i have heard a lot of rhetoric about keeping gas prices low...among the talk is that of a higher gas tax...the idea is that the higher prices would curb the desire for gas and may put extra money in the state coiffers - money that could be used for social programs etc etc...
let me just get this off my chest right now...THAT IS A SALES PITCH....there is already a gas tax in place...this whole "extra money" for social programs/efforts would be a good idea if it wasn't a "tax" and managed by politicians...
when you have a vehicle that demands gas, you have no other choice but to feed it gas...the curb for this hunger is higher gas prices and/or alternative fuels...and even alternative fuels come with catches - as the demand for alternative fuel increases, market economics suggest its price will also increase (the good old supply and demand)...
i am probably among the few big SUV owners who want gas prices to go up...since buying my vehicle late last year amid the then high gas price turmoil (i am a contrarian - buy when everybody else is dumping), i have changed some of my habits in response to the price i pay at the pump...these are changes that i wanted to make but was either too lazy (walking to the store a few hundred feet from my front door) or just wasn't motivated enough (find the shortest/quickest distance to my destination)...
with gas prices higher now than they were last year, on average i spend much less money at the pump (weekly) compared to last year...approximately one and a half to two tanks of gas per week was my consumption rate last year...this year i am averaging one tank of gas per week, a major change in my driving habits...
for the broader population, a majority of whom may not be able to change their driving habits, higher gas prices is just what they need...with higher prices, there is less money to spend elsewhere...eventually the "Walmarts" (indicators of market condition) will begin to feel the squeeze as people spend less...very soon they will send out a call to arms and lead the charge into battling high prices...the faster the prices rise, the sooner this will happen...
let politics stay out of this...i don't believe there is a politician including presidential hopefuls who has the spine to get out of the oil company's bed...there is nothing they should do about prices at the pump...if you want to spoil a good party, or make a bad party worst, just invite politics to the event...the prices at the pump will be corrected once they reach a ceiling put in place by the other guys (the Walmarts)...
the only problem here is that there will be a lot of blood on the battlefield...
let me just get this off my chest right now...THAT IS A SALES PITCH....there is already a gas tax in place...this whole "extra money" for social programs/efforts would be a good idea if it wasn't a "tax" and managed by politicians...
when you have a vehicle that demands gas, you have no other choice but to feed it gas...the curb for this hunger is higher gas prices and/or alternative fuels...and even alternative fuels come with catches - as the demand for alternative fuel increases, market economics suggest its price will also increase (the good old supply and demand)...
i am probably among the few big SUV owners who want gas prices to go up...since buying my vehicle late last year amid the then high gas price turmoil (i am a contrarian - buy when everybody else is dumping), i have changed some of my habits in response to the price i pay at the pump...these are changes that i wanted to make but was either too lazy (walking to the store a few hundred feet from my front door) or just wasn't motivated enough (find the shortest/quickest distance to my destination)...
with gas prices higher now than they were last year, on average i spend much less money at the pump (weekly) compared to last year...approximately one and a half to two tanks of gas per week was my consumption rate last year...this year i am averaging one tank of gas per week, a major change in my driving habits...
for the broader population, a majority of whom may not be able to change their driving habits, higher gas prices is just what they need...with higher prices, there is less money to spend elsewhere...eventually the "Walmarts" (indicators of market condition) will begin to feel the squeeze as people spend less...very soon they will send out a call to arms and lead the charge into battling high prices...the faster the prices rise, the sooner this will happen...
let politics stay out of this...i don't believe there is a politician including presidential hopefuls who has the spine to get out of the oil company's bed...there is nothing they should do about prices at the pump...if you want to spoil a good party, or make a bad party worst, just invite politics to the event...the prices at the pump will be corrected once they reach a ceiling put in place by the other guys (the Walmarts)...
the only problem here is that there will be a lot of blood on the battlefield...
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