Can you believe it? Gas is over $4.60 a gallon and financial experts predict we can go up t0 $12.00 a gallon in five years and see this period in history as the good old days! The other day I filled up my tank and it was $65.00! I remember when I could buy 2 round trip tickets on Southwest airlines for less than that only two years ago! This is getting out of hand. The price of gasoline is on the lips of everyone and a hot topic for discussion and rant. A few months ago, people would pump gas and turn to someone else who was also pumping gas and find a comrade in the complaining about the cost to fill the tank. Now, no one says a word at the pump. They just stand there in stunned silence as they see the better part of their paycheck pumped into a tank of gas that may last them a week if they are lucky.
Last summer, Congress grilled oil execs from BP and Shell and presented the questions we are all asking. How can these execs get away with gouging Americans. Members of Congress actually asked them, “Can’t you see what you are doing to this country? How do you sleep at night knowing what you are doing to this country?”
One exec was asked by Congress, “How much is your salary?”
He answered, ” I am not sure”.
He’s not sure?! Are you kidding me? He’s not sure! Must be nice to not have to know how much you bring home. You see Mister Oil Exec, I DO HAVE to know how much I make and how much my husband makes because I HAVE to know how much we can budget for gasoline. After I have figured out the budget for gas, now I have to plan where I am going and will I have enough gasoline to last until our next paycheck.
Most of us ARE NOT irresponsible people. We are hardworking men and women with strong work ethics. We went to college, trade school or trained for our positions and careers and now we can’t even afford the gas to get to work.
What can we do?
My ten year old asked me this morning over breakfast, “Why don’t you guys just strike?”
Yeah, why not? One very organized strike may tell greedy oil execs that we are sick and tired of their deliberate manipulation of gas prices!
There are two strike which I do know of, reducing gas usage by 10% which can be done by cutting trips back and driving the speed limit, and not pumping gasoline on Mondays, the latter being started by Bill O’Reilly. Will it help? I know the reduction of gas consumption is a great idea and, when I pass a gas station on a Monday, somehow, I feel like I am winning some small battle.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:07 am
Debbie,
Last week it was announced America used 4% less gas last month!! Less demnad, more supply. President Bush’s announcment on off shore drilling brought down the cost of a barrel of crude. Great new huh….not so fast! The democrats in congress led my Pelosi will introduce a bill to increase the Fed gas tax 10 cents; from 14 cents to 24 cents a gallon to make up for the loss of revune in the highway fund. The revune was lost due to lower consumption. Can’t win can we? President Bush naturally won’t sign the bill so she’s holding on to it in hope Obama gets elected so he can sign it. Need I say more?
Have a great weekend in the mini van!!!
Bob