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LEDGER COLUMNIST
That's right, gas prices. The local and network news shows have a story about rising prices almost every night. Daily newspapers drone on and on about it. Us regular folk moan and groan and sometimes joke about it with others at the pump. I was getting some gas Monday to fill my lawn mower and the guy next to me hollered, "It cost me $17 to cut my grass this past weekend." Always looking on the bright side, I replied, "Just think how much it would have cost if you'd paid someone else to do it." He didn't think that was funny. I kept on. "You must have a mighty big yard or either your lawn mower needs a tune-up." By that time, my pump had shut off when it reached the $10 mark. I put the top back on my gas can and prepared to pick up a heavy load. The 5-gallon container was just over half full and much lighter than usual. Guess who wasn't laughing then. When the gas goes into our cars or trucks, we can't see how little we're getting for our money, but when it goes into a can, it's pretty obvious - $10 worth of gas isn't what it used to be. Several months ago when gas prices really started to jump, my wife used it as an argument to buy my youngest daughter a car - even though she didn't have a drivers' license. "I can drive it and save a bunch of money on gas," she implored. Have you dads out there noticed how wives and daughters conspire against us? Long story short, when I came across a good deal a few weeks later, I bought Abbie a used car that gets pretty good gas mileage. She can't drive it to school because there are no student parking spaces available, so Mom still has to drive her. Do you think they take Abbie's small, economical one or Sherry's big gas guzzler? They take the big gas guzzler. When I asked about this, I was told in no uncertain terms that taking the big gas guzzler was necessary because "I have to go to the grocery store and need room for the groceries," or, "I have errands to run and need room to haul stuff." I was afraid to ask what stuff, but I did make one query: "Doesn't Abbie's car have a trunk?" Too small, I was informed, followed by an icy stare. When gas prices broke the $2 per gallon mark, many of us thought that was the end of life as we knew it. Same thing when the $3 barrier was cracked. Now we're at $3.50 or thereabouts, with many saying we'll hit $4 per gallon before summer's end. Gas prices affect the price we pay for almost everything. For example, the newsprint you're holding in your hands right now cost a lot more than it did last year and that increase is mostly due to shipping charges. No doubt about it, our economy is being slowed by rising gas prices, but you know what? We'll survive. Gas prices will at some point level off or even go down. New forms of energy will be developed so we'll be less dependent on oil or we'll begin using some of our own reserves that are yet to be pumped out of the ground. We're just not used to these prices and it's difficult to adjust. Gas prices in other countries have been much higher than in the United States for years (see chart) and they've done OK. We will adapt. Until then, I'm going to let my grass grow a little higher before I cut it. And I might even start driving my daughter's car if I can fit my golf clubs in the tiny trunk. Prices are quoted in US dollars per gallon for regular unleaded.
Cody Sossamon (cody@gaffneyledger.com is publisher of The Gaffney Ledger. |
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