“Beer is now cheaper than gas,” the sign outside the local pizza place reminded me during lunch. If you own a car, it probably hasn’t escaped your notice that gas prices have been ticking steadily upwards at an alarming rate. The nationwide average is now $3.61, a 55 cent increase from last year.
And according to research from Florida State University, it’s giving Americans a serious case of the blues. “Employees were simply unable to detach themselves from the stress caused by escalating gas prices as they walked through the doors at work,” said researcher Wayne Hochwarter.
Surveying 800 people across the Southeastern US, Horchwarter found:
52 percent have reconsidered taking vacations or other recreational activities;
45 percent have had to cut back on debt-reduction payments, such as credit card payments;
Nearly 30 percent considered the consequences of going without basics including food, clothing and medicine;
45 percent report that the escalating gas prices have “caused them to fall behind financially”;
39 percent agreed with the statement “Gas prices have decreased my standard of living”; and
About 33 percent - or one in three - said they would quit their job for a comparable one nearer to home.
I’m fortunate that I live where I can ride my bike and take public transportation almost everywhere I need to go. As it is, I’m not likely to plan trips out of town, and I’m anxious to share rides with people if I have to get into my car. But would I choose gas over food or medicine? The fact that these decisions are being considered sounds like that critical point we’ve heard so much about - when individual Americans take steps to cut back on fossil fuels.
But what are these steps, and how realistic are they? Even if people are willing to take a job closer to home, they may not be able to find one. And if they’re already sacrificing to deal with gas prices, they’re probably not going to go out and buy a new Prius.
MIT has new study looking at what it will take to cut consumer fuel use. The biggest step, it says, is changing consumer expectations: For those who are buying new cars, they’re not going to get faster, sexier improvements - they’re going to get improvements in fuel efficiency. It reminds me of a similar study from MIT (they must be really into this kind of thing), which asked what it will take for people to buy greener cars. The author, Jeroen Struben, told me that it would take a huge mobilization (no pun intended) of the auto industry and policy makers, to get alternative fuel vehicles accepted by consumers. Again, no pun intended, but it seems that there are many, many roadblocks to making fuel efficiency commonplace. Maybe that $4 gallon gas will change all the rules. But we said that about $3 gas, didn’t we?
Keep in mind our “fuel shortage” is political rather than real. We have 40 separate designer blends of gasoline that must be made in batches and shipped via pipeline in batches all over the US at exhorbitant expense. The Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel (USLD) now mandeated by EPA is very expensive as well. We have too many regulations to allow building of new refineries. We will not drill ANWR or the continental shelves. We have put major oil fields off limits to drilling.
Add to all that the fact that India and China are exempt from the strictures of KYOTO. They will continue to build and burn at an ever increasing rate. We are in competition with them for an ever dwindling supply.
Our shutting down will simply destroy our economy and culture. The Asians will burn the fuel if we don’t. No net gain for the “environment”.
Then, keep in mind that our government is hopelessly in debt. Our dollar is being systematically ruined in a vain attempt to deny this little fact. Every time the FED (not federal and not a reserve) drops interest rates or shoves another large “stimulus package” into the economy, the price of fuel (and everything else) goes up in dollars.
There are no free rides. There is no free healthcare. There is no free education. Attempts to violate the laws of economics will result in abject poverty and the destruction of our economy and our culture.
And the Chinese amd the Indians will continue to burn unabated.
I’m certainly feeling the pinch of higher gas prices but there has been more progress lately with greener cars being developed. In Southern California Honda is leasing several hundred hydrogen fuel cell cars to people. I just wish that we could find a greener and cheaper solution sooner rather than later. Not only because it’s good for the environment but because it is so important to get off of foreign oil.
I just discovered this new site that’s giving away a $100 gas voucher, for free!
Can you believe the price of gas these days?
In my area it’s currently over $4.75 per gallon, and all signs point
to it going even higher, very soon. I remember the days when gas used
to cost $0.99 per gallon, but those days are long gone.
This site delivers on its promise too, and you can receive your gas
voucher for the gas station of your choice.
Here’s how it works:
1. You visit http://www.ebusinesswiz.com/freegascard
2. You complete one of their participating offers (I completed mine in 5 minutes).
3. You get your free $100 gas voucher!
Simple as that.
I’m taking the $100 I’m saving on gas and taking my family out to a
nice dinner. What will you do with your $100?
Don’t miss out on this offer. There’s no telling when they’ll take it down.