Once again the people over at the Sightline Institute has done some research that should get us thinking about our priorities. In a recent project, the group looked at various income levels in the USA and how many hours must be worked in order to pay for 15 gallons of gasoline, which would represent an average fill-up for an average passenger car. They also compared this figure for 2008 with 1970, and over that span of time. In Canada with all the gasoline taxes, our figures would be much higher for sure.
So we see from the data that the average minimum wage earner works over 1 full day to pay for a tank full of gasoline. The middle class work 2.7 hours to pay for the same fill up, while an average CEO works only 36 SECONDS on average for that same 15 gallons of gas. While I never fault anyone for accomplishing financial freedom in life, I'm sure that many CEO's out there don't understand the needs of their staff and this great disparity, nor do they spend much time thinking about it. I wonder why the minimum wage and median income earners in our area are not more engaged in our struggle to get sustainable and affordable transit solutions to our area to reduce these gasoline bills. Is their love for the automobile that strong?
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