Gas (and possibly other) subsidies and/or local production

[beagle]

I usually start at 7AM so it's all right. At 9 it would be another 15 minutes getting from the Milton roundabout to work.

Bus would be 1 hour to centre then half hour back out to Science Park area.

[Griffin NoName]

<topic drift>

if they worked out how to make buses go where one wants, the world might be saved

<end topic drift>

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Back to subsistence farming - as soon as I have enough money for land.

Subsistence farming doesn't work when you have to pay high property taxes. It's called Neo-Feudalism, only that serfs were taken care of by their lords. Now the fat cats want to force you to surrender what you have and die, the quicker the better.

[Aggie]

Back to subsistence farming - as soon as I have enough money for land.

Subsistence farming doesn't work when you have to pay high property taxes.

S'why you need to do it in BF nowhere, or make a specialty product on said farm to generate a bit of income.  Not owning property, I'm a bit vague on this whole property tax issue

[rentrant](it's one of the reasons I don't own, despite the universal extolling of 'investing in yourself' through a mortgage instead of throwing your money away for rent. Given that I can't muster a 25% down payment in this market, I fail to see how I would be better off paying mortgage insurance, interest to the bank, electricity, gas, water and property tax and having a wee sliver go to principal repayment instead of simply cutting one cheque for $875 per month, and jamming the rest into more profitable investments.  The argument is that property values increase over time (ha! if I bought 5 years ago - we are now declining from peak although not as bad as the US), but my RRSP pays out >20% in tax refunds NOW, and then makes some more tax-free)[/rentrant]

I am seriously starting to wonder how long it will be until polygamy laws are repealed and the three-adult family (any configuration) becomes an economic necessity.  And how long it'd take for 3-income households to become a necessary evil from there.

my respect for the tenacity of single parents is THIS BIG
VVVVVVVVVVVVV

[Swatopluk]

Get that Titfield Thunderbolt out of the depot and make it snappy!

[Sibling Chatty]

Let's see...what do the Europeans and Brits get for those high petrol taxes?

LOTS OF SOCIAL BENEFITS!! Medical coverage, tuition assistance in some places..on and on.

What do WE get for our high prices? Exxon's the 18th largest ECONOMY in the world. It's wealthy enough to be a COUNTRY.

[pieces o nine]

Anywhere I've lived, public transportation is inadequate, non-existent, outdated or some combination of the three. It is also subtly and blatantly conveyed to the citizenry that it's the province of the poor, the drunk or drugged, and criminals; that it is a terrible drain on the local economy; that a potential employee relying on public transportation is him/herself unreliable and suspicious; and that it is (implausibly high number) times worse than pollution from (implausibly high number) of additional private autos.

Where public transportation is available and adequate, it's still not always a viable option for anyone working a schedule subject to change (e.g.: no surprise overtime, no long-running meetings). Deeply ingrained US attitudes about work attendance (first to arrive and last to leave, must be able to stay late with no notice) also actively discourage carpooling.

[Sibling Chatty]

That would be because the US is run by psychopaths...on ALL levels.

[Aggie]

That would be because the US is run by psychopaths...on ALL levels.

*rumble*

Rather, sociopaths, but same thing really.  Meaning to post about sociopaths sometime, I read a book on them and they are EVERYWHERE (4% of the general population in Western countries) and it explains EVERYTHING about why the world is in such a state. 

^{(really should get around to posting, I need help debunking the book - if it is in fact debunkable)}

[pieces o nine]

That would be because the US is run by psychopaths sociopaths...on ALL levels.

Yarrr!

One company I worked at had several pairs of married employees (in itself, quite unusual for corporate America); both partners worked the same shift in most cases. Both got up and breakfasted together, left the house at about the same time, and drove their individual cars to the same parking lot, put in about the same length of day, and drove home separately again. Day after day, month after month, year after year. No one seemed to think there was anything unusual about that except me. But the truly career couples had to do it that way to give the 'right impression' about loyalty to the company and dedication to the job.

[Aggie]

Y'all is crazy down there.  Calgary is enough of an adjustment for me (BC is much more laid back, on account of the natural setting and natural export products) and it's not anything like that here.

It's nearly impossible to make a business call to anyone after 4:30 pm (even 4 is pushing it).  I'm notable for working past 5 on a regular basis (eh, I show up at 8:30) - the office is a ghost town at that time since most people start around 7:30. 

Of course, field work is different, but I don't mind 14 hour days when I'm away from home in some flyspeck oil town...

[Sibling Chatty]

Some sociopaths, yes, but plenty of psychopaths, too.

The sociopaths go higher, the psychopaths are more plentiful, but don't go as high as sociopaths, because they flip out too soon.

[Swatopluk]

Public transport here is adequate. Of course it leaves a lot to desire (espcecially, whe it is like now in striking mood) but that is about improvement in a working system. But Berlin is a dozy provincial hicksville, not a metropolis* (don't get fooled by the abundance of culltural institutions and 3.4 million people)**

*unlike before and after WW1
**That combination of culture and provinciality is one of the reasons I do not want to leave.