“’First of all, very few people drive 50+ miles one-way to work’.Source please.”
Here is an article that goes into detail on the subject:
http://gm-volt.com/2007/12/06/how-did-gm-determine-that-78-of-commuters-drive-less-than-40-miles-per-day/
In short, it is based off of a survey done by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Below is a graph of survey respondents. If you add up the percentage of people who go 20 miles or less one-way to work (which would be 40 miles round-trip), you see that 78% of Americans drive 40 miles or less in their daily work commute.
Government statistics for the last 7 years are so unreliable and manipulated, I would not believe anything that starts with "US Department of [insert fable here"]
I suppose you are also paying "$2500 less" a year for your family's health Insurance?
And you believe that the cost of living has not gone up in the last 7 years!
...if you don't eat and use no energy whatsoever...
And you are much better off today than 7 years ago?
Good luck.