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First, I would like to say, that my heart and condolences go out to every person who
has lost a child, in this world. My feelings of sadness often find their way into feelings of fear, the fear of loosing one of my
children to death. One of my biggest fears in this area is that we would get hit by some speeding motorist out there on a
highway. People have become so engrossed in speeding that they never think of anyone - not even themselves in a good way.
The saddest thing is that they never think of harming some innocent child - like what occured in California a few days ago,
05.26.08, a horrible accident on a CA highway killed several children.
How? this fits into our scheme of things here is this, back in the 1970's, the U.S.
government in all it's glory and wisdom, finally done something right. It slowed this country down on it's highways to a speed
limit of not more than 55 miles per hour. The argument was then and should still be today that, it saves lives and conserves
fuel for future generations to have and enjoy.
There is really only one factor that drives the cost of fuel and that is demand. The
high cost of gasoline today is a result of all the demand factors that put pressure on the price. Those factors include but are not
limited to, personal use and governmental use. Whether in the United States or around the world, it's all the same. These factors
are weighted by, bigger vehicles, more people in the world driving and warfare, just to name a few.
During the course of time from 1977 to 1992 U.S. automakers and those who
wished to sell vehicles in the U.S. were forbidden to place eight (8) cylinder engines in U.S. autos. U.S. citizens were forbidden
to drive in excess of 55 mph on U.S. highways. Two things occured, the death toll on U.S. highways was significantly lower and
the price of gasoline fell dramatically to under ninety (90) cents a gallon.
It all changed however when U.S. automakers started to put eight (8) cylinder
vehicles back on sale for the speed buffs out there and the U.S. government decided that they too would cater to these
fanatics. Add the astronomical growth of China's economy and warfare in the mix and what do you have - a disasterist hike in
the price of gasoline. Not only this but increased carbon emissions. Now, imagine for a moment, those children recently killed
in California and then, imagine your children being choked to death by a poisonous gas in the air.
Nothing is different about death but the way that it comes. Some die in their sleep
and others die in a horrible car accident or from falling off a cliff, but no matter what, it is all the same death. Imagine however
dying from soffocating to death or from catching some ungodly disease brought about by poor air quality. And one thing is for
certain, these are grusome thoughts. And I could never imagine going faster than 55 mph on a highway as it is, 65 mph scares
me, truly. The thought of spewing more carbon exhausts out of my tailpipe than is necessary to live and enjoy life than I need to,
is also a scary thought in my mind.
Now if you want people to have bigger engines in their vehilces and you want them
to go faster on our highways, at least provide them with a fuel that is cleaner burning and more abundant in our world, like
butanol, than petroleum is. And for God sake, I hope no-one would be allowed to drive faster than 65. Then maybe someday
the phrase speed kills will be the furthest thought to us in the backs of our minds and it will hold very little significance to any of
us.
This issue on highway fatalities is always controversial and you can decide for
yourself, what you think Here.
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