Fuel For Thought...
You can't help but see the headlines about RECORD GAS PRICES (again), and the funny thing (not funny ha-ha, but funny peculiar), is that here in Fort Wayne, we're substantially HIGHER than the current national average of $3.61 per gallon. Amazing that for the past several years, when the weather gets warmer, WE here in Northern have been the recipients of even HIGHER prices than the average citizens elsewhere across the U.S. (except CA).
Yeah...funny.
Now granted that fuel prices LAST year were about a DOLLAR LESS than current rates, but has the increase in prices stopped or even slowed consumption by people here?
Apparently NOT.
I know my wife and I are careful as hell when it comes to "planning" our automotive excursions. We've even had to cut back on visiting Portland, IN to see our aunt and uncle (but we do call twice a week or so). No "unnecessary" trips for us. None of that "come and go as you please" mentality I see displayed (proudly) by the locals in our area, where whatever the price of fuel is, it doesn't seem to bother THEM one damn bit. They must have a "WIC" card for GASOLINE now!
I've already spoken here often to the fact that higher fuel costs will produce higher "everything" costs...that's a given. Truckers are being hammered with prices for diesel fuel that have them making second thoughts over whether or not to park the damn rig and call it a day (and career). Delivery services have to pass on the rising costs to consumers...ditto for produce haulers. Everything that CAN be moved, shipped or sent is costing more. No getting around that. Air freight and airlines are passing on costs to consumers and passengers alike.
And while we think that only cars, trucks, planes, and buses are feeling this pinch, many overlook another fact; TRAINS (still) deliver a HEAP o' stuff daily, and they run exclusively on diesel. Gone are the days of overhead catenary-wired locomotives hauling freight along the eastern seaboard powered by ELECTRICITY. The last vestige of such a locomotive was the venerable GG-1 engine, which was eventually phased out in the 1980s.
But I wax nostalgic...
This nation, and it's corporations and utility companies KNEW that something like this COULD happen (and eventually would), and sat around, securing their pensions, paying the stockholders, and otherwise thumbing their collective noses at the rest of us, and we seemed to not be bothered by that...at least it sure looked that way.
And now we're paying the price (literally)...or we don't go anywhere (or at least not nearly as FAR as we used to).
Simple, huh?
Well, one thing that COULD have been implemented in a lot more cities than has been would be to have all the USPS carriers to drive LPG-powered vehicles. They don't have to go fast, usually stick to urban areas, and are cleaner running. If ANY service could use a hybridized vehicle...it's them. That's a start anyway.
We COULD have pursued solar power for home heating a lot sooner...and didn't.
We COULD have investigated ethanol from crops OTHER than CORN over the past 3-4 decades...and didn't (switchgrass shows real promise with better yields per crop, and we're not reliant on it for nutrition).
We COULD have demanded that automakers go smaller with their vehicles...and didn't.
We COULD have allowed more drilling in U.S. territories...and didn't.
Yeah, we as a nation "could" have done a lot more...and this crosses political party lines. Neither democrats nor republicans are exempt. They're EQUALLY to blame.
OK...wild idea....we build a bridge or dig a tunnel across the Bering Strait and hook up with Russia for their oil in return for technologies that can aid their country, and we both can then tell OPEC to kiss our lily-white asses.
Just a thought (albeit a damn good one).
There is a huge problem with rising gas prices, that's not directly related to the average consumer. I'd like to propose a fictitious (hopefully) scenario:
((Gas prices rise to the point where the Joe and Jane Does of this city can't effectively conduct their daily errands, relying on public transit for that. Muggings and even bus hijacking becomes the "new gig" in town. The police have to carefully weigh which calls they have to respond to, because their fuel supplies are limited (it's either combine calls or park the cars and place officers on foot or bikes). Police become the target of gangs, and the ones ruling our streets are the drug dealers, because they STILL have enough money to get gas for all their vehicles. Drug users become squatters in homes abandoned by people leaving the area in droves. Rural areas will be hit even worse, as things like stores are a lot farther apart than in cities. The Amish will do OK, as sales for HORSES and horse-powered buggies will skyrocket!))
Sounds like MAD MAX, or even ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK now, doesn't it?
Yeah, that's just fiction...worse case scenario, right?
Parts of it are true...already.
The drug dealers don't have to worry about higher prices at the pumps...they're making LOTS of money and paying no taxes on it, so you know they're going to have plenty of gas, even if they resort to stealing it from YOUR tank.
We hear talk of eliminating the gas tax...
Seeing is believing to me...show me the money (savings).
I'm sorry, but I've been extremely frugal when it comes to fueling our cars...always have been. When gas was 80 cents a gallon, things were a little different, but everything ELSE was relative to the prices, so you still practiced being a tight-wad when behind the wheel. Ten gallons STILL equalled 8 bucks (then), and 30 years ago, that 8 bucks was worth almost 2 cases of beer (lol), or a week of McDs lunches on the road.
Where will this all end?
Who the hell knows at this point.
All we can do is hunker down and ride this one out, because if nothing else is made clear to us, one thing is certain; it IS going to be one HELLUVA ride.
And that is the truth.
Don't forget the Dramamine.