The Impossible Politics
of Spiraling Pump Prices
As fuel prices skyrocket across America, travelers scramble to adjust their road trip budgets to compensate for the drain on their vacation economy. Will spiraling prices ever end? What's behind the pump price crisis? What can be done to stop the madness? And how will high gas prices affect your winter travel plans?
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By Logan Hawkes
Gas prices. It's America's favorite water cooler topic these days, and for good reason. Average pump prices have increased as much as 30% over the course of the last year or so, with little hope of relief any time in the near future. And the implications of a continuing trend in higher fuel is, without question, changing the way Americans do things.
Winter travelers, as a case in point, are a perfect example of a significant population sector that will be hard hit by higher gas prices. By way of example, an RVer who travels from Ames, Iowa, to Brownsville, Texas, this winter season will pay approximately $904.00 in fuel costs alone for the round trip. That's based on an RV traveling about 1,130 miles one way and getting around eight miles per gallon, and paying an average $3.20 at the pump. The same trip last year cost approximately $698.00 for fuel.
 Whether or not the unhealthy increase will cause winter travelers to stay home instead of hitting the open road this year is questionable. Unlikely so, especially when you consider home heating fuel costs have already increased over 25% since last year, meaning that staying at home and using more heating fuel could cost you just as much as the increase in gasoline and diesel fuel to make the road trip.
There may be a change in the amount of open road all travelers will put in their travel itinerary this year. Instead of cruising to out-of-the-way destinations along the route, RVers, both summer and winter, may drive more direct routes, minimizing actual mileage as a way to combat higher fuel costs. Some RVers may opt to "stay put" in their primary point of destination instead of traveling a broader area in order to enjoy several points-of-interest throughout the season. This relates not to less travelers, but fewer side trip destinations.
 Bubba Bandera's: SPEAKING OUT |
Editor's Note: The views expressed by guest columists don't necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
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B. Bubba Bandera here with a question on the lips of every American: Who's runnin' this railroad anyway? I'm talkin' about gas prices.
For crying out loud, it cost me $50 yesterday to fill up the old yellow pick up, and that's plain un-American. Especially when you consider Iraqis are payin' a nickel a gallon for gas, and it don't even belong to them.
Whoa Bubba! What's that you say?
You heard me right. It doesn't belong to them. Have we forgotten the Geneva Convention, which says in part that a conquering nation has the right to reparation (for the cost of war). We have been forced to dedicate American military forces to a country that supports and propagates international terrorism. American lives have been lost to secure an explosive political renegade, and yet we are shipping U.S. fuel to Iraq to fill our Abrams tanks when gasoline is selling at the local Iraqi pump for a nickel a gallon?
Heck - let's just pull into their version of a 7-11 and save a little money! That's what I say.
In fact, ol' Bubba wants to know why we aren't taking all the gas they've got as a partial repayment for our war costs?
According to International law, they owe it to us. Is it because we're afraid what the French or Russians or Chinese will say? Who the heck cares? Isn't it time to stand up to the world and stop worrying about political correctness. Heck - most of the world hates us anyway, and whether we opt to claim our right of financial compensation or not, they're not going to like us any better.
You know - I'm not a political activist by nature. I neither particularly support fellow rancher George W. or oppose him. And I don't favor any other particular candidate for America's top executive position.Personally, I think they're all Illuminati anyway. You know, that one world government conspiracy thing.
I say live and let live. Maybe it's not so smart to be staggered out across the world watching out for everyone else's interest while we leave a big void in protecting our own. I don't know. I must say, I wouldn't want to be president.
What I do know for certain is that increasing my costs for fuel, medicine, food and the like by 30% a year ain't gonna fly up my flag pole. I don't care what party you're affiliated with and I don't care where you're from. Let's get real folks. Did you earnings go up 30% this year. I don't think so.
Maybe we ought to prove a point by demanding all World War II debts are immediately due and payable. What's that Bubba? You heard me - France, Italy, England, Russia, Germany, Japan - they all owe us, and they have for decades.
On top of that, I say stop paying the bills for the United Nations New York headquarters. Who wants 'em here anyway? Turn the darn lights out. That'll get their attention. If it doesn't, maybe we can just close our borders for a year or two, not allow any imports in or out - or foreign nationals.
Now that's not exactly real friendly, but neither is charging me three bucks a gallon to fuel Old Yeller. I realize if we did this we would have to learn to be self sufficient.
What a foreign thought. Pardon the pun.
Well, that's it for now. My soap box is collapsin'...till next time
B. Bubba
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 Of course, Americans are a funny lot, and Texas even more so. We may curse ridiculous fuel price increases, but - as with so many things we have grown apathetic over - we may just "suck it up" and excuse the crisis away as "just the way things are." We'll find a way to rob Peter in order to pay Paul, and disgruntled though we may be, we won't really demand or expect anything substantial to be done about it.
Part of the problem may be that the average American doesn't really understand what's behind the pump price crisis. Sure, there's the war in Iraq, the unstable and unpredictable politics of OPEC. There's the so-called problems with American-based oil reserves and the question of whether we should dig up Alaska to meet the growing demand for motor fuel, but insiders would be quick to point out that recent spiraling fuel costs have been fueled more by politics than anything else.
Without pointing the finger at the Republicans or Democrats, the White House or the Energy Department or the major American oil companies, let it suffice to say that corporate America apparently recognizes a good thing when they see one. For years oil companies have been scheming for a way to up pump prices to be more in line with the cost of motor fuel in Mexico and Europe, claiming Americans, who live in the largest oil consuming nation in the world, are spoiled to cheap gas prices and a government policy that protected consumers from "reasonable and expected" price increases imposed by an unchecked oil industry and its enterprising executives.
Without naming names and pointing fingers at individuals, those same executives, it seems, are now leading our nation from their seats on Capital Hill and the White House.
While there is no particular supply-and-demand crisis associated with crude oil at the present time, we are given the impression by both Washington and corporate America that there are plenty of reasons gas prices are jumping at unprecedented rates. Remember the war and OPEC? Just listen to cable news or network television and you'll hear that gas prices are increasing because there is a real crisis in progress. What that crisis may be - outside of robing Americans blind at the pump - is hard to say.
But regardless on which side of the political issue you stand, Americans are not pleased. Most of us want to know the logic behind why the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Baghdad is a nickel while in the U.S. it's $3.00 a gallon or more.
Perhaps the better question is, how do we stop the madness? It's the $64 million question. We could stop buying gasoline. But that's not going to happen. Perhaps we can replace 80% of our elected officials with people that have to struggle with gas prices everyday - at the pump, not the executive board room. But that's not going to happen either.
We could always just suck it up, just like we've been doing. We can exercise continued patience and restraint and wait for the crisis to pass. And it will - eventually. As soon as we allow oil companies to insert a huge straw into the Alaskan tundra and pump prices level off around $3.50-$4.00 a gallon. Politicians, oil companies and retailers alike will be pleased with the result regardless of our personal sentiments or hardships. How's that any different than the high cost of prescription drugs, or the so-called regulated insurance industry.
Let's face it. American politics have gone to the dogs - rather the corporate dogs of America. Not that corporations are evil. Just largely greedy. As an American, I fully support the propagation of a free enterprise system that rewards hard work and innovation with the opportunity to succeed. It's the American way. It shouldn't change. But maybe it's time to balance the equation with politicians who have the American consumer's interest at heart the same way they want to protect and promote free enterprise. When it comes to the cost of food, medicine, heating fuels and gasoline, shouldn't America's leaders devote some of their energy to watching out for our better interests?
Like you, I don't know the answer to spiraling energy costs. But I do know there needs to be more concern over the issue in Washington. A strong America requires a strong leadership. I, for one, would like to see some more of that.
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Rio Grande Valley