As gas prices rise, people forced to adapt
While gas prices across the nation have increased by leaps and bound—as much as by 50 to 60% since last year—there is talk among economists that they will rise even higher. Some factors blamed for this include the wars on terrorism, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, a struggling dollar, greed on the part of oil merchants, and lately, Hurricane Katrina.
The more immediate questions are, how does this affect us as consumers, as commuters, even as service providers in the public or private sector? Many motorists have chosen to limit the distance they drive. “We just don’t go anywhere far or as often as we used to. We didn’t even go to the beach this summer,” says Pepe Gomez, a Smallville resident.
Pastor Mark Daniels of New Life Baptist Church, and his family, have been combining errands. “We now wait till we have several things to do or get, and then we take care of them all in one run.” He commutes to Savannah each week, and always is looking out for the best bargain in gas.
Perhaps the gas price increase is felt most immediately by the working class. Lisa Miller, a Smallville resident who commutes to the Hayden’s across from the Courthouse, responded energetically, “Sure it affects me. I’m trying to sell my Explorer. The gas is killing me. We’re working just to pay the gas we use to drive to work.”
“It affects ME!” said a waitress at a local greasy spoon, who declined to be named. “I have to drive to work. I just pay it (the high price). I mean, I have no choice.” She shrugged, hands in the air in a show of powerlessness. “And the other thing is, it affects everything else that we buy.”
However, the cost of fuel is being passed on to consumers and taxpayers in different ways. Willie Nixon, of the Smallville City Public Works Department, mentioned how prices on materials needed for purchased have jumped considerably. “I was requesting an item which had previously cost $131.00, and it had jumped up 37 dollars!”
Another source, which cannot at this time be named, informed me that the GSP has mandated strict limits on fuel consumption. This is not to be exceeded unless the officer or agent is willing to fill out a report indicating why it was necessary to exceed the limit. One GSP patrolman has to use half his mileage just to get to his duty post. He just sits there, parked, and at the end of his shift he fires up the patrol car and heads home!
One strategy which apparently has not been discovered in this part of the state is the use of the internet to post and share information on fuel prices, including locations and types of fuel. There are now a number of web sites which can be accessed via the internet, including www.gasbuddy.com/ , http://www.usastar.com/i95/gasprice.htm/ , and http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=30458. There are many price submissions in the greater Savannah area, especially in Effingham and Bryan Counties, and in the even greater Atlanta area.
Another effect of the this continued rising of fuel costs is to make everyone more aware of fuel, what types of fuel there are, and how they work within the engines, furnaces, ovens, etc. that we use from day to day. For example, several presentations and discussions on octane have sprouted on the net, from msnbc.com to http://www.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm/ Now it remains to be seen if the development of alternative technologies will accelerate.
Note: even as I was reviewing my notes, preparatory to writing the rough draft of this, Lundberg, the economist firm, was quoted as announcing that they predicted even higher gas prices in September due to Hurricane Katrina. More on this as the news breaks.
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