Gas prices getting you down? Of course they are. In the past two weeks I have heard every wild and sane theory about why gas prices are so high. Even our clueless president says it is not an easy issue. The answers are simple though. There are two reasons why gas prices are going up and will continue to rise.
All the oil producing countries have pumped out the easy to get oil. Now they have to go much deeper. even under the ocean. Global warming is a gift for the oil and shipping companies. When the Arctic ocean thaws. It will open a short trade route between China and America. What is even better there is a ocean of oil under the Arctic ocean, and to top it off there is a huge oil field in N Dakota.
What could possibly be wrong with this picture. Well all this oil is going to cost alot more to get out of the ground to transport and refine. This means the price of oil is only going to go up.Of course demand is going up world wide at 8% a year It is only natural that the third world wants their peice of the pie.
Which brings us to simple reason number two . The American public believes it is only natural that we should have cheap gas. We have done nothing in twenty years to do anything to start serious conservation programs or develop alternative energy sources.
More seriously, We have created a car culture of excess. With bigger and longer vehicles to transport ourselves and our " children" . I love the way people pimp their kids as an excuse to buy a SUV . The family minivan which has become a fixture soccer moms love to hate. Does not get good mileage. It has become a fixture though because , unless we have our children enrolled and involved in more organized activities than is good for them , then we are not doing enough for them. Unfortunatly mom is reduced to the role of taxi driver and Dad a money pump, Married or divorced
It amazes me the number of professional sales people I see who are driving SUVs or cars that use premium gas only and get lousy gas mileage. if you ask them they will tell you " It is the cost of doing business " The rationalizations go on forever, but the bottom line is gas is going to get more expensive going forward. The high cost of owning a home and feeding ones family has squeezed most peoples budgets to the limit.
I believe five dollars a gallon is going to be what it takes to bring Americans to their senses. Five dollars a gallon is what it will take before we get serious about everything we should have been doing since the 1970s when gas prices were so high.
This what a Global Economy is all about , now we are paying what the Canadians and the Europeans have been paying for decades. We have no one but ourselves to blame for this crisis. And there is no one but us to step up to plate and do what we have to do use the resources we have wisely and efficiently. I hope for Americas sake we have the will power to do it.
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