected Gov and a driving force behind getting Webb to run/nominated/elected.
Are we going to have that debate again that because it's easy for a couple dudes living in a major city to give up their cars, we all should?
Living 2 hours from your work is foolishness and I'd never take a job where I had to do that, but lowering the speed limits or insisting that we could all live on bikes and buses if we were just as hardcore as some of the people here is also foolishness.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
Some people have friends or families that live places that aren't in the city. Some people have jobs that require driving. Some people can't afford city living. Some people can't find jobs in the city.
I've seriously considered getting rid of my car and just using a nearby Hour Car when I need one. I probably average driving 2-3 days a week. But I could easily cut that down. I could save money on my parking, insurance, and gas. Of course I'd be spending more on using the Hour Car. I'll seriously look at it when I need a new car, because adding a monthly payment to the equasion seems might tip the scales.
More importantly, what's stopping any individual person from just deciding to go 55 on their own to save gas?
That's a remarkably good way to cause an accident.
What? Look, any road with a 65-75 speed limit will have more than one lane. Stay the fuck out of the leftmost one and you'll be fine with 40-55. That's what the slow lanes are for.
I can see you've never driven in Colorado.
My senior year of high school, I finally decided to ask my friends in Denver (I was originally from Wyoming) if they knew that you were supposed to pass on the left. They all looked at me like I was an alien and told me that passing on either side was fine. In some parts of the country there is no slow lane!
"Now whether that fits into 16 months or not, or one month, or whatever, the point is it's got to be conditions-based," he added, saying that's the point Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, "is trying to get over as we go into this political season."
This of course being the McCain that said the logistics of pulling out in 16 months would be unfeasible.
But one month? NO FUCKING PROBLEM.
The biggest concern here is that Obama gets locked into the 16 month claim rather than 16 months being the best case scenario to logistically remove our troop presence barring implosion.
I wonder if McCain actually know what the words he utters mean sometimes.
McCain's stuck trying to figure out the winning narrative this year.
Obama's up in the polls and people want a timeframe. He can't give a timeframe because he kept saying they were defeat. Now Iraq wants one. He tried denial, and he's also trying to out timeframe his opponent. A timeframe arms race, as it were.
But it really just makes him look like he's struggling to remain relevant.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Couldn't you move to the city and ... give up your car?
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car
No, I couldn't move closer to the city:
1) I couldn't afford it. I'll use Fairfax County, which is further north of VA so closer to my job. The average family income in Fairfax, VA(which is still around 30-40mins away from DC, not including traffic) is around 6 figures.
2) Housing prices in Fairfax, VA is upwards to 500k-a Mil plus. I could get a VHDP and VA Loan for my first house, but I'd be paying by selling limbs just to make mortgage. Rent is ridiculously expensive as well.
3) I travel at least once a month to Richmond, VA, which from my current location is 70 miles south, for my monthly drill with the VA Army National Guard. If I where to move further North, this lengthens the time, energy, gas and commute significantly. There isn't exactly a public service that I could hitch a ride with to go down to Richmond.
4) Northern VA, parts of Eastern VA, and some of Central VA are undergoing rapid growth. Northern VA, espically Fairfax County hosts many Fortune 500 companies. Central VA and Eastern VA are undergoing rapid growth because of the increase in familes moving to those areas who commute into work around DC.
5) Public transportation still sucks. Northern VA has VDOT(Train) and busses, but it's so inefficient and doesn't reach a lot of areas. It would still consist of driving to a bus/train stop, and then getting into work from there. From where I live now, it's 30-40mins depending on traffic to the closest bus stop, then 1hr and 10mins depending on traffic to DC.
5a) The only place I know of that has decent enough public transportation is Richmond, but that's because of the proximity of the college(s).
6) Government jobs don't pay that well. So 1-3 are directly affected.
7) DC is expensive, Northern VA is expensive, and public transportation is atrocious: I would need a car to get anywhere else. If I wanted to leave my house and go somewhere, it's not exactly walking distance for most places in VA (Maybe richmond, but that's a hell of a walk).
To keep this around politics and the presidential race, one of the key issues I have with voting is: What's their stance on education and health reform, social security, and stem cell research? I admit I haven't really looked much into Obama or McCain, and I'm leaning more towards voting for Obama. I'm independent and don't follow any particular party, I vote for which person I think has the ideals I closely align with at the time.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
No, I couldn't move closer to the city:
1) I couldn't afford it. I'll use Fairfax County, which is further north of VA so closer to my job. The average family income in Fairfax, VA(which is still around 30-40mins away from DC, not including traffic) is around 6 figures.
2) Housing prices in Fairfax, VA is upwards to 500k-a Mil plus. I could get a VHDP and VA Loan for my first house, but I'd be paying by selling limbs just to make mortgage. Rent is ridiculously expensive as well.
3) I travel at least once a month to Richmond, VA, which from my current location is 70 miles south, for my monthly drill with the VA Army National Guard. If I where to move further North, this lengthens the time, energy, gas and commute significantly. There isn't exactly a public service that I could hitch a ride with to go down to Richmond.
4) Northern VA, parts of Eastern VA, and some of Central VA are undergoing rapid growth. Northern VA, espically Fairfax County hosts many Fortune 500 companies. Central VA and Eastern VA are undergoing rapid growth because of the increase in familes moving to those areas who commute into work around DC.
5) Public transportation still sucks. Northern VA has VDOT(Train) and busses, but it's so inefficient and doesn't reach a lot of areas. It would still consist of driving to a bus/train stop, and then getting into work from there. From where I live now, it's 30-40mins depending on traffic to the closest bus stop, then 1hr and 10mins depending on traffic to DC.
5a) The only place I know of that has decent enough public transportation is Richmond, but that's because of the proximity of the college(s).
6) Government jobs don't pay that well. So 1-3 are directly affected.
7) DC is expensive, Northern VA is expensive, and public transportation is atrocious: I would need a car to get anywhere else. If I wanted to leave my house and go somewhere, it's not exactly walking distance for most places in VA (Maybe richmond, but that's a hell of a walk).
I feel your pain. I live in Arlington and work in Falls Church. To buy the condo I'm living in would be $500K for a one bedroom with den. Sucks.
Posts
Or you know, slap your telecoms upside the head to improve the infrastructure so that more people can do the virtual commute and work out of their home.
MWO: Adamski
First, the minimum speed limit on a 75 MPH road will not be lower than 60.
Second, stay out of the damn fast lane and it won't cause more accidents. Your claim is the one that needs statistics, not mine.
Look, I'm not saying you should got 20 on the Interstate here. 55 on a highway is reasonable.
Do Both.
Make it a requirement in some jobs that at least a few times during the week you tele-work. Saves gas, saves money, and free's up traffic on the highways.
Improve public transportation so that it is available to more citizens in more areas.
And my commute is about 1hr 40mins in the morning and 2hrs-2hrs 30mins in the evening. I drive from north-east VA to a bus parking lot in MD, which then takes us to DC. It's not like I can just get up and move closer, housing prices in Northern VA/Southern MD/DC are ridiculous, as well as I-95 and the god awful traffic. People purposely move away from Northern VA/Southern MD/DC and go to work in those areas because it's cheaper and they can save money.
Acting as if you should be able to drive slower at will 20 mph is akin to saying you should be able to go over 20 mph.
I'm actually curious about this. I live in a city and not having a car is probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. Not having a car probably cuts my living expenses in half.
I understand certain people need cars for their work or whatever, but do you really need a car?
I used the word correctly, and I do know what it means, so please don't make a belittling pass at my intelligence.
Perhaps it is that first part that got you off track from what my point is, which I believe I stated clearly further in the paragraph, and you even bolded my point for me, which is:
There are a lot of elderly out there that will not vote for Obama because of the reasons I specified. Like I said, a very very large majority of the country, McCain's generation, will not vote for Obama. That's just a slice of the pie. If I could rephrase it I would say, "A very large majority of McCain's generation in the country will not vote for Obama." That's just a slice of the pie, but it is a big slice, as is the younger part of the country that WILL vote for Obama.
McCain's generation is a large majority of the country, as far as I know.
This amuses me. The courting of Dowd to get her to be too charmed to write scathing articles.
He'd be 73 by then. This was probably his best shot at getting the Presidency and he didn't really win out. From what he's said on MTP and others he doesn't really want to get demoted to Veep either. It'd be a dream ticket, assuming less gaffes, but I doubt it'll happen. If that list's accurate I'd say Kaine for the geographical diversity.
Actually, they aren't. The 70+ set does not constitute >160 million people. Even if you limit it to the voting populace they aren't >55-60%.
Barring that, sebelius please.
0–19 years: 27.4%
20–64 years: 60.1%
65 years and over: 12.6%
McCain's generation is significant, but it's not anywhere close to a majority.
84% of the country lives in a metropolitan area. 54% in a metropolitan area with a population greater than 1 million. While it certainly isn't applicable to everyone, the number of people who really need their car rather than prefer it over our horrific public transit system isn't all that large.
"Majority" means greater than 50%. A "very very large majority" would imply something like 65-80% of the country. If that proportion of the country would not vote for Obama, the polls would pick it up.
According to Wiki, the age breakdown of the country is as follows:
0–19 years: 27.4%
20–64 years: 60.1%
65 years and over: 12.6%
McCain is from the pre-boomer generation (63+). So McCain's generation, along with the generation before him, only makes around 15% of the population, maybe 20% of the voting age population. Far from a majority.
Obama is actually a boomer himself (though he's on the young end of the boomers). They make up about 25% of the population (30-35% of the voting age population). So that leaves nearly half of the voting age population belonging to generation X or the Millennial Generation.
So, no, McCain's generation is not a large majority of the population. If they were, Social Security would have gone bust two decades ago.
Edit: Kudos to moniker and Qingu for making my point ten minutes earlier.
All I know is that while Atlanta's metro has millions of people, the mass transit system is sparse. The nearest MARTA stop to me is about 30 miles away.
This of course being the McCain that said the logistics of pulling out in 16 months would be unfeasible.
But one month? NO FUCKING PROBLEM.
I think what's needed, in addition to more and better public transportation, are more quick, easy car rental services like Zipcar. If it were easier to rent a car for the day to visit some relatives or buy a bunch of shit at Costco, people wouldn't need to burden themselves with car ownership as much.
The biggest concern here is that Obama gets locked into the 16 month claim rather than 16 months being the best case scenario to logistically remove our troop presence barring implosion.
I wonder if McCain actually know what the words he utters mean sometimes.
Georgia is pretty well-off, so I don't think that's a factor. And I like the idea of easy day rentals.
my sole experience was . . 3 years ago? when he did the SOTU response. It was not good.
From everything I've heard (and seen when I've been through there) that's a special case though. The infrastructure in NoVa is f'ed hard.
I'm pretty sure 16 months is already built to give considerable wiggle-room. We're talking Spring of 2010. Logistically moving the troops out of Iraq should only take a few months. The 16 months allows for doing so gradually to reduce the bloodshed (and who knows maybe even create some stability) and also allows getting the troops out "ahead of schedule".
QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
QEDMF xbl: PantsB G+
Living 2 hours from your work is foolishness and I'd never take a job where I had to do that, but lowering the speed limits or insisting that we could all live on bikes and buses if we were just as hardcore as some of the people here is also foolishness.
I've seriously considered getting rid of my car and just using a nearby Hour Car when I need one. I probably average driving 2-3 days a week. But I could easily cut that down. I could save money on my parking, insurance, and gas. Of course I'd be spending more on using the Hour Car. I'll seriously look at it when I need a new car, because adding a monthly payment to the equasion seems might tip the scales.
First, he gets caught trying to use autistic kids as fodder for his hate. Then, he's shown to have been an influence on a crazed gunman. And now, his copyright infringement case against CAIR has gotten tossed.
Poor Savage Weiner.
I can see you've never driven in Colorado.
My senior year of high school, I finally decided to ask my friends in Denver (I was originally from Wyoming) if they knew that you were supposed to pass on the left. They all looked at me like I was an alien and told me that passing on either side was fine. In some parts of the country there is no slow lane!
McCain's stuck trying to figure out the winning narrative this year.
Obama's up in the polls and people want a timeframe. He can't give a timeframe because he kept saying they were defeat. Now Iraq wants one. He tried denial, and he's also trying to out timeframe his opponent. A timeframe arms race, as it were.
But it really just makes him look like he's struggling to remain relevant.
Seriously, GOP?
This is how clued in to the internet you are?
Seriously?
I hate to admit it but I actually found that to be a little bit creative and funny. Probably not very effective, but it made me giggle a little bit.
I'll have to admit though - this is a step up from their past attempts. Pretty amusing.
I feel your pain. I live in Arlington and work in Falls Church. To buy the condo I'm living in would be $500K for a one bedroom with den. Sucks.
Wii Code: 1040-1320-0724-3613 :!!: