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PsyDocJoanne · 09-25-2008, 08:37 PM

balok--

>And I'm saddened to see that you (and almost all Americans, so don't take this personally) find nothing wrong with consumerism and materialism, and that you believe that living 34 miles away from your work place justifies the pollution you produce.

I'm speaking only for myself, and not for all Americans, but I'm really curious how you suggest I get back and forth to work each day? I'm assuming you're unfamiliar with the economic or geographic situation in South Florida.

Let me give you a primer. We have no USEFUL public transportation system (feel free to Google that and verify it); we have a tiny Metro system that covers all of about 10 miles; we also have a Tri-Rail system that covers slightly more ground, but is very limited in scope (one north/south route, that's it). Our public buses do not run reliably, and there aren't many of them. I've done the math, and it would take me significantly longer to get to my office via public transportation (1.5 hours vs. ~50 minutes to an hour). South Florida is wholly and totally about commuting.

Why not just live closer to my office? Here's the economic part of the equation. To put it in easy to grasp terms, to rent an apartment near my office (which is in an extremely affluent area, and not of my choosing) might cost $1000-$1500/month, for a small one bedroom. To rent the same apartment, say, 30 miles away might be $750-$1000.

Despite my rampant consumerism <insert sarcasm here>, I can't justify that. So I'm all ears if you have a solution for me, other than driving a small, fuel-efficient car.

And on the subject of consumerism:

>(you Americans) find nothing wrong with consumerism and materialism

Not true. There are a lot of non-materialistic Americans who have curtailed their consumerism and live relatively austere lives. I'm not one of them. I like things, and I don't really see a problem with that. It stimulates the economy, for one thing; for another, those things often bring me pleasure. Did you know that in addition to my consumerism and materialism, I also do pro bono work; I donate vigorously to charities of my choosing; I recycle and make other environment-conscious efforts; and I volunteer my time? I feel just fine about how I'm doing with my responsibility to my neighbors, my community, and on the whole, my general environment.

I'm ready to put this to bed, balok. As I said, what once was fun is now just tedious.

09-25-2008, 08:37 PM	#106
PsyDocJoanne Loves her 505 and her Z4! Posts: 157 Karma: 631 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Weston, FL Device: Sony PRS-505	balok-- >And I'm saddened to see that you (and almost all Americans, so don't take this personally) find nothing wrong with consumerism and materialism, and that you believe that living 34 miles away from your work place justifies the pollution you produce. I'm speaking only for myself, and not for all Americans, but I'm really curious how you suggest I get back and forth to work each day? I'm assuming you're unfamiliar with the economic or geographic situation in South Florida. Let me give you a primer. We have no USEFUL public transportation system (feel free to Google that and verify it); we have a tiny Metro system that covers all of about 10 miles; we also have a Tri-Rail system that covers slightly more ground, but is very limited in scope (one north/south route, that's it). Our public buses do not run reliably, and there aren't many of them. I've done the math, and it would take me significantly longer to get to my office via public transportation (1.5 hours vs. ~50 minutes to an hour). South Florida is wholly and totally about commuting. Why not just live closer to my office? Here's the economic part of the equation. To put it in easy to grasp terms, to rent an apartment near my office (which is in an extremely affluent area, and not of my choosing) might cost $1000-$1500/month, for a small one bedroom. To rent the same apartment, say, 30 miles away might be $750-$1000. Despite my rampant consumerism <insert sarcasm here>, I can't justify that. So I'm all ears if you have a solution for me, other than driving a small, fuel-efficient car. And on the subject of consumerism: >(you Americans) find nothing wrong with consumerism and materialism Not true. There are a lot of non-materialistic Americans who have curtailed their consumerism and live relatively austere lives. I'm not one of them. I like things, and I don't really see a problem with that. It stimulates the economy, for one thing; for another, those things often bring me pleasure. Did you know that in addition to my consumerism and materialism, I also do pro bono work; I donate vigorously to charities of my choosing; I recycle and make other environment-conscious efforts; and I volunteer my time? I feel just fine about how I'm doing with my responsibility to my neighbors, my community, and on the whole, my general environment. I'm ready to put this to bed, balok. As I said, what once was fun is now just tedious.