The Cupertino Courier
Letters & Opinions
Pain at the pump equals change in lifestyle
By Carol Bogart
Because I live so close to work now, I hadn't needed gas in a couple weeks. As is my habit, when the needle dipped below half a tank, I pulled into a Chevron station to fill it up.
Imagine my shock when a mere two gallons of gas cost well over $6 --and I have a fuel-efficient little Pontiac Sunfire!
One of the many things that make me happy about the move to San Jose is being relieved of rush hour highway driving.
The commute from Castro Valley to Pleasanton took about 20 minutes in light traffic, 30 minutes or so during rush hour. It was the stop-and-go traffic on I-580 that ate up an enormous amount of gas.
I didn't like it.
So, although I checked out apartments in Cupertino, the narrow, not especially well-maintained lanes and super-fast traffic on 101 freaked me out. I knew I wasn't going to like any commute that involved highway driving.
Off-hours--that's different. I expect to bop around Cupertino on a regular basis once I have my feet on the ground in my new job, but I don't have to come and go when traffic is at its busiest.
A recent survey done by an outfit that tracks how workers are responding to high gas prices found 35 percent of those questioned are looking for a job closer to home.
It works for me. My drive to work takes about six minutes now, even when traffic is congested.
That's good.
Because gas at $3+ a gallon is going to put a big fat pinch in a lot of budgets, not to mention potentially wreak havoc with the economy. I once did an interview with a man from Britain who had a plane of his own and, with a friend, flew it here and there to various favorite spots around the world.
He was telling me that in Iraq, where oil is plentiful, residents pay 10 cents per gallon. In Britain, he said, drivers pay $4--and in France, $8 bucks a gallon! "I don't know how they live," he mused. And this was some years back.
I've heard one reason France didn't get on board when the U.S. wanted the U.N. to sanction our invasion of Iraq was because France wanted to protect its Iraqi oil contracts.
I have no idea if that's true, but I did see an interview on PBS once with Bush Sr. He was talking about the Gulf War and how we were right to defend the Kuwaitis, and besides, he said, "Oil is the lifeblood of this country."
It's more than just gasoline, of course. It's natural gas to fire our factories, it's asphalt, tires and plastic. Petroleum products are, in fact, interwoven throughout the American way of life. If you have any doubt, just look at all the plastic containers in your refrigerator.
The British pilot told me nobody drives luxury cars in Britain. They all drive cookie-cutter nondescript little boxes that are good on gas.
I once had an SUV and I absolutely loved it. Sat up high on the highway; could pack it full to go camping; used it to lug home trees, trellises and topsoil from Wal-Mart; and, when I had a space in an antique mall, transported many "finds"--such as cane-seated chairs, even a small walnut dresser with dovetailed drawers--I'd picked up at estate sales and auctions.
But was that Rover bad on gas? Hoo-eee. Very.
Had I been able to afford it, I would have traded my SUV for a hybrid Toyota Prius. (The Pontiac's not too bad, though.)
I know I would have enjoyed living in Cupertino, but have to say I'm glad I live less than a gallon away from my new employer.
Carol Bogart is the editor of the Cupertino Courier. Contact her at 408.200.1055 or cbogart@com munity-newspa pers.com.
Carol Bogart is the new editor of the Cupertino Courier. Contact her at cbogart@community-newspapers.com or call 408.200.1055.
