The Price of Gas is Out of Control!

What is the 'average Joe' supposed to do when he has to fill up his tank with gas? Crying is definitely an option. Earlier today, my husband filled up the tank of our old '86 clunker and we almost had a heart attack when the total registered on the pump. It cost almost as much as one month's rent in the early 70's. Gas in Southern California has risen more than 55 cents in the last three weeks. We are now paying more than $3.00 a gallon for regular with no end in sight. Wiping my tear streaked face on my shirt sleeve, I agreed to hawk my wedding rings to pay the bill. Ok, so that was an exaggeration, but not by much. What is a working stiff supposed to do?

When I came across the country in the early 70's from Ohio to live in Southern California, gas was .29 cents a gal. It cost me $69 dollars, for gas to travel all the way across the country. The gas attendant not only filled your tank with a smile, checked the oil, even washed the windshield and to top it off he gave you a glass or a dish, free. Try finding that today. Now you are lucky to be able to find a station that will actually take cash. You all remember what cash is, right? That is what all of us work so hard for every week, so that we can survive another day. Most gas stations love it when you pay for your gas with your credit or debit card. Here in Southern California it gives them an excuse to charge you six or seven cents more than they normally get, as though it isn't already enough.

In Turkmenistan, gas is only $.08 cents a gallon. The question is? Do they have cars there? Turkey has one of the world's highest prices at $7.12 per gallon. In the United States a chunk of each gallon of gas goes to state and federal taxes. As of Jan.2006, 37.8 cents of every gallon of gas went to state and federal taxes. Eighteen cents went to the state and 18.3 cents went federal and 1.5 cents was used for underground storage tanks. Have you, like myself questioned why every time someone in another country develops a hernia, the price of gas seems to go up? The excuse is always blamed on shortages or turmoil in the Middle-East. When hasn't there been turmoil in the Middle-East?

Here in Orange County, California where we have very rich people living and thriving (you've all seen the now defunct T.V. hit, 'The O.C.'), and very poor people who sometimes clean the rich people's homes, mow their grass and serve them in restaurants. There are some middle-class people in the middle who can actually afford their own home, I am sure. There is a really poor public transportation system here for some of those persons without cars to use if needed, which only runs between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. at night and only if you happen to live on that certain route. They toss around the idea of a train/rail system that would connect certain areas, but the idea is not economically feasible for the people who rule. They feel that there is not enough money to be made. In Southern California if you don't have a car or not best friends with someone who does, you must spend hours, commuting which involves numerous waiting and transfers to get you from one route to another. This does not even take in to account the time spent while commuting. If you are one of the fortunate ones who do have a car, you can only afford to put gas in your car to go to work or for special occasions, such asdriving to the gas station to put gas in your car. When you are done paying for that gas, you can drive to the grocery store and buy discount day old bread, if you have any money left.

'The people who have', can buy a fuel-efficient Hybrid car that can get 60 miles per gallon. The rest of us sit and wonder if it will be worth trying to register our old undependable clunker for another year, if we can keep it running and pass the stringent state smog testing. Other than that we make friends with the guy that lives down the street who drives that red Chevy. If you are longing for the olden days, you can still go to places like Oregon or New Jersey where they still wash your windows and pump your gas. I am heading off to the store where I just might buy a bicycle.