Be Your Own Fuel!

With gas going up to $4-$5 a gallon this summer and projected in the next two years to hit an unbelievable and intolerable $10/gallon... there MUST be a change somewhere! I don't believe that the government will do anything significant to lower fuel prices -- most of the politicians are making too much money off the skyrocketing gas market to care how the peons feel.

Therefore, Americans must simply decide to make a change themselves. We must alter the way we think about transportation. If you live close enough to work or school to ride a bike or walk there... DO IT! Be your own fuel, I say! There is nothing wrong with leaving the car in the garage and pedaling to work. Not only does it benefit the environment and your waistline, if enough people start finding alternate means of transportation, it will show the government that the American people will not swallow this pill. We cannot stand by and let them make millions off of us, while we go broke because we are stubborn.

Driving a car is so totally ingrained in American culture as a necessity and a status symbol and that mindset is what the oil companies are counting on. Let's show them that we DO NOT rely on their overpriced fuel -- they rely on us for their jobs and we should be treated with respect. They think they can get away with charging outrageous amounts for gas, but my trike says differently.

We bought this sweet trike from Walmart and I have been riding it to work. I am trying really hard to change the way I think about getting from point A to point B. In a town as small as Starkville, a lot of places are close enough to pedal or walk to. This is the case in towns all across the country, but still people get in their cars and drive five minutes to work every day or three minutes to the store to pick up a gallon of milk. I'm not saying stop driving altogether -- sometimes it is necessary. What I am saying is... before you go start up the car, think about where you are going and, if it is less than a 5 or 10 minute drive, make a point to walk or ride your bike there.

Just seeing people riding bikes, encourages other people to do the same. Let's start a movement toward self-propelled transportation and be our own fuel!