An email rant from my friend, T-Bone, ran through my mind over the weekend when I was filling up with gas for $2.17 a gallon.
Gasoline was priced at $1.85 today at our company store by the office. It's $1.89 at a competitive station down the street. Hear anything about a global conspiracy to bring prices down?
Despite the fact that he works for BIG OIL, the T-Bone is correct. All summer, the morning news (the only TV news I watch) kept a daily update about all-time record highs, and how people were skateboarding into work because they couldn't afford to fill the 30 gallon gas tanks of their SUVs with $4.25 gas. Now gas prices have recently dropped because, just like the tech bubble, the housing bubble, and the tulip bubble before it, the oil bubble was fueled by a mixture of true market forces, and speculators driving up the price. Where are the stories? Since it's not doom and gloom, the media is off seeking their next method of scaring the heck out of you.
Now, if you want to talk about someone gouging you, let's look at the Chicago taxi drivers who are threatening to strike if they are forced to roll back the $1.00 fuel surcharge they got in April, now that gas prices have fallen below $3.00. (Well at most places. I did see a Mobile on Lincoln with gas at $3.29 last night, but the the Shell up the street 1/2 a block was at $2.69.)
As with any game of chicken, someone blinks, or there is a big train wreck. Wall Street isn't so good at the whole "blinking" thing, so we had a train wreck, an artifical bubble burst, and prices are normalizing. End of story. For now.
Not to say that prices won't eventually head back up, and that we don't need to start coming up with different methods of energy production, collection, distribution, and management. But do you really think BIG OIL is solely to blame? Or should we jump on the blame Wall Street bandwagon? Or should we look in a mirror and around at our fellow travelers on this big blue marble?
Carp, that was preachy! And not even a tangent link on 'big blue marble'? I so disappoint myself.
6 comments:
Scope, how ironic that I just read this post:) I kid you not, no more than 2 hours ago, I was talking to my 12 yr. son on the way home about gas prices. The kids were facinated by the high gas prices we had seen over the summer (can't say why) and he commented about how much cheaper gas is now. He then asked me why. I explained to him about our reliance on foriegn oil sources and basically how they have been gouging us. I told him that I thought that since we are in this financial crisis, the oil companies seem to better served to price their product affordable enough for us to buy so that the need to produce our own new domestic energy sources wouldn't be as urgent.
I'm jumping on the band wagon and blambing Wall Street for everything. Gordon Gecko was WRONG!! Greed is bad and this is exactly why. Him and Tricky Dick Cheney. His hand has been in the BIG OIL cookie jar for 8 years too long.
Candy;
Yes, I believe your son does need a good talking to. Not about economics. About that horrible, disgusting, abomination of a T-shirt I think I saw in one of your pix. I can barely type the words: "Boston College Eagles"?
Oh, the humanity of it all! ;-)
On November 20, 1993, I was with my father at Notre Dame Stadium for his first Notre Dame football game. We were in THAT end zone, as BC lined up and kicked THAT field goal.
Last year, I went with my father to his second Notre Dame football game. Navy snapped their 43 game losing streak.
He's not allowed back in South Bend. EVER.
Oh, this could be war-dude. I will admit, I do love the Fighting Irish, just not when they're beating my team. Which isn't often. SNAP!
Disagree without being disagreeable is how I've always thought of it. And to be honest, I like Doug Fluttie and Clinton Kelly, both proud BC alums.
Yes, I'm a "What Not To Wear" devotee (since season #1, thank you very much). Even busted a "contributor" once for not representing while out in public.
And while I could have waited to bust that little bit of info out, I thought it was only appropriate in light of last weekend's victory by BC.
"On November 20, 1993, I was with my father at Notre Dame Stadium for his first Notre Dame football game. We were in THAT end zone, as BC lined up and kicked THAT field goal.
Last year, I went with my father to his second Notre Dame football game. Navy snapped their 43 game losing streak.
He's not allowed back in South Bend. EVER"
I think I just found my new favorite blogger...
I think the surcharge was officially dropped last night, because the cabbies were bitching about it on the news this morning. I think it's ridiculous! Gas has gone down in price significantly... if they strike again... well... I won't do one damn thing about it... but it'll suck :(
lol
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