I once heard the saying, “I am having an out of money experience.” It seems lately that saying seems to apply when it comes to the amount of money that Americans are doling out for their petrol. Of course, this isn’t new to our society; gas has been constantly on the rise over the decades.
Gas has spiked more so in the last few weeks, hitting a record high as the longest period in history of $3 gas prices. Further, some have compared the recent gas hike to the 1981 oil shock (yet worse). Totals per gallon across the United States vary from as low as $2.87 in Charleston, S.C., to $3.59 in Chicago. Here in Lexington, prices have seemed in a consistent range from $3.12 to $3.19 per gallon.
Yet, while there seems to be an ever-present nationwide outcry over the spike, one thing’s for certain: the higher the prices go, the quieter the venting seems. I’m shocked to see how nonchalant the public now seems, even though many of them have had to sacrifice and scrimp in order to keep their cars moving.
I can hearken back to a not-so-distant past, when gas prices first started to rise, where all of the talk you heard nearly everywhere you would venture revolved around griping about gas. Both local and national news outlets led off their broadcasts with a snippet about high gas prices each time a rise occurred. Talk of hybrid cars and alternative means of fuel were at the forefront and nearly everyone developed the habit of gas-watching – checking the prices of gas at each service station they passed in order to determine who had the better deals.
While rhetoric around green initiatives and alternative fuel hasn’t abated, one key factor, however, has changed: the complaints and backlash have become silenced. One news headline read “Gas Prices Have Nation Fuming,” and that may very well be the case, but we do not seem to be fuming as loudly as in months passed. Have we stopped caring? Or, have we developed such a sense of complacency that we will be accepting of outrageous fuel prices no matter how high they end up going?
Thanks to the gas hike, many people have had to change their lifestyles in order to accommodate. With an estimated projection of prices topping over $3.30 per gallon by Father’s Day, consumers are choosing to budget in preparation for further hikes.
The retail industry has suffered, presumably due to the lack of people buying items for pleasure versus putting all of their earnings into their gas tank. Top retailer Wal-Mart, for example, gives face to suffering retail sales in relation to higher gas prices. Sales decreased by 3.5 percent for the store, which is the company’s worst in 18 years. According to information released from a study by the National Retail Foundation, many consumers are taking fewer shopping trips, shopping closer to home and choosing to purchase necessities above all else.
Yet, this isn’t to say that people are sacrificing greatly, hence why I wonder where the entire gas price backlash has suddenly disappeared to. After all, AAA projects that travel for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday will increase slightly from last year’s figures. Apparently the rising numbers at the pump has done nothing to curtail motorists’ travel by any means. Nor has it curtailed their choice of vehicle.
While the initial notion was to buy a smaller and more fuel efficient vehicle or a hybrid to replace sport utility vehicles which cost a fortune to fill up, it seems now the tides have turned. Automobile industry figures note that SUV sales are up over 2006, despite a two-year slump. Some consumers have chosen smaller SUVs over larger ones to make a bit of a monetary dent, but the gas guzzling still exists.
One light at the end of the tunnel is that Congress seems to finally be atwitter when it comes to fuel costs. Lawmakers have launched investigations in various locales to determine if price-gouging is happening. While the Bush administration says that little can be done in Washington about the problem, Democrats are not buying the excuse. Pending legislation has been designed to, when prices go too high, allow our president to declare a state of emergency. I fear we are nearing that state, if not already in the throes of it.
Until such legislation passes, and/or until our government steps up and offers a viable alternative to paying high prices at the pump, there are some things that we can do in the interim. We can stop unnecessary travel. We can purchase more fuel-efficient cars that do not chug gas. We can preach and practice the benefits of alternatives such as biofuels. We can use alternate modes of transportation, ranging from carpooling, buses or bicycles. If anything, we can hoof it when possible.
Though the discussions as to why our gas prices are increasing seem redundant, there is no redundancy in researching/participating in alternative means to ease the monetary and environmental damage as a result. We must not sit idly by as if this has become such a way of life for us that we tuck our tails and accept it as such. While we might feel that there is nothing we can do about it, there are plenty of things we can do to show our distaste. Mainly, we need to speak up and say that we are mad as hell. While a temper tantrum alone will not suffice, our actions in light of our anger are a necessity. Sometimes, the worst thing you can do is remain silent.