Perspective Gas Prices and People Hating Big Oil

I know, I know, the rising price of oil and the "trapped market" that these so called "Big Oil" companies has is a touchy subject to most people. And that is EXCATLY why I am writing this. Let me start off by saying this; yes, I have a small economical car, I own a Toyota Corolla (insert girly jokes here,) so I am not writing this from an "I love my 10mpg SUV and who cares about the economy" viewpoint. However, I also own a Triton V8 F-150, so no, I am not writing this from the viewpoint of a "let's save the world and boycott gas for a week" person either.

I absolutely hate that most people in this country, who complain about the price of gas and fuel efficiency of trucks and SUVs, are the ones who believe that oil companies are price-gouging and that Exxon-Mobile and OPEC are conspiring to jack-up oil prices in America! The biggest problem in America is not the fact that "Big Oil" charges too much for gasoline, it's more so that most people in America are willing to pay $3.50 for a gallon of gas. According to a recent AP Poll, over 60 percent of drivers admitted that they would pay as much as $5.00 for a gallon gas!!

First off, let us look at facts at hand:

FACT: Only about 25% of Exxon-Mobile's profit comes from the United States.

FACT: Roughly 23 countries pay more per gallon, in US Dollars, for gas than we do. These are NOT third world countries.

FACT: The War on Terrorism is not effecting the price of gas, for the most part.

FACT: The role Hurricane Katrina played on our offshore oil refineries DID and still IS having an effect on our oil prices.

FACT: The oil companies are not price-gouging. Yes, there is a legal definition for that term, and yes it does involve a time of National Crisis, but no, a war isn't necessarily a national crisis.

FACT: The price of gasoline is not going to drop for a long time, or maybe ever.

Okay, so that last one wasn't a fact, but you all know it is true. So what are we to do? Easy, there are two ways to go about it. Well, three if you have about ten million dollars lying around. First solution is easy. Do what I do; shut-up and pay the price of petrol, gas hog or not, and realize that everyone is paying the same price per gallon. Second off, consider a hybrid, or flex fuel vehicle, such as the Toyota Camry-Hybrid, or Ford Flex Fuel F-150. The choices are plenty, and the reliability of such vehicles is getting better and better by the month. The third option is to fund a research project to figure out how to make vehicles run off of air, but once you do, just promise me you won't charge 2 bucks for a bottle of air.

Another thing that gets my goat are the people who whine and complain about a $3.00 gallon of gas, but are willing to pay stupidly inflated prices for everyday normal items. According to a recent YAHOO! news article, the United States consumes an average of 26 billion liters of bottled water a year!! That's more than any other country! And that included countries that don't have reservoirs filled to the brim with healthy, potable drinking water! Most health professional agree that there is no extraordinary health value to bottled water. Sure it may taste a little better, but think about this; the average price for a liter of water in a convenient store is 2.50 a bottle, that's ten dollars a gallon people. TEN DOLLARS! A gallon of water out of a tap costs you approximately 17 cents, depending on where you live You're paying over 50 times as much! Think about it. Another great example, that guilty pleasure we have all had at one point, Starbuck Coffee. You walk in, it all smells so good, and you go to the counter and order your $3.50 latte! And a lot of people do this everyday of the week. It adds up, over the course of a year some people are spending over $900 on coffee, before tax! Do you have any idea how many coffee pots and cans of beans you can buy with that sort of money? A bottle of beer at most bars is around $2.50, that's $30 for a 12-pack of beer, at the grocery store that is going to run you about 9 bucks. Put it in perspective folks, it's not that bad. I pay 3.00 for a gallon of good quality gas, and 3 dollars for an energy bar at the local GNC. It's even par for keeping me and my truck healthy.

So, next time you're contemplating what to tell your kid when he asks why you can't pay for his college, consider this, one cup of coffee, one bottle of water, and breakfast bar a day adds up to $2,500 dollars over a year. Over his lifetime that's $45,000 dollars. Think that doesn't sound right? The next time you are out for the day, I challenge you to keep all your receipts and track the expenditures of items that you can get for little to no cost right out of your own home, add it up, and multiply it buy one whole year. I think the answer may surprise you. And please, the next time someone asks you why your opinion of why gas prices are so high, tell them to put it in perspective.