Gas Prices Going Up and Up — Who Really Cares? What Price Does Gas Have To Be To Get YOU To Stop Driving?

WHAT PRICE DOES GAS HAVE TO BE TO GET YOU TO STOP DRIVING? — by Catherine Morgan

I keep hearing about how consumers are not that concerned about the price of gas, as indicated by no visible drop in sales. This has got to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I mean really, 90% of the driving I do in a week, is not something I can just decide I won’t do. Even if gas is $5.00 a gallon, can any of us just stop driving? Maybe if you live in the city, and you can walk or take public transportation to many places.

“I don’t think about gas prices at all,” said Michael Machat, 48, a lawyer in West Los Angeles, where gasoline prices are among the highest in the country. As he filled up his BMW with super unleaded at $3.39 this week, he added, “I guess maybe if it was $10 a gallon, I’d think about it.” — READ FULL ARTICLE

If I need something from my shed, I can walk to it, but other than that I need to drive. The higher gas prices get, the less groceries I will be able to buy for my family, the less prescriptions I will be able to refill, and the more in debt I will become. But, I will have no choice but to continue to buy very much the same amount of gas as I am currently buying.

That may come as a relief to the gas and oil companies, and of course their shareholders, but it is a devastating reality to me and many other people. As a single mother, on a fixed income, and already struggling to pay the bills, I find the lack of concern about the price of gas by our government appalling. It is just another example of the declining middle class, and rich getting richer, while the poor become poorer. I’ve resolved the fact that I am poor, and I don’t really mind it, I don’t have any desire to have any more money than what I need to live…..But, I do think we all should have the right to be able to feed and cloth our children.

This country is spending millions on elections, and billions on war….but nobody can figure out how to keep gas prices low enough so a single mother can still afford to feed her kids. Something is really wrong with that.

How many people would still buy gas if the price was $5.00 a gallon? What about $6.00? $7.00? $8.00? Do we really have a choice?

If the price of milk went up to $10.00 a gallon, we would still have a choice to buy or not buy, there are still many other ways to get our calcium and quench our thirst. When the price of houses goes up or mortgage rates are too high, we can choose to stay where we are instead of moving. If the price of clothing went through the roof, the people that couldn’t afford new clothes could just continue to wear what they have, or go to second hand shops, or swap with friends and family. There are many options for people that don’t have a lot of money to manage when inflation hits. The one thing that can not be altered, is how much gas a person needs in a week or month.

So, all the talk in the media about consumer reaction to gas prices…..is only relevant to people that aren’t living pay check to pay check. The people who are being hurt by these increases in gas prices are the people that are not reflected in the consumer statistics. The people who are being hurt, are the people who are invisible, and don’t really matter, because they aren’t buying new cars, and boats. But, who really cares about those people anyway? Not you.

Two Steps Consumers Can Take To Lower Gas Prices

Can We Ever Kick The Oil habit? Gas Prices, Global Warming, War…..How do you contribute? — See this very interesting and informative YouTube video:

ALSO SEE: Is Global Warming Really That Big Of A Problem?

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