Published: July 10, 2008 08:03 am      

There are reasons to like about $4 gas

Gas prices are going through the roof, but that may not be so bad.

I recently read a magazine article titled “10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas.”

Among other things, it listed the return of foreign jobs; the slowing of urban sprawl; four-day work weeks; less pollution; more frugality; fewer traffic deaths; cheaper insurance; less traffic and more physical exercise.

Without even trying, I can think of many more positives. Among them:

-- My truck. My 1978 Ford F-150 is uglier than a government mule, but it still runs good. These days, it doubles in value with every fill-up.

-- More bicycle use. This is especially good for me, because I have a collection of approximately 50 bicycles. Most are nice, old, comfortable bikes — Schwinns and Raleighs with leather saddles, simple gearing, fenders and upright handlebars. They would be perfect for riding to work or to the store. I figure I’ll sit on my investment, then, at just the right moment, flood the market and make a killing.

-- A pre-owned Hummer, anyone? Sales of Ford SUVs dropped by 55 percent in June. It won’t be long until you’ll be able to buy all sorts of nice, shiny Land Rovers, RVs, travel trailers, riding lawnmowers, snowmobiles, motorboats and luxury cars for pennies on the dollar. Even poor folks will be able to park a late-model Cadillac in their driveway and make the neighbors think they’ve struck it rich.

-- Fewer gas stations, fast food outlets and shopping malls. OK by me.

-- Fewer cars. That would mean less congestion on the streets and highways, more parking spaces, less need for parking garages, fewer potholes, less noise, and neighborhoods suddenly made more beautiful and liveable.

-- More freight and passengers moved by rail. Wouldn’t it be nice to go somewhere without a semi on your tail? The loss of our once-great network of passenger trains, streetcars and interurban lines had to be one of the dumbest moves in U.S. history.

-- Less needless mowing. Last weekend, we took Illinois 9 from Hoopeston to Bloomington. It was evident that someone in the state highway department has a brain in his head. Most of the right-of-way along both sides of the road is no longer mowed. Instead, prairie grasses and prairie flowers are allowed to bloom and grow. The bachelor buttons, black-eyed Susans and coneflowers are lovely reminders that you’re in The Prairie State.

-- A return to the city. Real estate people say that more people are selling their country homes, abandoning costly commutes, and moving back into town. That is good for agriculture, good for wildlife, and good for the cities. It makes sense, too. Who in their right mind wants to drive 10 miles for a gallon of milk? Why should some of the finest cropland on the face of the earth be covered with depressing, tacky, vinyl-sided subdivisions?

-- The return of in-season, local produce. It seems strange and totally wasteful to eat apples from New Zealand, strawberries from California, and watermelons from Florida, when we grow the same things, right here.

Most Saturday mornings find me at the local farmers’ market, where I get fresh asparagus, green beans, sweet corn, apples, tomatoes and cucumbers from the friendly person who grew them. That saves lots of fuel, supports local business, and gives our family better things to eat. I live in town, so I walk down and carry everything back in a newspaper bag.

I could go on, but there will be even more things to like about $5 gas. It’s coming soon to a station near you.

Danville native Kevin Cullen is a former Commercial-News reporter. Reach him at irishhiker@aol.com.