NOW PLAYING: Pass the Gas, Please
03 March, 2000
Have you gotten any of the "American Gas-Out" e-mails yet? Telling you "Don't Buy Gasoline April 7-9" in an effort to "bring the price of gas down." This is supposed to be a three-day repeat of the one-day "gas-out" staged last April.
Admittedly, I don't remember the "gas-out" last year, and I have no idea if it worked -- though I have a hard time beliving that because a station has a slow day that's going to cause them to lower the price of the gasoline sitting in their pumps that they've already bought and paid for. But whatever -- go ahead and "gas-out" if it'll make you feel better.
What I can't understand is the fact that the people who are whining about the increase in the price of fuel (or the fact that they have to pay a fee to use an ATM of a bank that they don't do business with) don't seem to care that taxes in this country are the highest they've ever been or that Socialist Insecurity confiscates 15% of everyone's income (from which I frankly don't ever expect to see a penny back). That's costing them a whole lot more than the increase in gas -- why aren't they angry about that?
According to the American Petroleum Institute, gas taxes average 41 cents a gallon -- and the taxes on gasoline have increased 54% in the last ten years (thanks, Klinton). That means over a third of the cost of a gallon of gasoline is going to the government. But most people don't have anything to say about any of those things -- instead they choose to come up with some "gas-out" that's not going to affect anything at all. Aren't the oil companies and the gas station owners going to figure out that in three days all the people who "gassed-out" will have to get in line and fill up their empty tanks? I mean, it's not exactly rocket science there.
If the Liar in Chief really "cared" about the folks in the northeast who are having a hard time buying the heating oil for their homes or the independent truckers who are getting hammered by the increase in fuel costs, he could cut the federal fuel tax by, say 10 cents a gallon, and that would have a direct benefit right to the people that need it most.
But the Imperial Federal Government isn't about to do that -- money is power, and there's no way the Feds are going to voluntarily give up any power that they have.
Since there's no chance of any taxes being cut, the only realistic ways that oil prices are going to decrease are:
- an increase in oil production (supply & demand, you know); or
- if we reduce our consumption of oil
It looks to me like the first case is likely to happen before the second one does... OPEC is talking about increasing their output, and if they do, that should push the price back down.
We're spoiled in this country, as we've enjoyed cheap gas for many years now, while overseas gas is five bucks a gallon (most of which, of course, goes to taxes, too). People here have also been buying bigger cars and SUVs (and I'm guilty as charged on that count -- though I drive a little Mazda Miata, The Wife & I also just bought a 4x4 Ford Explorer for her. No, I don't suppose we need a 4x4 SUV, though we do enjoy backpacking, canoeing, etc. which can take us "off-road" at times... but we like it, and we'll pay the price to fill it up.) which was fine while the price of gas was low. I don't want to hear any other SUV owners crying about how much it costs them to fill the tank now -- they made their choice of vehicle, and they could have bought a Honda Civic instead of that big ol' Suburban. I've got no sympathy.
As for the "gas-out" -- I doubt that a lot of our fellow SUV-drivers could go for three days without re-filling their tanks. We'll see.
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