Gas Prices Still High
About a year ago, I wrote an article about how gas prices have gone skyhigh across the United States. This was back when gas was well over $3.00, and most people (including me) were still in a state of shock over the sudden rising price of gas. Almost a year later, things have not changed as gas prices are still very high and people like me are continuing to get ripped off by oil companies. So here is another blog entry with added reasoning as to why the cost of gas risen.
So what am I going to talk about this time??? With so much to choose from pertaining to high gas prices, there are practically a million reasons as to why gasoline is so high right now. Usually a person's main target is the oil companies who manufacturer the oil and are a key reason why the prices are so high. That is a very significant claim, as they are the ones supplying us with the crude oil to create gasoline, but two sources that I think pose a larger threat are George Bush, and the consumers who purchase gas. After talking about these two topics, I am also going to provide you with some ways you can cut your costs on gasoline.
Thanks to our current president George Bush, we are fighting the fight against high gas prices. Bush started the ripple of rising gas prices by sending troops to Iraq in March 2003 and in the closing months before exiting his term as president, he is once again creating new ripples to keep prices rising. In these final months of his presidency, George Dubya has been on a continuous push for ethanol becoming the next major energy source for automobiles. Sure, ethanol powered cars would be a great alternative to gas powered cars, but by promoting ethanol powered cars, Bush is hurting gas prices.
Since Bush begun campaigning for ethanol powered cars, oil companies have been very hesitant to invest in new oil refineries, as they are afraid that Ethanol may become the next big thing and knock crude oil down a peg. As a result, lesser oil refinerys have been made, which has lowered supply for crude oil and thus raised gas prices and demand for oil. While the ethanol push is a new energy alternative for autos, it sounds weird coming from a native Texan who once ran an oil company before becoming president.
When looking further into the increased demand for crude oil, George Bush isn't the only one to blame. Today, there are more cars out on the road today than ever and with the increase in consumers needing gasoline, comes a greater demand, which has not been met by the oil companies. With the demand not being met, that has led to higher gas prices, as consumers will pay as much as oil companies want them to pay.
So why else are the consumers to blame??? Well there are many reasons why we should blame ourselves for the rise in gas prices. Just as people are beginning to fall in love with new energy efficient cars, we are also driving around SUV's that are bigger than ever and use all sorts of gasoline to get people from Point A to Point B.
This past summer, I worked for the Kansas City Chiefs as a courier, and I drove around a 2007 Chevy Suburban for the duration of camp, so I had a first-hand experience with how poor a SUV's gas mileage is. Lets just say that I will never personally own an SUV, and I would never drive one, even if it was the only mode of transportation out there.
In addition, in conjunction with gas prices going up, more people are driving, so the amount of cars on the road has increased tenfold. With more cars, comes increased demand that oil companies struggle to meet. This leads to higher gas prices. In addition, with the gas prices continugin as the consumers are dependent on the oil companies for oil. We are at the point, where the consumer has abused driving to the point where we need oil companies to create gasoline for purchase, no matter how expensive that is.
Personally, living in Minnesota, the price of gas currently hovers in my homestate at an average price of $2.96 per gallon. This may be a high price for gas, but its considerabally lower than the national average, as nationwide, gas costs an average of $3.15 in the United States. I guess it helps that I don't live in a place like California, Illinois or Florida. At the same time though, everybody across the United States is getting hurt by high gas prices, and paying $2.96 per gallon does create a pinch in my wallet.
In addition, I drive a sports compact car, which is very fuel efficient, so I am not getting torn apart at the pumps like those who drive SUV's. Finally, I have come across some great methods to cut down gas prices. They range from performance upgrades to looking around for the best deal on gas. Here is a small list of useful tips to keep your car gasoline friendly, no matter how large/small your car is:
1. Complete tuneups on your car regularly (ex - Oil changes, tire rotations)
2. Bring your car in every so often for detailed checkups at your local car dealership
3. Put in a custom air filter to improve your gas mileage (ex - K&N/Fram)
4. I visit GasBuddy.com to find the best gas prices in my area.
5. If you cannot find any gas prices online, drive around your neighborhood to find the gas station with the best price.
So, after my blog entry last year about rising gas prices, I noticed that the rate of gas declined a little bit after my post. Maybe this time, the same will happen and gas will fall a couple of cents. I'm not crossing my fingers though because experts are saying this summer, gas prices will soar to above $3.00 per gallon. But, if this does happen, I think I will start to post a regular weekly article about gas prices, in hopes that they fall back down to $2.00.
Note - The gas prices in this article were found at TwinCitiesGasPrices.com
Labels: gas prices