Drill ANWR! We can do it to buy time while we transition to better types of fuel.

You're idea would work if consumers were in control of production. Unfortunately increasing the supply isn't really an option.

But by supporting public transit (with your dollars) and pressuring local politicians we could have decent transit system pretty quickly.

The current situation would be fine if the cost of oil weren't increasing. I started riding IndyGo daily in October. It might just be the weather, but it seems more people are riding now versus then. I don't know the actual numbers anyway. The routes I take are always pretty busy though.

Read the entire thread. The point we should all try to connect on is oil. It's not about how much we have or whether we're better now than before. Slaves were better off in 1850 than in 1750. That doesn't justify slavery though. We should always strive to be a better nation. As gas costs rise, so will food costs (and everything else). We'll end up losing what we have if we continue living this way.

The problem is very complex though. It starts with oil primarily because oil is the blood of our economy. It's the primary point of control. It dictates the cost of anything else that's tangible, in turn controlling anyone who has to rely on it. Consumers can control that market by using less fuel.

But as soon as consumers see the power in connecting it will affect economies and politics all over the world.

So Kristofer.... what's the answer? Public transportation is getting a lo of press in Fishers. It's a step in the right direction. Seems like all I hear though is Indy metro ridership keeps dwindling. It would be interesting to know what the numbers have been the last 3 - 4 months. In my opinion, Indy lacks the density for Public transproation to be really viable. How about opening exploration? Building some refineries? Reducing consumption is the ultimate goal. Increasing supply would have the same effect, but with quicker results.

the graffiti bandit on the east side isn't asking for anything. the graffiti promotes unity, and I'm taking it a step further by talking about uniting for a purpose. have you actually read the thread?

So the graffiti bandit on the Eastside is asking us to conserve oil? It all makes sense now.

indeed

Provocative Stuff Kristofer! Keep it comin' my man,,

The focus is unity. Sure, we will encounter disagreements when discussing certain subjects. What we need to do at this point is identify something we do agree on and run the message like our lives depend on it. What is one thing we agree on? Well, lets start with the fact that the major oil companies pulled over 120 billion for fiscal year 2007. Every American feels the pressure of the ballooning oil costs. It is burdening good people with dilemmas that they shouldn't have to face. We can change it by changing our lifestyles. We can liberate ourselves when we start thinking objectively and disregard our traditional school of subjective thought.

It seems this thread is nearly exhausted, however, I feel compelled to share my perspective. When perusing the above comments we can all agree that there are common denominators. Most citizens here in the inordinately wealthy, immensely powerful United States would agree that we need change. Yet, it seems that we are all stumped when it comes to facilitating/initiating our reconstruction of current society. All we have currently is trust in corrupt government officials who write bankrupt policies which serve to increase their own wealth and divide society. Kristofer is right, the power to change the situation is in our hands. Yes, we can change it! We can unite and change our streets, neighborhoods, and cities! It will require a massive paradigm shift regarding our collective lifestyle. The American lifestyle will continue to devour oil just as rapidly as the cost per barrel is rising. Here is the problem. Our American mentality assists us with abandoning rationalism. Logic affords that not every commodity in the world is infinite. Why are we feeling the heavy blows dealt by the absurdly wealthy politicians who have controlling interests in oil? The answer is simple. We didn't make provision for this inevitable crisis back in the 70s. Who do we thank for that? The government officials that we elected and supported. Instead of developing public transit and expanding our edifices to reinforce this standard of travel, we selfishly clung to the pioneer stance and insisted on every man/woman for his/her self. Now we have a soccer mom sporting an Escalade as her daily driver, Daddy drives a BMW to commute to work, and 16 year old Zoe has a late model passenger sedan that she drives back and forth to school every day. Do we honestly think that the Earth boasts of an endless supply of crude oil? We all know the gold rush eventually ended..... We can change our plight when we adopt new precedents. In other cultures, many that could afford an automobile decline to purchase one because of the costs associated with maintaining/operating it. What would happen if the majority of the population in the key cities of the US started thinking along these lines? What if they pushed the government into investing in public transport and held rallies to underline their sincerity? The demand would decrease, and subsequently the cost would be affected in a favorable manner. In the interim we might take note of the influence we wield as one voice! Why continue to struggle and fight through life on your own when it is possible to grasp arms and create an indomitable avenue for a shift in our country?!

I would choose to make myself available.

=)

I read the whole painfully long thread from the start. Your overzealous search for revolution is causing you to assign some kind of society-changing ideals to random occurences. We all get that your ride the bus to stick it to the man. We all get that the world would be a better place if fuel wasn't so expensive. Your dismissive attitude toward anyone who questions your motives and focus is the reason you will never succeed. You can't unite by dismissing those who may not agree with everything you write. Graffiti may promote unity for those that agree with vandalism, but obviously it turns off a segment of the population that may otherwise agree with the message. Not all participants of your planned revolution are going to be on the front line, making a scene. Give real unity a though. Encourage socially responsible acts of defiance and you'll gain much more support and unity.

There's no overzealous search for revolution against the man. It has everything to do with oil companies exploiting us though. If everything were good I've have nothing to think about revolutionizing during my commute. But by the time I get to the north side of town I realize it's impossible. There's just too many soccer mom's driving their hummers to the grocery store.

It's not a social revolution in a sense that we militarize and take over.. but we're definitely better than this. The deep tags are just a way to get people talking [imho, I certainly didn't put them there..]. You're reading comprehension may need a checkup.

I think this would be the perfect time to introduce religion into the conversation.

More dismissive tripe. You talk about unity but readily divide.

Indeed, you haven't provided any ideas. You only complain and philosophize about the impossibilities. You're complaints and failure to contribute is the divisive factor here.

Why must we argue anyway? Cynicism never accomplished anything more than making people angry. Instead of making this such a personal attack, why not provide a viable solution? There's no need for us to fight about this.

If I've made you angry, then I apologize. I'm just trying to point out the failures of those who went before you lest you make the same mistakes. You will never get the right answers unless you can ask the right questions. That's the basis for my posts. Addressing the weakness of an argument can lead to a stronger argument in the end. Call me a cynic...I've been called worse.

that's what we're discussing here.. what are you doing about it?

Any ideas though? I can correct the semantics in my next thread..

To touch on an idea from an earlier post of mine, encourage responsible activism. While grafitti may be seen as art by some, it's not a very unifying act. It certainly doesn't seem to promote fuel conservation in the form you have addressed. I started a thread about "Bike to Work Week" last week. There's an idea for fuel conservation. Did you know that May is the national Bike to Work Month? Or check out my post on Freecycle, another way to affect change through a socially responsible means. Fuel conservation and energy independence are all tied to a larger goal of systematic change. Every little step towards awareness is good, but change for change sake is a bad idea.

while i've kept up on this thread until now, I had not contributed. Long winded comments are not normally my thing. But will someone PLEASE explain how the creative (albeit illegal) expressions of the "deep" tags in Central and Eastside Indy are at all related to petrol boycott discussions??? You people seem to have a bevy of strong opinions but no focus (alas...a relatively common denominator in online discussions)

Stop moaning about oil prices and go do something about it.