See this link for the average income from manufacturing and decide if the
good old days are as good as you remember them to be.
http://www.sciway.net/data/mfg-earnings-dollars.html
Don't forget that the average mileage has doubled at least, most of the cars
from the 50's got 12 to 15 mpg most cars get 25 to 30 regularly now. so a
125 mile trip was around 2.20 for 10 gallons of fuel or 1.5 hours of
salary.. with 3.00 dollar fuel it is around 15.00 for 5 gallons of fuel for
most people an hour or less of salary to go the same distance.. even at
McDonalds wages it is still about 1.5 hours salary. at 2.20 a gallon common
around a year ago it was a bargain.. Things are not as bad as they are made
out to be at all.
See this link for current average wages..
http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t16.htm
If you don't drive an SUV as a commuter car the price of fuel is not that
big a deal.
The real fuel and highway killers are the tractor trailer trucks that get
around 6 to 7 mpg and beat the road surface to death that you and I pay for
in road taxes on gasoline.. We are subsidizing the whole business of these
things.. A truck can easily weigh as much as 20 cars and it is how hard you
tread on the pavement that wears it out along with speed. Sit down and do
the road tax calcs on who pays for what and you might be surprised.
If you have a diesel here is an interesting study.
http://pesn.com/2005/06/13/9600111_Semi_on_Acetone/
As the price of fuel goes up instead of fuel cells and hybrids how about
rail transport for freight?? Besides they don't cut you off on the
interstate either LOL..
Dave
>
> Regular petrol running about $2.96 to $3.29 locally(
> Yesterday evening,
> that is ! )
> PS : Recalling my flathead coupes in the mid 50s pulling up to
> pumps that
> read
> numbers like 20/9 -- 21/9 per gal ....... even the Golden Esso
> and Sunoco
> 260 my
> smallblock took a liking to in the Sixties seems like a Real
> Bargain when
> judged
> alongside of today's costly gas !
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