Gasbags
Al and I have noticed that gas prices are dropping in the area, especially in New Jersey (which is a 10-minute drive away). We've actually been kinda dismayed by this news; kinda dismayed, and kinda torn. On the one hand, it's nice that our expenses are dropping, and we recognize that lower oil and gas prices make a huge difference to people with incomes significantly less than our own. On the other hand, both of us think gas prices should be HIGHER. At something like $3 or $4 a gallon, renewables become competitive, and that's better for the environment (and ultimately better for all of us). It might actually be better for the economy, too, as it would encourage companies to innovate and decrease our dependence on foreign oil (a depleting resource, in any case).
No matter which direction gas prices are headed in, however, they seem to bring out the idiot in everyone. As we saw post-Katrina, a slew of college-educated Senators, Congressmen, and other public officials seemed to forget what they'd learned about the law of supply and demand and started screaming about price gouging and prosecutions and our RIGHT as Americans to cheap gas. People were idling in huge lines to save $.05 a gallon. Thought that madness was over? Nope. The idiots are back in force. Witness:
In NJ, Fuel Prices Dip Below $2 A Gallon At Last
by KYW's Mike DeNardo
Back in the summer, you may have thought you'd never see this day. But here it is -- the day you could find gasoline for under two bucks a gallon!
Right off Route 295 in Swedesboro, NJ, gas was selling for $1.98 a gallon on one side of the street, $1.95 a gallon on the other side.
Drivers from all over were taking advantage.
(DeNardo:) "Did you ever in your lifetime think that you would see gasoline below two dollars a gallon again?"
(Driver:) "No I didn't. I thought it was just going to stay up. They're ripping us off!"
(Driver:) "Absolutely not. There's no way. I just hope it stays this way. I just came from Pennsylvania, I work in New Jersey, and every gas station I passed over there was still $2.50."
(Driver:) "I'm from Delaware. So it's still over $2. I come to Jersey to get filled up and go back to Delaware."
(DeNardo:) "And what did you think when you saw gas below $2?"
(Driver:) "Excited!"
With gas prices trending downward, drivers say it's about time.
<sigh>
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Comments (2)
I generally agree with your post, although I do find it very suspicious that, after having been so high for over a year, gas prices are falling for no obvious reason with an important mid-term election just a few weeks away. After all, it was just a month ago that BP took their pipeline in Alaska offline (as it still is) and everyone was predicting gas prices would go even higher. I just can’t help but feel that we are being played.
Posted by Kevin![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.avocado8.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
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September 21, 2006 3:50 PM
Posted on September 21, 2006 15:50
Yeah, the first thing Al and I said to each other when we saw prices were falling was "why?". I'm sure there are some logical explanations -- and some of those might even be true -- but yes, it does seem fishy.
Regardless of the reason... why would you drive from Delaware to New Jersey *just to buy gas*? Yes, it's nice that in NJ they pump it for you (all stations are full-service by law), but if you're going just for the low prices, you've eaten up your savings driving there. We buy our gas in New Jersey not because it's cheaper (though it is), but because it's more convenient -- there are many easy-to-access stations on routes 38 and 70, and we drive over there about once a week anyway. Why never go to the station 5 blocks away because it's not on any of our normal driving routes. We walk past it all the time, though. :)
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September 21, 2006 4:11 PM
Posted on September 21, 2006 16:11