I was coming home from work yesterday and needed some gas. As I was approaching the station that I normally go to I was literally shocked to see that their price was $3.07/gallon. I don't follow gas prices much but it wasn't too much earlier that I was pleased that prices were down to $2.83/gallon. It wasn't just this station either. There were three in the same area and they were all charging $3.07.
This is the highest price that I've ever seen in Jacksonville. Considering that it seems like everyone here drives big pickup and SUV's that make about 15 MPG. At that rate you are spending 20 cents a mile just for gas.
Here in Jax we have a lot of folks who come into town from the outlying areas to work. ...and they don't drive Toyota Yaris's. I wonder at what point these people are going to have to make some hard choices. Move closer to town, buyer more efficient vehicles, or work more. Philosophically it's hard to imagine people being slaves to a commodity without blaming the government. I feel the same way about healthcare but that's a separate article.
So my question is at what point will the gas prices irreversibly affect the US economy? Trucks that supply all the Wal-marts run on deisel. Employees are going to ask employers for more money to subsidize their commutes. Service-based companies like plumbers, electricians, etc are going to pass on the charge to customers. Hmmmm... sounds like inflation.
So, on top of high gas prices we'll have high service prices???!!! Who will be able to afford all the niceties of having a new deck built, re-designing their kitchens, or taking nice vacations. Hmmm... sounds like recession.
What is the tipping point that leads us to this? $7.00/gallon, $5/gallon $3.07/gallon.?
Our cities are not designed for mass transit. They are not even designed for people to bike to work. They are designed for people to drive their cars from wherever they live to their jobs and back with lots of space in between.
Should be an interesting next couple of years to watch this rollercoaster.
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