[ale] OT: gas going up this weekend

[The Don Lachlan]

On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 08:59:10AM -0400, Lightner, Jeff wrote:
> The thing about gas going up is it is immediately noticeable when you
> fuel up.  It's effect on the cost of everything else is also quickly
> noticeable.

Absolutely. Grocery store prices are up because it costs more to transport
food. All physical goods are more expensive right now because
transportation costs are up.

Additionally, we're not talking about $0.60 every time I fill up. We're
talking about $3.70/gal now versus <$3.00 the same time last year, and 
<$2.00 before *some* event in 2004 and <$1.00 maybe 10 years ago.

> An inch of rain doesn't sound like much.  However if you get one inch
> per hour for 40 days you might consider building an ark...

Georgia used to have very inexpensive gas. Now, it's the higher side
of average and the national average is between 3 and 4 times what it was 10
years ago.

So, a few pennies per gallon may not matter much for my commute, but it adds
up to real dollars over time. And a few pennies every few weeks, well, that
adds up to real dollars ever time I fill up.


> From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of Tom Freeman
> 
> At 30mpg my cost per mile is approaching (if I did it right, need more
> coffee) $0.10/mile. Or very similar to the capital cost of just purchasing
> the vehicle (I got 260,000miles from the last one).

At 30mpg, your fuel cost is >$0.12/mile. On a 50 mile round trip commute,
that's >$6, while $0.10/mile is $5. Your miscalculation is significant. :)

And last year, that trip cost $4.50. Ten years ago, it cost $1.50. Five days
a week, 50 weeks a year. We're not talking about pennies. We're gonna need a
bigger boat.

> Insurance costs were pretty close last time I checked my own statements,
> but YMWV by a significant amount. If you work/shop in a center city
> environment, you might get to pay for the parking. Otherwise, somebody
> else gets to pick up the tab to maintain the lot and the access ways.

Yes, other things cost more. It's also completely irrelevent. Saying that a
gallon of milk costs more than a tomato doesn't mean that I shouldn't care
about the price of tomatoes - especially if the price of milk has been
fairly consistent. (This was an analogy. Both cost lots more now. See above
and below.)

Gas prices affect not only the cost of personal travel but also everything
you buy at the grocery store and the cost of almost every other good or
service out there because gas prices are significant in their production,
distribution or delivery.

To be clear, I'm not against this gas tax. But to dismiss its consequences
is very misguided.

-L