I Guess it’s Time to Change Our Minds

By Sun Advocate

I’m as guilty (or more so) as anyone, concerning this gas crunch/price thing.
I counted the other day and I have a lot of gasoline engines around my house. I have (counting my youngest son’s car) six cars, one pickup truck (a unit that is big and gets terrible gas mileage), one company SUV, four ATV’s, two lawnmowers, two tillers, one chain saw and one weed eater.
For me gas is not such a major expense as it is for many people who make less money. But I am starting to feel the crunch.
My wife was shocked the other day when she filled up her mid-sized car and it cost over $45. I fill up my F-250 tanks and it is over $120 (well over since it uses premium). Even a five gallon gas can to put fuel in all that lawn, yard or recreational equipment will set you back the better part of a $20 bill.
We can complain about oil companies and energy extractors all we want, but let’s face it the world is changing and the 24 cent a gallon gas I got used to when I drove around my 1962 Galaxie XL in high school will never be seen again.
Besides, if you have any kind of money in the stock market through pension funds or other financial devices, and if it is invested well, some of those big profits energy companies are making are coming back to each of us.
It’s time for us all to get into a different mode; one where we limit trips and try to take care of things while in town instead of making three or four trips to the home improvement store to fix that leaking faucet in the bathroom.
I saw a letter in an out-of-town paper the other day from a guy who said he has no empathy for those who are complaining that have big vehicles and are getting poor gas mileage. He said they should just sell them and get smaller more economy minded vehicles.
He obviously never owned property next to the Love Canal. Owning a gas guzzler is nearly as bad as that now if you want to sell it. If you try to divest yourself of the vehicle you will lose your shirt, and your underwear as well. If you examine the price of gas verses the loss of dollars one would experience in the sale and the price of a new “efficient” car, a lot of gasoline can be purchased for that difference.
We must all come to grips with the new reality. Gas will keep going up; more of the world wants to use it and the companies that make and supply it will just continue to want to charge more as their prices go up as well.
I know I am not too thrilled about the prospects of plugging a car in each night or using solar panels on top for sunny days, but that appears to be the future for us.
Americans have always been ingenious. We will survive this and thrive, but like any battle it will not be easy at first. But then struggle will make us stronger.
That is the only way I can look at it and have some semblance of sanity left.