Priorities?

I listened to the radio on the way to work this morning. The hourly news had a report on a local survey that indicated that two-thirds of respondents felt that gas prices were making it difficult to go to work.

Now I don't want to sound unsympathetic to the poor, and perhaps there really are that many people out there who make so little that they can barely afford the gas money to get them to work each day.

Granted, if that's really how the survey was worded it's a stupid question. But as it stands, it sounds like two-thirds of the people in my region are considering giving up going to work. That's like saying that because I can't find an extra $100 a month in the budget I'm going to pass on the ability to make any money at all.

Like I said, there probably are people who are already at the edge of their means who really can't afford the higher gas prices. But I suspect most of those two-thirds could tighten their budgets another $100 if need be. I can, and I don't have a cable or high-speed internet, don't eat out, and don't raid the snack machine at work.

But then my priorities have always been rather different from the mainstream. When I called my phone company today to see why my money hasn't been refunded to my account yet I had to fend off an attempt to sell me DSL. It just seems inconceivable to some people that $30-40 more a month is not a justifiable expense to me for a little extra convenience.

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that two-thirds of people in my area have had to make adjustments to their lifestyles in order to afford the gas to go to work. But that's not what the survey asked, evidently.

It sounds just a bit bizarre to me.