Comments on: Fuel Economy Tip – Let Your Kids Walk or Take the Bus

By: nobody

nobody — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:24:47 +0000

You’re right, Brian…because Moomie in the SUV will probably run right into the compact car. I mean, the kids in it aren’t HER widdle pweshuses, right?

By: Brian Carr

Brian Carr — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 20:41:52 +0000

Probably a lot safer than the kid in the compact car.

By: nobody

nobody — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 20:18:21 +0000

I wonder how safe these widdle suburban kiddies are in a Ford Exploitation driven by a soccer mommy who’s busy handing out the juice boxes with one hand while she yaks on the cellphone in her other hand about Pweshus’s viola lessons, all the while tailgating the compact car in front of her…

By: Brian Carr

Brian Carr — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 20:00:38 +0000

I don’t agree regarding the “change in times.” I think a lot of the stuff that goes on today probably went on back in the 1950′s – the difference being now there are many more media outlets (newspapers, 24 hour news stations, the internet, etc.) that cover all that’s going on in our world. Again, while I have no statistics to back me up, I would bet that the chance of something happening to someone walking to school is the same now as it was in the 1950′s.

By: CC

CC — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:35:22 +0000

This is a two-sided coin. Yes, today’s kids are spoiled, over-indulged brats with a sense of entitlement. Why should they have to WALK anywhere? But on the other side, the world is not the world of the 1950′s, not even close. I’d rather spend a few beans every week and drive my kids to school.

By: z

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:02:29 +0000

Approved carpools? That’s rediculous. We tried using one oce and my little brother got things stolen out of his backpack every day until we stopped and organized our own carpool. It was awesome. And every parent only drove both ways once a week. This is only because we grew up in a rural mountain area where the bus didn’t go and the roads were too narrow to safely walk or bike.

But taking away recess? How are those poor kids going to concentrate in class if all they want to do is wiggle for a little while. I’ve heard of the districts as well that don’t allow games like tag and kickball where kids might get hurt or keep score so nobody can lose. I can’t believe where schools are going and I’m scared of where they’ll be when my son is old enough to be there.

By: Bee

Bee — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:01:34 +0000

Reading this article, all I could think of was the shock and horror on the faces of my classmates’ parents when they learned that my sister and I walked to school. Granted the junior high was about 8/10 of a mile and the high school was a half mile past that, and I didn’t think it was all that bad to walk. It sucked when the weather was miserable, as it tends to be in Northeast winters, but when one’s parents leave for work in the dark, you have to deal. This past year, as a senior, I was able to drive to school, and did just because I was so involved with other things that a car was becoming necessary. But I actually sort of missed walking to school…it was nice and peaceful in the morning, and the walk actually helped me wake up and feel more prepared for school.

By: Brian Carr

Brian Carr — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:36:40 +0000

AZ – I’m sorry to hear about your experiences, which is specifically why I stated to walk only if it is safe. Obviously, if it’s a seedy area, take ALL of the necessary precautions.

TDY – That’s absolutely ridiculous. I understand their point of view regarding liability, but I think that’s going way too far. Has your school district also cut back on the number of hours your children spend each week doing physical activities?

By: TDY

TDY — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 13:38:42 +0000

A big problem right now is school districts not allowing kids to walk to school. They will not allow me to let my kids walk to a school that is HALF A MILE AWAY, they have to ride the bus, or be driven in an approved carpool. It’s just ridiculous. It’s not the only school district I’ve come across with this problem either. That and taking away recess is what’s causing the kids to chunk up.

By: Jorge

Jorge — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 08:41:07 +0000

@ AZ:
A very astute observation for a 15-year old. The war on terror [a shooting war on ideas is a bad idea in its own right, you can't hurt an idea] is wasting obscene amounts of money that could have been used a lot more wisely to make America a great place to live, for everybody and not just the very rich.

Because the country is geared towards a hyper-individualised mindset, only -I- count and there is less of a sense of community. Because of that, there is a lot of indifference towards the suffering of the fellow citizen. If you have to go flat out every day just to make ends meet, if at all, there’s just no overhead to be compassionate towards your neighbor. Of course there’s nothing wrong with working hard to get ahead. It does become a problem when working hard to get ahead is the -only- thing that matters anymore.
A lot of the crime could be prevented by offering better education to people who have no way to afford it and for lack of it [and by extension have no serious chance to land a decent job] turn to crime as their only means to generate revenue. Living in poverty is not a great way to spend a life.

America could spend a fraction of what it does on the war and make heaps of new friends in the world, which would be a far more effective way to avoid terrorism and it would have tons of money left to spend on the people who [should] really matter most: its own citizens. Case in point: a lot of parents don’t dare to let their children go to school on their own because of the inherend danger that is connected to that. For some parents that’s not a real issue, but for a lot of people, including yourself, it -is- an issue.
Building a great society, spending the money on the citizens, would be a far better way to spend a half a trillion dollars. But that’s just my opinion, I’m known for having ill-adjusted ideas.