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Old 05-11-2008, 02:54 PM   #10
Agamemnon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames in 07 View Post
Agree with your post, but to clarify the bolded part is the consumers fault. I know it's much easier to just blame faceless companies, but all they are doing is serving a demand by the population.

Someone who makes a decision to have a bigger house and moves the burbs is as responsible for the high prices of crude products as anyone is.
Definitely, though it might not be that simple. It's easy to blame the consumer for having a house in the 'burbs and leaving a large footprint, but at the same time, City planning has a lot to do with it. If you're out looking for a family house you have 2,000 suburban options and like 100 practical alternatives. I know that each individual has to change their lifestyles, but I also think it's impractical to expect the general population to magically change their consumption habits.

Government regulation has to smarten up to provide sustainable long-term options for home-buyers/general consumers. Like the LED lightbulb change... if it were left to us I'm sure half of us would just use the cheaper incandescents, but the gov steps in and makes the change happen quicker through regulation (no idea on the controversial aspects of LED, just an example).

I think government regulation is probably the better vehicle for prompting sweeping changes in consumption habits, but that's my opinion.
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