Re: Gas Prices - No A.C. (Audi Content)

[Phil Rose <pjrose@servtech.com>]

>Date: Fri, 2 Apr 1999 15:38:33 EST
>From: PlyBoyDoct@aol.com
>Subject: Re: Gas Prices - No A.C. (Audi Content)
>
>The gas station I ususally go to is at 1.65 now.  It use to be 1.16  And they
>forsee a 2.00 per gallons in a few months.  Gas prices too high?  it sure is!
>
>Jason C
>89 200t10v - only getting 19.6 MPG!  HELP!!!

Jason,
As they say (much too often, IMHO), "Get real!" Just how low would you like
gas prices to be?

As of today, here in the East, the price for 93 oct. premium has gone all
the way up (irony mode on, please) to $1.31/gallon; regular is about $1.20.
This is still lower--adjusted for inflation--than at any time I can recall
in the past 40 years (and I'm gonna turn 60 tomorrow, so I'm not talkin'
about second-hand history). As an 18 yr-old, I paid about $0.30/gal for
leaded regular (any *no one* complained about the too-high price of gas).
And that was back when 20 mpg was considered pretty decent gas economy. And
the distances people "needed" to drive were every bit as great as today.
Minimum wage laws didn't exist, but unskilled labor commonly got around
$1.25-1.50/hr (even $1/hr wasn't uncommon at the burger-flipping level),
and $6000/yr was considered a fairly livable wage. So now, even near
$2/gal, prices would be just slightly higher than in those times. Those
times when the oil didn't have to be transported 5000 miles across a couple
of oceans.

Since in a few hours I'll be a certifiable ol' curmudgeon, I'll celebrate
by contributing this little reality-check for those who think life has
gotten so tough at the gas pump. Save the hankies for when you see $3 and
$4/gallon, but don't expect any sympathy from the rest of the world.


Phil Rose				Rochester, NY
'91 200q				mailto:pjrose@servtech.com
'89 100