How they Made Americans Roll Over for High Gas Prices

This article was extremely valuable in giving me great tips on how to improve the efficiency of my car and lower the amount of gasoline I use on a daily basis.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/5-steps-counter-4-per-070049728.html

The problem that underlies this, which unfortunately nobody seems to be talking about, is that gasoline costs over $4 per gallon. A few years ago at $3, people were shocked and angry. Outrageous! Shameless money-grubbing profiteers! George Bush promised he would make the Arabs "Open their spigots."

And gas prices went down. Not completely, but enough to placate us.

Then the "speculators" came. They drove up prices to over $100 a barrel, citing war and unease in the financial markets. So gasoline rose up to $3.50. Again we got off our seats. How are we going to travel during summer vacation? What are our politicians doing! And we heard that our strategic reserves were full and could be used to offset gas prices.

And gas prices went down. Not completely, but enough to get us back in our seats.

Now we have the oil companies telling us that they need to update their refineries and we can look forward to gas being over $4 through the Independence Day travel season. Blame it on "Americans' addiction to oil." And people are throwing up their hands. Not with fists clenched, but with eyes rolled and the look of the defeated in their eyes. There is nowhere left to look for help and no one seems interested in trying anymore.

And gas prices will stay above $4. Completely, but we will simper in quiet angst, reading about how to make our cars more efficient. The mighty companies and bungee pricing have broken us once again.

As for me, I am placated no more. I believe in the free market and it is time to make my stand. I'm going hybrid, or electric, or even bicycle and let the oil companies hang themselves. Like the boxer in the Simon and Garfunkel song, "I am leaving, I am leaving/ But the fighter still remains."

A historical lesson for the politicians. Gas prices were one of the very public manifestations of "stagflation," one of the main conditions that cost Jimmy Carter and others in power their jobs. Since everything in this country relies on gas-fueled transportation, inevitable rising prices will come and history will repeat itself. And we will get out of our seats, pay our $4 a gallon, go to the voting booth, and get someone to get this under control.