The Gas Price Craze in Sherman, Texas

Since Mr. Bush is more interested in the war in Iraq than our own country's gas crisis, we are left to our own devices to lower gas prices. In Sherman, TX, a local gas station started a gas war. The first gas station lowered their price for regular unleaded to $3.699 per gallon, and caused a ripple effect with other gas stations, nearby, lowering their price from $3.75-$3.79.

People waited in line for hours to partake of this temporary break on prices. Our local paper, the Herald Democrat, is requesting the names of gas stations that are selling E-85. E-85 is a reformulated gas which has at least ten percent ethanol which comes from the starch in corn. Gas stations are now required to put a sticker on their gas pumps informing the public how much,if more than 10 %, ethanol might be in their gas.

This is important because older vehicles are not equipped with the sensor that newer vehicles have, that detect ethanol and the control software that manages the air fuel mixture properly. Older vehicles may run on the fuel mixture, they just won't run too well, therefore, causing major mechanical damage.

I can't wait until the new presidential election, because they'll probably pay more attention to this country. So far, we have a few ideas of what to do about the high gas prices. One is to start more drilling offshore, but that doesn't seem to be the answer because even if California began all available drilling right now, the extra gas would only last for about 6 months. Another is to use some the reserve fuel that the U.S. government has stockpiled, but that would help just as much or just as little as the California idea. Politicians have contacted our foreign oil partners and they don't have a fuel shortage, so don't see why they should release or increase production.

Even if we could build more drilling sites in the most talked about state Alaska, it wouldn't help gas prices for approximately 10 years from now. Maybe we should look at the actual gas companies with their huge stock prices, making millions of dollars just for them and their companies. They should be regulated and have to conform to specific rules that need to be decided in Congress and be punished for violations. Instead these CEO's of the largest oil companies continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the American people and our own government.

Herald Democrat blog, Gas War in Sherman, July 22, 2008, heralddemocrat.com
Danny Rawinsky, mechanic, interviewed in June by JTA Knowles
NBCnews, Compilation of April-July 2008, nbcnews.com