When I was younger, possibly as long ago as elementary school, I didn’t understand what the big deal was over gas prices. I’d hear my dad or some other adult complaining about paying over a dollar a gallon. They’d look for gas stations that were self-serve so they could save a few cents.
This was before 9/11 and our Oil War. Now $3+ a gallon is becoming a norm. At 19 I am beginning to see why saving a few pennies at each gas-up can be beneficial. It seems like so many people are hurting financially because of the downfall of our economy.
Over Christmas break when I made my usual trip down to Georgia to visit my aunt and uncle, the idea of gas prices, economics, and people’s attitudes changing together in a pattern came full circle. We were driving down some highway and the subject of gas prices came up.
My uncle made some statement like, “It’s no big deal going to one gas station because it’s a few cents cheaper. It’s only a few cents.” It was how I used to think when I was in fourth grade.
My aunt and unle live in a nice community in the middle of typical Southern Suburbia. There’s a Starbucks in every strip mall and a Hummer or three in every parking lot. I live where you might call it “country”. Every other neighbor has a barn or at least a tractor. My road is so skinny it doesn’t even have a yellow line down the middle. Most o f the people here try to be middle class, but it’s a small town and we suffer during the winters and especially after 9/11 when tourism slowed down.
To the people around here, saving a few pennies can add up.
To someone in Suburbia, there’s a Starbucks you just have to get to before going to work.
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I'll admit that we have been getting complacent about our gas prices rather than the outrage that we've expressed as a people previously. I haven't heard nearly as much outrage as there should be, in my opinion. I've been guilty of it myself, thinking that I'll just have to put up with it because there are places I can't get to any other way than driving. Maybe next time I fill up I'll look for the cheapest rather than the closest and see how much I save.
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You must be the change you wish to see in the world -- Mahatma Ghandi
Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. --Mahatma Gandhi
Even though there are ways for us to save money on gas and somewhat conserve, most of us still need the gasoline no matter what. In order to get to jobs, school, or any form of civilization (in my case). So, demand is still high, and that affects pricing just as much as any conflict overseas.
Here I am, talking your metaphorical ear off in a comment, and I totally lost my train of thought...
Demand is high and we all do need gas no matter what, which is what makes it difficult for us to register our displeasure with the prices. We can't really stop buying it until it goes down and it's difficult for some people to even boycott certain key companies. I know my mom stayed with Exxon for a while, though they were some of the most expensive gas in the area, simply because she had a credit card with them and it was convenient.
However, since we can't cut down on demand to bring prices down, politics and government intervention is pretty much our only recourse. And thus I bring my comment around to political awareness for all. Be an informed voter, kiddies!
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You must be the change you wish to see in the world -- Mahatma Ghandi
Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. --Mahatma Gandhi
In the short run people use the same amount of gas no matter what the price is, but in the long run they don't. People buy cars that use less gas (think hybrids, or little cars instead of trucks), the move closer to their jobs, they think of new ways of getting from point A to point B, they vote for public transportation, they carpool, and they stop taking unnecessary trips.
Furthermore, the cause of higher gas prices is not (contrary to popular belief) the war in Iraq. Opec has not reduced the amount of oil that they are supplying... But they haven't increased it either. The problem is that there is more demand, not from the US but from developing countries. China has over a billion citizens... and they are starting to buy cars and drive. More demand = higher prices. There is nothing that the US government can do about that, except for researching alternative fuel sources. Local governments can improve public transportation.
-m-