Israel War News (3 bochurim kidnapped by terrorist! HYD)

[Dan]

http://www.timesofisrael.com/what-happened-on-the-night-of-the-kidnapping/

[elit]

http://www.timesofisrael.com/what-happened-on-the-night-of-the-kidnapping/

They don't really say how they know any of this...

[Dan]

When will people stop hitchhiking?

[Ergel]

When will people stop hitchhiking?

Not gonna happen.
It's part of the fabric of life there. It's like saying in America, when will people stop driving their cars

[dudi]

When will people stop hitchhiking?

I have been in those areas and even though I was pishing in my pants I still hitch hiked since there is basically no other means of transportation it's crazy you stand on one side of the street soldiers in the middle in barcades and Arabs across the street and not the Israeli Arab type but the type that are looking for every opportunity to kill you

[PlatinumGuy]

When will people stop hitchhiking?

When Israel stops taxing cars at 100% and opens the import market to new entrants.

It's like saying in America, when will people stop driving their cars

That doesn't make any logical sense

[Ergel]

That doesn't make any logical sense

Why must you always be so combative? Maybe explain yourself and have a civilized conversation.
I was equating how essential car travel in the USA is to tremping in Israel. What about that doesn't make sense
(And by the way you still have my mezuzah)

[dovy2]

so they were buried in land that belongs to the terrorist's family. they couldn't have thought of checking there earlier?

[PlatinumGuy]

Why must you always be so combative? Maybe explain yourself and have a civilized conversation.
I was equating how essential car travel in the USA is to tremping in Israel. What about that doesn't make sense
(And by the way you still have my mezuzah)

That wasn't a combative comment. Car is a necessary means of transportation that in most parts of the US has no substitute. Hitchhiking is not necessary even if equally embedded (which I disagree with), so the fact that both are embedded doesn't logically add up to say that both have an equal chance of being displaced.

As to your mezuza, you're right, I'm sorry.
Either PM your address and Ill fedex it, let me know how much and how to pay you for it, or let me know next time you're in NYC and I'll bring it over or leave w my doorman.

[Ergel]

Not sure why car has no substitute. You could use uber.
Why is hitchhiking not necessary? Because people could buy cars?
And among the youth it is equally embedded.

[Dan]

So stop taxing cars and people will stop hitchhiking?

Seems overly simplistic, no?

[Ergel]

The kids will hitchhike anyways. It's not just the tax which doesn't allow people to afford cars. People don't have so much money in Israel. And gas is prohibitively expensive

[sky121]

At least in areas like that it would help to have some means of transportation. People will never stop hitchhiking but at least in the more dangerous areas it would be nice to help prevent it from going on.

[Dan]

The kids will hitchhike anyways..

Then R"L these stories will keep happening.

And gas is prohibitively expensive

Also due to tax.

[Ergel]

 
From the in internet:The tax on petroleum varies from country to country. In 2008 the average petrol tax in OECD countries was approximately 55% of the price of gasoline, similarly to Israel.
 

[Dan]

And the US rate is...
Rest if the OECD wants small cars, small families, etc.

Its already catching up with many of them.

[Ergel]

15%

[PlatinumGuy]

Not sure why car has no substitute. You could use uber.
Why is hitchhiking not necessary? Because people could buy cars?
And among the youth it is equally embedded.

Uber only works in a few major cities. In most of American you can't use Uber. Thats besides the fact that Uber is reliant on car ownership itself since peer to peer UberX pricing is below the cost of production of rides.

So stop taxing cars and people will stop hitchhiking?

Seems overly simplistic, no?

Of course it would take longer since markets aren't perfectly efficient, but the cardinal economic difference between the US and Israel in this aspect is the tax and financing differences.

The kids will hitchhike anyways. It's not just the tax which doesn't allow people to afford cars. People don't have so much money in Israel. And gas is prohibitively expensive

Most Israelis can afford $300/mo for a car. Insurance is a fraction of US costs. Although they aren't as wealthy, they don't have healthcare or education costs.

[PlatinumGuy]

I think most would agree if it was possible to drive in Israel for $300/mo (200 lease, 50 insurance, 50 gas), there would be no such thing as hitchhiking. Objectively the primary barriers to that are import duties and restrictions.

[Ergel]

"Most Israelis can afford $300/month for a car"-who told you that? And what about gas? And maybe instance is low because there are fewer cars on the road and will go up? Israelis aren't as wealthy after all is said and done (factoring in expenses and spending). Also, most Americans don't have education costs and many have minimal healthcare costs