so as some of you know, i belong to an online group of mom who have childern born the same month & years as my kids. well last weekend some one posted taht we should all conserve gas and not go anywhere. well it took me awhile i got pissed off and posted this:

ok im sure ill tick people off, but i have been follwoing mary's thread since she posted it last week.
i drive a VW passat. before that i had a VW jetta. in 2001, i had an accident and needed to replace teh jetta, we tried to get a prius hybrid but at the time there was a three month waiting list, and my need for a car was imediate. so we got the passat. we are a family of four, and for whatever its worth dh is 6'1 and im 5'8 and i have always had plenty of room.
i have always said i dont want a third child since it will force us into a mini van and i dont want that for me, the ecology or the econmonics.
im sick of peole saying gas was rationed during WWII, thats true but we live a totaly different lifestyle today. growing up i walked to the grocery store at least 5 days out of the week. i walked to church teh library, school, i would walk 3 miles to go to the mall. even as very young children if we couldnt walk there we couldnt go there. today it seems that this is just not possible. with planned commuintes, lack of sidewalks, the fears drilled into our head of pediphiles, kidnappers, and the need to always have bigger, better more.
one of the main reason i want to move is so i can start walking again to the places i need to go, and also walking to local neighborhood shops mean im not going to a coglomerate, that doesnt need more of my money.
this is how *i* feel, one of my core vaules as an indivual is to do my part to help small businesses, give back to communities, the ecology, and to raise my child to see the value in these things.
i know not every one feels the way i do, and the things i have said are harsh, and i admit im just frustrated to hear all this spinning and waiting for a hybrid etc there are things we can do today. whether its combining errands, or not going to starbucks there are little things each one of us can go to help.
catherine