Gas Failure 2007
21 May 2007
by Christian McPhate, Contributing writer for AnaiRhoads.org
AnaiRhoads.org - It is official. "Gas Out 2007" was a huge failure.
And like many Bowieites as well as citizens across this nation, I failed in my promise and purchased gas on May 15.
What choice did I really have?
As the dreaded day of non-purchase loomed near, I tried to limit my car's consumption of fuel. I checked the oil and the tires as well as drastically reducing my trips to the Wichita Falls area for work and school.
And yet, I still watched my fuel gauge slowly decline.
I cut trips to the local retail giant (as well as food expenses), and as the end of the week loomed near, I found myself bumming rides from my friends.
And yet, my fuel gauge continued to fall.
Do I have a hole in my gas tank?
And yet, as I noticed the fading price signs at the local gas stations, the horrid numbers of $3.17 ($3.35 in Nocona, $3.20 in Decatur and $3.12 in Mt. Pleasant, not including the states north, west and east of the lone star where gas has risen to more than $3.69 a gallon in some places) tainted my weary soul.
I had no choice.
Gas has become a necessity and no longer a commodity. I was forced to the fuel pump, not from the car companies (who do not help us with our lust for oil with their new state-of-the-art sports cars and trucks), nor the government (who receives more from taxes than the oil companies make in profits), but the rules of a rural society where no public transit exits to take us from Bowie to Wichita, Fort Worth or Dallas. We are the dependent consumer, faithfully purchasing gas from the money-leeching gods of petroleum.
And with more than 38 million American citizens planning on taking to the road this Memorial Day weekend, what is going to happen with the price of gas over the summer?
According to Gail Weinholzer, director for public affairs for AAA in Minnesota/Iowa, "Families will continue to take vacations and plan getaways."
In 2005, the U.S. Census said Americans took 63.9 million international trips, and the AAA believes that the trend will continue to increase, despite growing gas prices.
And yet, how many of those trips were business related? What exactly does this have to do with the rising gas price? Do we really need more garbage to litter the collective knowledge of the citizens of this country?
Numerous reasons plague the explanation from the political powered lobbyists of the oil companies abusing the system to the war in Iraq and negligence of irresponsible consumers.
According to Sean Comey, AAA Northern California spokesperson, the rise in cost is hard to explain because in the past, high gas prices meant crude oil was trading high. Now, oil has dropped from $75 for a barrel to $60.
Oil industry officials cited refinery outages for the jump in fuel price.
And yet, the oil companies continue to rape the people and report record-breaking profits... quarter after quarter for most of the decade… despite refinery shortages, rise in production costs, the hurricanes, the wars in the Middle East and numerous other reasons given to the American consumer.
However, once one puts the finger pointing away and begins peeling the garbage of excuses, the light of truth dawns upon the seeker like the .20 cent drop in gas price the consumer will see after the holidays.
No control.
The gas industry is a raging ball of moneymaking chaos, and the people have no control over gas prices, the markets for gas or the gas stations whose pricing strategies are based off other area service stations' prices.
It takes crude oil to create the environmentally safe summer blends of gas the EPA requires for the nation (hence, the importance of the black devil for this oil-dependent society).
Sales tax on gas is more than .26 cents on the dollar while gas companies only obtain about .6 or .7 cents profit on the necessity.
Now, I will be the first to say that I hate government or societal regulation (just look at my hair and tattoos), but why should the government finally not give in and regulate the gas companies, and stations providing the fuel of gold?
Why not step in, use the hated powers of regulation and provide tax cuts for businesses involved in providing the fuel, which could help lower the cost of production (as long as the government is running the show)? Why not require car companies like Ford, GM and Chevy to provide more fuel-efficient cars? Why not cut sales tax on gas and lower the price for the consumers whose lives depend on the golden fuel?
When is the government going to take its focus off Iraq and the border and focus on something far more sinister than global terrorists and illegal Mexicans—a nation-wide depression?
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