Gas Prices Out of Control

I don't know about you but as I hear about the gas prices which are going up weekly; I have to seriously think about where I drive. Do I really need to go out? Can I put off my so that I can combine my trip so as not to waste the gas in my Toyota 4Runner?

I am also a Realtor and need to approach my business slightly differently when it comes to buyers wanting to go out and look at homes. These are my thoughts now but what happens when the weather starts to change. The we also have to front more in the cost of heating our homes. Many millions of Americans run on gas.

I have read and seen a multitude about the gas prices but no one seems to have a solution or an idea of when it's going to stop. Below is an article from a newsletter I receive by Smart Growth Around America - newsletter@smartgrowthamerica.org.

If any one out there has suggestions to help us all work together to see if we as a nation can bring about a change to stop this weekly increase insanity, I would LOVE to hear it.

Gas prices changing the face of America

Almost overnight, gas prices have become the most pressing issue in the minds of Americans. Desperate for solutions, many of us already have grabbed the low-hanging fruit: Combine trips. Work from home occasionally. Drive the sedan instead of the SUV. Carpool. Vacation close to home.

Most people don't expect things to get much better any time soon: A poll commissioned by SGA and other groups earlier this year showed that 92 percent believe gas will only get more expensive in the coming years. Though struggling with near-term implications, many are starting to wonder how a future of costly energy will reshape their lives and landscape. You can already see it in the housing market, where people are unable to unload McMansions in partly-finished, distant subdivisions for the same reason they can't sell their large SUVs: Potential buyers don't want the high gas bills. Just this week, the Wall Street Journal, CNN and the Los Angeles Times all reported on how expensive gas is reshaping consumer demand.

Americans are beginning to ask themselves the big questions: "How did we get to a situation where the only option we have is to drive? Why can't I take a train to work? Why can't my kids walk to school like I did?"

With 95 percent of Americans lacking easy access to public transportation and untold millions living in unwalkable places, the time is now to increase our investment in strategies to lessen our need for gasoline and oil: better public transportation, more walkable and bikeable neighborhoods. Given the situation with escalating gas prices, global warming, and our dependence on oil, we need better alternatives to protect us from the pain of the pump.