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Block UserI currently work as a mediocre tobacco outlet attendant. The job is unrewarding as I’ve always felt that’s I am selling all the things people need less of in there life: cigarettes, lotto tickets, beer, junk food, and…the dreaded gasoline. Recently however I have been able to find solace in my job in one very essential respect. Gas prices are making people wake up!!!
Yeah at first it was just a lot of grumbling but now its turned into absolute outrage. More and more people are coming in and saying “It’s time for an alternative to standard fuel. This is getting insane!” (And this is even in my small, rural community!). And people are taking action. I’ve seen more and more customers switching to hybrids, walking to the store, and overall purchasing less gas because they are limiting travel.
People have become conscious of what is screwed up about this world which is our depletion of fuel from the earth as well as big businesses control of the little man who rely on there product. It's sad it's had to come to this but we must breack down before we can put ourselves back together. So all I can say is “Bravo Gas Prices…Bravo!”
My concern is that gas prices won't remain high. I lived through the 1970s oil crisis and if our government had an interest in long-term thinking and any courage, it would have acted like European government: As oil dropped in price, European governments added taxes to keep gas artificially high. Gas tax dollars were used not for maintaining roads but on building mass transit, which is why Europe has so many bullet trains and it's possible to go virtually anywhere without using a car. When Reagan was elected POTUS in 1980s, any thought of maintaining taxes on gas evaporated and even the relatively high mileage standards of the 1970s were relaxed in the 1980s. Our use of gas increased dramatically as did our dependence on oil pumped by our economic competitors. Today, we still are led by political cowards who are unwilling and or incapable of leading and who believe in pandering to the electorate; my sense is that rather than use high gas prices as a means for reducing dependence on oil, our government will do everything it can to lower gas prices, which will increase consumption. Already, in the past 4 months, the price of oil has dropped owing to reduced consumption but rather than keep gas at $4./gallon our leaders believe in 'market forces' and it is those forces that will control our future not sound, deliberate planning. I too hope gas prices remain at $4/gallon but I fear whomever is elected in November 2008 will do everything possible to decrease gasoline cost and do little to compel conservation beyond serving up the usual platitudes. I hope I'm wrong about this but then I've lived long enough that I no longer have much political optimism.
Roger06:46 PM PST