What Is Early Word? The Philadelphia Inquirer's experimental online "morning show", which began in Sept. 2005, went on hiatus in the summer of 2006, after a gradual shift to putting more of its content directly on Philly.com.
About the Host Peter Mucha, husband and father of two, grew up in Cherry Hill and is a lifelong Philly sports fan. He's been writing and editing for The Inquirer for 18 years.
His motto (at least for today): "If I'm not brief, give me grief." View Blogger profile.
Tip on posting comments: After you click a comment link, select "other" or "anonymous" in the pop-up box. That way, you won't be asked for a password.
The Inquirer's ever-evolving way to start your day. Email. Phone: 215-854-2388.
Monday, May 15, 2006
In Too Much of a Hurry to Stop Guzzling Gas
Starting today, New Jersey, as a kind of a thank-you to drivers of hybrid cars, is letting them use HOV lanes up near New York City. Meanwhile, Texas wants to boost the speed limit on a couple of highways to 80 m.ph. These contradictory-sounding moves have one thing in common: The government fiddles while gasoline burns. Brazil already has so many ethanol-burning flex cars, it needs no foreign oil. Why can't we take more drastic actions? Tax breaks for companies for every employee who works at home? A switch to a four-day work week? No highway or bridge tolls for cars that need no imported oil? Tax deductions for commuter bicycles? (A rush-hour race in town this afternoon, by the way, pits a bike against a car and mass transit. It's part of Bike Week.) But, one suspects, those are just meager starting points, not incentive enough to trigger significant change in a pampered affluent leadership-lacking society loathe to sacrifice short-term comfort and convenience for long-term gain. What do you think needs to be done?
