[ale] OT: gas going up this weekend

[Tom Freeman]

On Thu, 28 Apr 2011, Geoffrey Myers wrote:

> David Tomaschik wrote:
>> On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 2:54 PM, Geoffrey Myers
>> <lists at serioustechnology.com> wrote:
>>> Jim Kinney wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Apr 28, 2011 at 2:04 PM, The Don Lachlan <ale-at-ale.org
>>>> <http://ale-at-ale.org>@unpopularminds.org <http://unpopularminds.org>>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>     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.
>>>>
>>>> National average (today) is $3.88 and Ga is $3.76. We're still lower
>>>> than average and the new tax bit won't change that.
>>>>
>>>>  http://fuelgaugereport.aaa.com/?redirectto=http://fuelgaugereport.opisnet.com/index.asp
>>> You know what they say about average?  A guy is standing with one foot
>>> in a bucket of frozen water, the other foot in boiling water.  On
>>> average he should be okay. ;)
>>>
>>> Personally, being below average doesn't comfort me.  I think the price
>>> of gas is too high.  I don't know who to blame.  It sucks.
>>>
>>
>>
>> I'm sure this flies against what everyone else thinks, but I actually
>> think the price of gas is too low.  The government really needs to
>> stop subsidizing big oil, because the motivation to move away from oil
>> as our primary energy source is not enough at current gas prices.
>> Whether or not you believe in "Peak Oil", the facts are: oil is a
>> non-renewable resource, it is becoming increasingly inefficient to
>> extract the oil that does exist, and every dollar spent on imported
>> oil is a dollar leaving the U.S. economy.  Regardless of your beliefs
>> on climate change, it is clear that urban pollution is mostly due to
>> internal combustion engines, and that urban pollution is a significant
>> contributor to asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other respiratory
>> diseases.  Some scientists believe that smog may also contribute to
>> heart disease and cancer.
>>
>> Continuing to rely on a resource where primary sources are in unstable
>> regions such as the Middle East and some parts of Latin America, a
>> resource that damages the environment, a resource that drains the
>> American economy, is just not smart.  Mainstream America is incredibly
>> short-sighted, looking at next month, next quarter, or next year, and
>> not at the next decade, the next generation, or the next century.
>
> I tend to agree with you, although making it painful for the consumer is
> not a solution I like.  It is likely the right solution.  We all know
> that when the cost of an item goes up, corporations will simply pass
> that cost to the consumer.  Whether that's because it's harder to
> produce or the lost of subsidies, or both.

Whether it is a gas situation, or a draught, or much of any thing else, 
seems like Atlanta is seeing a new shortage every year or two. Trouble 
seems to be that they blow over much before anybody figures out a proper 
way to address the issue, and therefor ignored. The issue will be back, 
with more enthusiasm in time.