As we fill our tanks with ever-more-expensive gas and diesel, our minds turn to alternative fuels. Researchers in Minnesota hope to create bio-diesel from algae. The project would use wastewater from the metro area treatment plant to feed the algae. (Read More . . .)
$5 a gallon is too much, but expect that by labor day 2008. That is right folks! $5.00 a gallon, which means even a car like ours with 66.7 mpg highway and 48.5 mpg city driving will cost us 10 – 12 cents a miles (diesel). I can’t image what it cost for a car with 23 mpg costing $ 0.21 per mile.
We just finished watching one of our favorite shows, “30 Days“, on Hulu. This episode the host, Morgan Spurlock who brought us “Super Size Me” and “Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?”, returns to his home state of West Virginia to experience one of the country’s most dangerous occupations: coal mining.
Why do they coal mine in spite ofcave-ins, black lung disease and the hard work that takes a toll early on? Money! A coal miner makes as little as $60,000 a year. That is a lot of money for West Virginia. Your money can go far. Problem? Commute. They have about an hour commute to the coal mine location. Live any closer and basically living on mining land – not a good idea. Sink holes, cave-ins and the pollution are good reasons to live an hour away.
What do West Virginians drive? Trucks and not those pesky toy trucks. We are talking Ford F-150 with extra cab space (family space) with 18 mpg (2008 rating), driving 1 hour each way (mostly back roads) @ 55 mph (for the best mpg) is driving 110 miles each day. That means a 6 day work week (in the “30 Days” episode all worked a 6 day work week) is a total of 660 miles a week or 2640 miles a month. The average Ford F-150 (2008) has a gas tank of 30 gallons. Doing math . . . 540 miles per tank, driving 55 mph. The miner is filling his tank 4.8 times a month with a total cost of $720.
$ 60,000 goes fast, take home pay after dental, health, insurance, 401k, FICA, social security, union dues and so on the average person brings home about 70% of their pay. Which means what actually makes it into your direct deposit $ 42,000 annually , $3,500 monthly or $807.69 weekly (52 weeks in a year).
Almost 1 (one) entire paycheck (1/4 of income) is going to the travel expense of getting to work! Which means the miner’s family is living on $ 31,500 annually, $2,250 monthly or $ 605.76 weekly (52 weeks in a year).
Now that might seem like a lot, but your life is shortened and that $60,000 with commuting cost means you are living on the wage of a secretary. A general secretary in the nearby town makes about $35,586 annually with a take-home pay of $ 24, 910.20 annually, $ 2,075.85 monthly or $ 479.00 weekly (52 weeks in a year). No hour commute, higher quality of life, 5 day work week, and without a black lung.
What to do with the free time? How about learning a skill? Get a better job? Start your own business?
Science will save us from dependency on oil, but what about the lifestyle? Will people start to see other options? Will creativity and the American Dream come alive again? Or will the nation, just like the miners, make the decision based on money rather than quality of life?
Even if we drive our automobiles with alternative fuel when will the human value come into the equation?