4 ms·

Many people don't just "happen" to be in a situation where they don't need a car, they actively put themselves in that situation by making many lifestyle choice

Many people don't just "happen" to be in a situation where they don't need a car, they actively put themselves in that situation by making many lifestyle choices. I changed jobs (twice) to move closer to home. I used to have a job with a 45 - 60 minute car commute (the train was over 2 hours due to the need to make 2 connections), then took a job that was only about 10 miles away (just under an hour by bike, 12 - 30 minutes by car depending on traffic). I took a bit of a pay cut for that job, but it was worth it for saving about an hour/day commuting. Then I moved to a job that was 2 miles away (10 minutes by bike or by car). My job also happens to be close to shops, restaurants, etc -- everything I need for daily living. And I get around 1.5 hours/day of my life back compared to when I had the original, longer commute. But I didn't just "happen" to end up living where I don't need a car, I actively sought it out.

refurb 9y ago
Sounds like you have the luxury of picking and choosing your jobs. Most American's don't.
- Johnny555 9y ago
  Slavery has been illegal for over 150 years. Many people say that they don't have the option to change jobs, yet when they get laid off or the factory where they work shuts down, they find a way to survive even if they have to make sacrifices to do so.
  - lawpoop 9y ago
    There has to be a name for this-- Godwin's corollary , or something. FWIW, people living in poor rural areas, the rust belt, Reservations, etc. are surviving, true, but doing so in conditions that aren't quite first-world.
    - Johnny555 9y ago
      You mean the kind of people that can't afford a car, yet are stuck in decaying suburbia that can't afford to keep up infrastructure and where it's hard to provide social services to a far-flung population? People for whom the American dream of a car for everyone has left them stuck in one place when they can't afford that car. People that need an expensive car because it's the only way to get to their far-flung job, or get groceries, or go a doctor's appointment? Where even if there's a bus, it only runs a few times a day and may require long transfers to go across town. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/01/suburbs-and-the-new-american-poverty/384259/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/01/suburbs... https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-strapped-towns-un-paving-roads-cant-afford-fix/ https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-strapped-towns-un-paving-...
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - lawpoop 9y ago
        Yes.

refurb 9y ago

Sounds like you have the luxury of picking and choosing your jobs. Most American's don't.

Johnny555 9y ago
Slavery has been illegal for over 150 years. Many people say that they don't have the option to change jobs, yet when they get laid off or the factory where they work shuts down, they find a way to survive even if they have to make sacrifices to do so.
- lawpoop 9y ago
  There has to be a name for this-- Godwin's corollary , or something. FWIW, people living in poor rural areas, the rust belt, Reservations, etc. are surviving, true, but doing so in conditions that aren't quite first-world.
  - Johnny555 9y ago
    You mean the kind of people that can't afford a car, yet are stuck in decaying suburbia that can't afford to keep up infrastructure and where it's hard to provide social services to a far-flung population? People for whom the American dream of a car for everyone has left them stuck in one place when they can't afford that car. People that need an expensive car because it's the only way to get to their far-flung job, or get groceries, or go a doctor's appointment? Where even if there's a bus, it only runs a few times a day and may require long transfers to go across town. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/01/suburbs-and-the-new-american-poverty/384259/ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/01/suburbs... https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-strapped-towns-un-paving-roads-cant-afford-fix/ https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-strapped-towns-un-paving-...
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - lawpoop 9y ago
      Yes.