What our other readers are saying:
It's the little things...
Here's a suggestion for those who must drive. If you have the time and the inclination, stay under 60 mph!
Often, in the past, my goal has been to keep up with or even get ahead of other drivers. Now my goal is to save fuel, and I no longer feel those competitive urges to speed and lane-change. When others pass me at higher speeds, I think of how I'll be paying less than they are at the pump.
I've also been paying more attention to keeping tires properly inflated, and I've been giving up air conditioning. I lower the windows, but only a little and only when I'm getting uncomfortably warm. I've also been trying really hard to consolidate errands so that I don't do a lot of needless backtracking.
Each of these things may seem small, but since I started doing them I've noticed how much more slowly the gas gauge descends toward empty. It's madness to keep on as we have been, no matter what the cost of fuel.
Leslie Ungberg, Ithaca, N.Y., USA
An unexpected benefit
I have smoked for 20-plus years and now I can no longer afford it. I have quit smoking. If anything good could come out of higher gasoline prices, this is something. I had to rethink my actions, and adjust my lifestyle.
Dale May, Bartlesville, Okla., USA
Canceling Thanksgiving travel
My family is canceling plans to visit our relatives for Thanksgiving this year because of the enormous and rather sudden rise in gas prices. We are also cutting back on needless trips by consolidating tasks which normally require two or more trips into just one.
I remain skeptical as to the real reasons for this sudden increase, especially when the oil companies are reporting record profits through all of this. I thought the higher raw cost of oil and the costs to "repair" all of the "damaged facilities" would offset the profits. This doesn't seem to be the case, but then, it's just a perception on my part.
Steve Illgen, Hermitage, Tenn., USA
Driving more economically
I'm making a very conscious effort to drive more economically. I try to look ahead and coast to a traffic light if it is red and not likely to change soon. When I leave a stop sign or light I accelerate more gradually than I had done before. It also helps to stay in the outside lane on multilane streets so that slow acceleration doesn’t irritate people who are in a hurry, or don’t have to be concerned about the cost of fuel. We are also trying to be more careful to plan our use of the car so that we don't have to make unnecessary trips to places we could easily have gone to on a recent trip to town.
Bert Spangler, Eau Claire, Wis., USA
Spoiled on cheap oil
Our lifestyle in the US is outrageous! We must stop this business of 1 person per car - particularly when that car is a 6,000 lb. SUV.
We Americans have been spoiled rotten on cheap oil, and when we have to spend more than we'd like, we cry instead of changing our selfish habits. I say raise the gasoline tax and let it help pay off our debt. I also feel we should tax gasoline automobiles more, and electronic vehicles and hybrids less.
James Johnson, Ogden, Utah, USA
Gas stations don't set their own prices
I own a gas station with a convenience store. Since the increase in gas prices, I have noticed a drop in gasoline sales, as well as in "inside sales." This drop, coupled with an increase in driveoffs, has substantially lessened profits during the month of September, and for a week gas was selling below my cost. Consumers need to understand that gasoline retailers do not "set" their own gasoline prices; pump prices directly reflect the wholesale cost of gas, and most merchants are making a very small margin per gallon.
Colleen Kashif, St. Louis, Mo., USA
Where is government regulation?
I think the prices will cause this country to slip into a depression of some scale. If the federal government doesn't step in and regulate the prices it could turn into a problem of price wars and supply problems.
Joe Hawkins, Millington, Tenn., USA
Innovative spirit can prevail
I feel that our country can easily get itself out of this political and internal energy morass. This country was built on innovation and this innovation could quickly end our dependence on fossil fuels. After looking through internet sites, I've seen small groups of friends tinkering in ther workshops and coming up with wind turbines that can generate 1.5 kW of electricity in their backyards. I even saw one who took it upon himself to build a solar hot water heater using barely more than plywood and PVC piping painted black. This may not sound like very much, but the sum of all of these small parts can really add up quickly if more and more are made aware (especially those in our governing bodies!)
If we truly want to change, we can, and our innovating spirit can carry the United States to a new leardership position in alternative energy.
Thomas Lindemayer, Worcester, Mass., USA
Get smart, America!
This is all sadly amusing! We are all consuming so much energy compared to the rest of the world that it is incredible. Cheap energy has fueled our demand for American novelties such as 300 horsepower cars, SUVs, trucks that never do any real work, boats that get 3 mpg, etc. I recall a business trip to Japan in the mid-80s where they no longer provided toilet paper in the company bathrooms due to the energy costs of making paper. You had to bring your own!
We have a heavily insulated home, duopane windows, and separate electrically heated rooms. We drive modest cars about 18,000 miles annually and plan to replace the older one with a new standard sedan in November. It will be driven about 8,000 miles or less annually. We are both in retirement and never take long driving vacations. We don't own a boat or motorhome. It's time for America to get smart. Drive less, exercise more, live longer.
Morris Foutch, Vancouver, Wash., USA
...No way I am going to continue to play the car game. David Stead, Seattle |
'Oil need not be our drug of choice.'
Let's evolve from Promethius to Posidon. Regardless of what oil costs or how much we have, let's stop burning it. Sun power, wind power, wave power and river power keep dollars in our communities and will keep our planet clean enough for the next ten generations. Oil need not be our drug of choice. The kind of thinking that got us into this mess is not the kind of thinking we need to create our future.
Peter O'Donnell, San Francisco, Calif., USA
Will the hurricanes raise awareness?
I think we are at a peak in terms of oil supply. I don't think the problem is just refining capacity. That is, the worldwide demand has outstripped worldwide supply. So, I think these hurricanes will raise our awareness of the problem. Maybe people will begin taking seriously the need to invest in finding new forms of energy.
Kathy Berkowitz, Calabasas, Calif., USA
Where has America's vision gone?
At 74 years of age, I am still waiting for a leader like President Kennedy to challenge us with a new vision. Just suppose President Bush had put our space program on hold for 10 years with a mandate for NASA to resolve this energy issue. They have the technical skills and the budget to get the job done. Can you just imagine the woldwide market if we became the world leader in energy technology and knowhow? I fear we have lost our vision and are no longer up to the challenge.
Waldo Griffin, Los Altos, Calif., USA
Cost isn't everything
It shouldn't be just money that affects our lives. If a gallon of gas cost only a dollar, would that mean that it's perfectly OK to own 2 trucks and 2 cars and burn as much oil as we care to? If the earth's resources suffice to satisfy our lives, what about the generations that will follow us, our children and grandchildren?
Hong Son, Hiawassee, Georgia, USA
'Be creative'
The best thing we can do is stop giving oil companies our money. Be creative, walk, or motorbike. And for humans, the environment, and animals' sake, lower the speed limit.
Hector Gonzales, Seattle, Wash., USA
What to do? Walk and cycle, and in doing so save on gym subscriptions. Nova Brockbank, Newcastle, UK |
Higher costs all around
My 31 mile commute now seems to 'suck' fuel that I never noticed before. And my electric bill has had an additional fuel charge on it for the last three months. It accounted for $102 of this month's staggering $317 bill! And since I work in the transportation industry, we are already being warned that raises this year will be very lean due to the fuel cost our company is having to absorb. My wife has spent the last seven years home with our children, but ends are now not meeting and she is now hunting for a job.
D. Limbaugh, Houston, Texas, USA
Rural woes
In a rural state where distances between towns are a minimum of 45-50 miles and where 60-80 miles is not unusual, a 200 mile round trip for a doctor's visit is the norm. Public transportation is not an option, and I really cannot see my 86-year-old parent riding the back of a motorcycle. Retirement could not have come at a worse time for me. Retirement funds have been stalled for years, and now automobile fuel and heating prices have gone through the roof. Gone are modest plans for visiting old friends around the state upon retirement. Unless there are regulations and affordable alternatives, those who can afford it will continue to live with flagrant disregard for dwindling natural resources, and the rest of us will suffer drastic cuts in already minimal lifestyles.
Glenda James, Corona, N.M., USA
No more motorhoming
Motorhoming has always been our hobby. We can no longer afford to buy gas for extended trips as our motorhome's mileage is about 7 mpg when towing a car. We will be staying home, spending less money, and hoping the prices come down.
Nanci Posey, Fort Myers, Fla., USA
'It can all change with the weather'
The increase in gas prices used to upset me. However, my family has learned how to conserve a little more. I work outside of the house and my wife works at home. I drive a more efficient car now and we spend alot more time at home on the weekends. I believe the prices will subside, but we should learn now that it can all change with the weather!
Jeffrey S. Buck, Queen Creek, Ariz., USA
'Five steps I'll take if gas prices keep going up'
1) I will delay buying a new car, and when I do buy one, gas mileage will be an important purchase factor, unless the price of gas drops about a dollar.
2) I will drive less with the car I have unless the the price drops.
3) If the gas prices go higher, I will limit my driving more and find different, cheaper ways to get around until the price drops.
4) If the price keeps going up, I will go out for pleasure a LOT less, and put that money toward gas.
5) If the price stays up, I will find any way possible to reduce spending in other areas, combined with driving only when absolutely necessary with a car I probably won't replace until I absolutely have to.
Chris Sawyer, Homewood, Ill., USA
Taxes are to blame
Gasoline? I pay $3.49 for a gallon of diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is cheap to refine, so why does it cost more than high-octane gas? The answer: US government taxes.
J. Hutcherson, Santa Paula, Calif., USA
A UK perspective
Here in the UK we're paying around $8 a gallon, so count yourselves lucky. What to do? Walk and cycle, and in doing so save on gym subscriptions. Also, drive slower and don't make a lot short journeys.
Let's treat oil as the precious commodity it really is. What about our grandchildren? What are we going to tell them we did to their planet?
Nova Brockbank, Newcastle, UK
Improve your life and the world at the same time
We shouldn't need a $3.50-a-gallon incentive to change our gas-guzzling ways! Look at the mess we are in politically and environmentally because of our shameful dependence on oil. People are still driving Hummers around the city. Wake up, people! Its about time we all make some changes. Sell your car and buy a hybrid. Move closer to your work. Look into public transportation. Bike, run, walk.
I walked to work every day of the year for three years. It was free, there was no traffic, and my walk was always 20 minutes. I didnt have to pay $100/month for parking, and I got 40 minutes of exercise a day. I also got to stop and smell the roses every summer, pet the neighborhood dogs on their walks in the evening, and chat with neighbors I ran into on the way home. Conserving energy doesn't always have to be a sacrifice. You can improve your life and the world at the same time.
Cindy Bourret, Baltimore, USA
Trucks and SUVs disappear
Three dollar per gallon gas is the best thing to come from Katrina. It eliminated many of the huge pickups and SUVs here in Florida. I believe $4 or $4.50 per gallon would be even better. I hope it stays high from now on.
Paul Madison, St. Augustine, Fla., USA
Gas: Most expensive utility
As a divorced, working mom, gas has become my most expensive utility. Even renting a movie, which used to be our only form of entainment, is gone, since going to get it and drop it off is gas-consuming. I take my children to school, go to work and come home. Other than that, I don't leave the house at all. I just can't afford it.
Jacqueline Cruz, Miami, Fla., USA
'Hard choices for cold people'
The worst effect will be on the ones that can least afford it. Where we live, we have no choice but to drive to work. You can't rideshare out here. Also, the heat prices will really hurt this winter. We can use wood, but not everyone has that choice. Also, not everyone can afford hybrid cars (if you can even find one) or solar panels for their homes. There are going to be some hard choices made this winter by a lot of cold people.
Mary Lafave, Wrenshall, Minn., USA
Take the school bus... to high school?
My husband and I have owned four-cylinder cars for years. However, we sympathize with those who must drive miles to work every day in gas-guzzlers still owned by the banks or finance companies. That said, I suggest that the first, best response to the growing price of gas is to take the keys to the truck or SUV away from teens or spouses who drive merely for recreation. Also, I'll remind parents that school buses run their routes for all students, not just those under age sixteen.
Laurel Sparks, Madison, Ind., USA
Take alternative fuels seriously
It's high time we take alternative fuels seriously and stop our dependency on the oil barrens of the middle east. We absolutely must make the technology happen now. There is no time to waste.
John Douvillier, Jones, Okla., USA
'Bigger, faster, stronger' not always better
Gas prices are going to affect my life, but probably not in a major way becuase I've already taken steps to watch my usage of gas. Americans should start taking steps now to do the same by any means possible; use public trasnportation, car pools, or gas-efficient vehicles. But the question remains: do American have the resolve and discipline to conserve gas, to make sacrifices? Judging by the amount of people passing me on the highway like I was at a standstill, I doubt it. We've come together to help our brothers and sisters in need in the wake of Katrina. We need to forget the manifest destinty mentality that has been the mantra of this country and come togeher now to save what's left of this planet's resoruces.
Rob Raucci, Cedar Park, Tex., USA
Plans put on hold
The rising cost of fuel will mean that I do much less with my family and will spend less on clothes and other things like going out or taking vacations. It will also mean that the expanion I was going to do at my shop will have to wait. I will not be hiring any new employees and may have to close my shop. I was just starting to get back on my feet after 9/11 hurt the economy. Now with the rising cost of gas we will have to look at other options.
It is amazing that we can help other nations but we can not seem to help our own here at home. How sad that the rich get richer and the middle class and poor get poorer.
George Howard, Sedro Woolley, Wash., USA
Hybrids and diesels too expensive
I thought about getting a diesel or hybrid. When I figured the cost it was going to cost me $200 more a month because the price of the vehicle was so high. Until the more fuel efficient cars become make economic sense I won't buy one.
Doug Quenzer, Webster, Wis., USA
Tough on cabbies, too
As a Chicago cab driver, the price of fuel represents a major portion of the cost of doing business. The recent price spikes in fuel cost have taken a serious bite out of my profits.
Alexis Imhoff, Chicago, Ill., USA
A fuel revolution
Back along about 1960, I read an article about the finite supply of petroleum underground. This sounded reasonable and, at that time, I switched to fuel efficient cars. In the 70s, under President Carter, I thought that federal policy was getting sensible. Unfortunately, the general population was not doing so, and now we have suburban mothers driving trucks to accomodate a couple of children.
What I think we really need, and have needed for years, is a sharp increase in gasoline taxes. It should be on a tiered basis, with less efficient vehicles charged higher taxes. This would probably cause a revolution, but it may well be time for that if we want to save the earth.
Cliff Wells, Sibley, La., USA
Energy audit?
I consolidate trips, carpool, or walk when possible, and am preparing to insulate my house better. I just wish I had done what a friend did: had an energy audit this spring, then based on recommendations installed a high-efficiency furnace and new windows!
Crystal Hoecherl, Milwaukee, Wis., USA
'En guerra avisada no muere gente'
I grew up hearing my parent's say: "En guerra avisada no muere gente." It means: "With advance warning in war, no one dies." Today I continue practicing preventative wisdom in responding to rising energy prices. For example, two years ago my husband and I bought a hybrid car and a hybrid stove. We also walk more. We signed up for a program with our utilities company that lets us pay the same amount each month. We "save" toward the winter price surge by turning the fans on and the air-conditioner off. Next is adding insulation.
Lucille Hernandez Gregory, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
'When bikes just aren't safe, driving is the only option'
When I lived in Italy, everything was so much more pedestrian friendly. I could walk almost everywhere and public transportation was readily available. Since I now live in a town where that isn't the case and bikes just aren't safe, driving is my only option to get anywhere. Luckily I live about 5 miles from where I work, so the commute is not long. When the price of gas got to $2 a gallon, I gave up work lunches. Now that it has hit $3 I have given up going home for that meal. Now when I have errands to run I never do them alone, and the nondrivers always kick in a few dollars to help with gas.
Liz Lewis, Montgomery, Ala., USA
US needs a JFK
When I moved to New York City in 1997, I got rid of my car. When I moved to Philadelphia in 2003, I still did not own a car. It is still quite liberating not to have to shell out tons of money for gasoline and insurance. Unfortunately winter is coming up and I will probably have to make changes in my budget to tackle the increased cost of gas to heat my home.
What we need is a president who has the guts and gumption that John F. Kennedy had in 1961. Just as JFK proclaimed that, with hard work, we would put a man on the moon within a decade, so our president must aggressively propose a similar plan for our shift from oil to alternative resources. The days of the gas-guzzling SUVs and natural gas guzzling McMansions should have ended a long time ago. A life of modesty in an urban area well-served by various forms of public transportation will do much to end our excess dependency on fossil fuels.
Thomas Alton, Philadelphia, Penn., USA
Just as many RVs and SUVs
I live along a four lane highway in the middle of Missouri, and I still see lots of RVs - many of whom are simply taking vacations or joyriding, all driving faster than the speed limit. My father says that for years car makers have been making engines with more horsepower and faster speeds, instead of cars that will only go the speed limit and use less gas. From my view point it seems that only the poor and disadvantaged are having problems with the high gas prices, as there are still as many cars and trucks and SUVs flying by as there have always been.
Kat Throgmorton, Macon, Mo., USA
Cutting back on travel
As a retiree on a pretty much fixed income, I expect fuel prices for heating and air conditioning especially will force me to cut back in other areas. Most likely it will be on travel, both locally and for vacations or visitng relatives. I think I am more fortunate than many, so I would expect many people to be forced to cut back on expenditures. I notice especially in our area of Raleigh, N.C., a lot of people commute by car to jobs 20 to 30 miles away. I am sure this will force many of them to alter their travel any way they can, either by carpooling, moving, or taking public transit, which is not so good here.
Bill Arms, Garner, N.C., USA
A blessing, but at what price?
One of the things I value most is my independence to come and go as I need to. However, with the price of gas going ever higher, my freedom is seriously being curtailed. I must travel 71 miles round trip to a job which does not pay high wages. Even with my small, economical car, the price of gas is causing me to reconsider my options.
In our area there is no public transportation. We depend on our cars to get to where we need to be. Perhaps this will change with the country's thoughts on conservation. This could and should be a blessing, but at the moment, the blessing seems to be costing quite a bit.
Mary Alyce Minor, Mont Vernon, N.H., USA
'World problems don't have to be my problems'
Our family uses the family car less and less. With gasoline costs rising almost daily, it becomes a luxury we can well do without. I look forward to dumping the car entirely.
In this way, world problems don't have to be my problems.
Francisco Merino, Toronto, Canada
Changing lifestyle
Rising prices have already affected our lives. We didn't go anywhere over the Labor Day weekend. I withdrew my son from a magnet school that I had to drive him to, and enrolled him in the neighborhood school within walking distance. I walk to the shopping center and library. If anything good comes from dodging all the traffic, it will be that I will lose weight from all this walking! I've cut back on our satellite TV package. The money I save goes to gas.
Jean Anspaugh, Fairfax, Va., USA
The market solution
The market solution to the need to reduce oil consumption in the US is to do what they do in most of the rest of the world. Put an additional $2 per gallon tax on gasoline. That is what causes people in other nations to buy and drive small cars that get excellent gas mileage. Use the tax money to develop and support alternative energy sources, and end all subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuels.
Larry Hyde, Reno, Nev., USA
Good to open Strategic Petroleum Reserve
It was a good idea to go ahead and open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, if for no other reason than communicating to Americans the recognition that this is a national emergency, that we have reached a point of no return with respect to fossil fuels, and that it is time to muster every resource we can to move towards a more sustainable economy. The level of denial of this reality (we're up to our ears in it) has been profound for two decades.
Here in Central Texas we're currently building an extensive toll road system. Now we should pay a little attention to another nifty idea: improved public transportation! That, with car pooling and telecommuting will obviate much of the need to dedicate so much of our national wealth and human energy to the commute.
Robert White, Round Rock, Texas, USA
'Time to pay the band'
It is now time to pay the band. For too long we Americans have resisted the calls from other countries and environmentalists to decrease our use of and dependence on fossil fuel and here we are - still tied to this rock and drowning. Between the war in Iraq and the consquences of Katrina in the Gulf Coast, you would think we would get the message. People here overseas have been paying $8 per gallon for gas and we drive small cars. Get the picture?
It is time for Americans to support alternative energy with a passion - it is the new technology to go with a new future.
Coco Marchand, Heemstede, The Netherlands
'Is your journey really necessary?'
Gas prices are moving up in the UK too after Hurricane Katrina. I use a fuel-efficient motorcycle for most trips, but even this is becoming expensive now. We need to ask ourselves the question posed by the British government to its citizens during fuel-starved World War II: "Is your journey really necessary?"
Alistair Budd, Bristol, England
The neighborly thing to do
We thought we couldn't afford $3.50 per gallon. To meet this emergency, my neighbors and I have teamed up. We are working a "co-op" shopping service and find that we're only traveling one-fifth as much. We've also shared shopping "secrets" and in many cases are spending more than 50% less for groceries! We carpool to work. Maybe $3.50 a gallon gas is a blessing, because despite that silly high cost we are spending less than we did years ago!
Rick Allen, Krebs, Okla., USA
Tough for seniors
Rising energy prices are especially hard on seniors with fixed incomes. I think the government should spend more on alternative fuel sources such as coal or ethanol. We need independence from foreign suppliers. Redirect money from the space program and the Iraq war, and let's get our priorities straight.
Vincent Gibbons, Morehead, Ken.
Put gas prices in perspective
The American Auto Association (AAA) puts the gas price problem in perspective, proving that fuel is the cheapest part of one's vacation. Food, amusement, and lodging are still more expensive. However, day-to-day driving is becoming a serious problem, particularly for lower-income Americans who must drive long distances to work. Europe may have higher gas prices, but few workers there drive the 30, 40, or more miles to work that many of their US counterparts do daily. On the plus side, higher gas prices seem to be pushing all of us toward conservation, which will help the environment and cut back on global warming.
William Deane, New York
The ultimate fuel efficiency: no car
My husband retired recently, and we chose to leave the suburbs – an acre of grass, and a lifestyle that depended on two cars – to live in a city where we could walk to satisfy most of our needs. We have always purchased cars based on fuel efficiency, and now we are trying to live an even more fuel-efficient lifestyle.
Elaine Meyrial, Providence, R.I.
More weekends at home
I am divorced, but do not make enough money to support $3.00 gas prices. I can see I will be spending more weekends at home rather than filling my tank and seeing relatives. I will have to cut back in other areas also such as shopping in malls and possibly giving up my cable TV. I certainly won't be visiting distant malls. Walmart and Target will do just fine and they are just around the corner.I will be making major changes in my spending. This however as one of the comments below states, will put a crimp in the US economy. I can just see the retailers this Christmas, cringing at the low sales.
A. Kinkade, Chicago, Illinois
Paying more for gas will wake people up
As reported in the Monitor last week, Europeans routinely pay the equivalent of $6-$7 a gallon, and as such they use much less gasoline and drive much more fuel-efficient vehicles. We, as a society, need to move in this direction: cheap gasoline may have fueled rapid economic growth, but it has also helped foster environmental degradation, obesity, and the fragmenting of our communities into suburbs and exburbs. Our petroleum-dependent society is unsustainable, and if it takes high gas prices for people to wake up, then so be it.
Daniel Oliver, Boulder, Colorado
Alternatives to consider in regard to personal transportation
Personally, I safely commute and run many of my errands using a motorbike. I have luggage cases to carry briefcase and several items, and a back seat for a passenger (wife or daughter, etc.). I'm not referring to the big $20,000 Harley Davidsons or the like, but instead, practical, economical, yet capable performing 50-70mpg, motorcycles (Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, etc.) from which there are many to choose. In conservational-minded economies around the world who can less afford expensive fuel, this is not a novel approach or personal sacrifice; it's an accepted and humble way of life.
John Beck, Salt Lake City, Utah
Surfing for cheap gas and rethinking new cars
We drive a lot less, consolidate trips, and have given up the third car we let the kids drive. We check for the best local gas prices via the web before we tank up. I started looking for a new car in March, when gas was about $2 per gallon. At the time I was considering the new 'muscle cars' from US automakers. Now I'm looking at efficient vehicles from Japanese carmakers and wondering if even 22 to 32 MPG is "good enough."
James A. Stubbart, Marietta, Ga.
What's $3 a gallon gas compared with $30 a gallon coffee?
I traded in my SUV for a hybrid-electric vehicle early last year. I went from 16 MPG to 45 MPG. I only had an occaisional use for its "SUV qualities," and now that gas prices have been so high, I am extremely happy with my decision. One funny thing is that people who complain about gas prices don't complain about the $30 a gallon cappuccinos that they drink every day. I challenge people to think differently about their lifestyles and about making mature decisions rather than self-centered ones. I know some people need trucks for their jobs, but I question the need if you only drive it to the office everyday.
Jason Capriotti, Glendale, Wis.
Tax gas, spend on alternative energy
I have trouble feeling sorry for American SUV owners or those who buy their cars as an extension of their ego. We should have an additional $.75 to $1.25 tax on gas purchases. I think we need to look at alternative fuels, and to begin developing technologies that do not encourage gas consumption. We need to look at developing and planning communities where car ownership and the consuption of fuel is reduced in the name of cleaner, greener, and more communal communities. I also pray for the day when car ownership is not as much a necessity as it is an excess.
John Cecil Price, Bensalem, Penn.
Too proud to carpool?
Unfortunatly it seems like people in my area aren't too interested in carpooling, etc. Our public bus system runs so infrequently and is so hard to navigate that hardly anyone can use it. I would have to leave at 3:00 a.m. to arrive at my office by 8:00! People also seem too proud to carpool, but I'm hoping that these price increases will change that. I have always driven a small, fuel efficient car and it gives me a little satisfaction to see people in Hummers and Suburbans having to pay big at the pump. I hope that this will curtail some of America's horrible habit of wastefulness and inspire people to live a little more simply.
Ellen, Raleigh, N.C.
Media feeds the panic
I'm disappointed in the people who are taking advantage of a tragic event to price-gouge, especially gas stations. I hope the offending gas stations will be fined for illegal practices. A leading morning television program didn’t help by announcing gas lines and possible shortages, causing people to panic. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy as people rushed to top-off vehicles and fill up all the containers they could find, causing some stations to run out before their normal delivery was scheduled to arrive.
Kathleen Norman, Asheville, N.C.
Frustrated
I wish the media would give us a better in-depth report on exactly why gas prices are so high. Many assumptions are made, but no hard evidence is produced about the prices that were skyrocketing long before Katrina. I am wondering why all major American news organizations are taking such a hands-off approach to this enormously important issue. How do record industry profits play into this? So many questions and no one looking into the answers. I am frustrated.
L. Melstrom, Cadillac, Mich.
Already impacted
Gas prices have already impacted us! We are in the process of moving closer to my wife's workplace to avoid a 90-mile round-trip commute, we sold a gas-guzzling van that got 14 mpg, trading for a mid-size car (21 mpg). We're walking our children to school and I'm biking more miles than I'm driving per week.
Jay David Schuck, Cleveland, Ohio
A sliding scale for gas?
I think we should consider a sliding scale for gas prices. People using fuel for primary household or business purposes should pay less, as should those who choose to drive vehicles with good fuel economy. Fuel for "gas guzzlers" and non-essential vehicles, such as riding lawnmowers, snowmobiles, and ATVs, should cost more - a lot more.
Whitney D. Smith, Twin Falls, Idaho
'Gas prices have doubled, but my income certainly hasn't'
I am going to ask my employer if there is any possibility they would allow me to telecommute a few days a week. I live 45 minutes from work, and we're already really tight on money. There is no mass transit option for us out here, and there never has been. I have a carpool rider and my husband rides with me, but even that won't be enough.
We'll be buying generics of everything, burning a lot more wood this winter, the Christmas fund will go to living expenses instead of gifts, and I am going to have stop pursuing my hobby -- showing dogs on weekends, which involves quite a bit of driving. This all sounds drastic, but think -- fuel prices have doubled over the past couple of years but my income certainly hasn't!Amy M., Des Moines, Iowa
Don't blame Louisiana or Mississippi
I Live in Oak Harbor, Wash., but my husband and I are both from Slidell, La. and and still consider it home (both of our families live there). When I went to work today my boss made a comment about how she was mad that gas prices might go up to $5.00 a gallon because of "my state" (Louisiana). Due to the fact that I want to keep my job, I could not say what I wanted to say to her, but it made me realize how many heartless people are out there. Yes gas prices will affect how much driving I will do in the future and how much more I will be using my bike, but I most certainly do not blame Louisiana or Mississippi for the rise in price. I pray that everybody back there is safe and doing well.
Lauren Everly, Oak Harbor, Wash.
What about truckers?
Someone suggested cutting the gas tax for farmers. How about cutting the fuel tax for truckers too, since that is how most products are transported in this country. Ultimately, the consumer pays for everything, since the price of everything increases right along with the price of fuel.
Elaine Irving, Binghamton, N.Y.
Government should freeze gas prices
Gasoline prices have more than doubled from this time last year. Does this have an impact on our lives? You bet it does!
Last August it cost us $20 to fill the tank of our Honda CR-V. This August it cost us $44. This is an unconscionable profit for an oil and gas industry that is benefiting from unprecedented profit margins in the last two years.
It's a political matter, as well. The administration has been unapologetic of its bias to Big Oil. The right thing for the Bush Administration to do is freeze gasoline prices for at least the duration of the Gulf Coast refinery crisis.
Michael Patrick, West Palm Beach, Fla.
Abandon the 'hamster wheel' lifestyle
High gas prices are actually going to help me get off the stupid hamster wheel of the car lifestyle. I have three cars and five motorcycles. I don't even know how much I spend every year on vehicle payments, insurance, maintenance, and fueling, but it's a lot. Now when I see a news story about $3.00 gasoline, an ad for a giant truck or a $45,000 sports car doesn't interest me. No way I am going to continue to play the car game. I will drive what I own until it drops and then move to a place where I can walk to the store and the library when I retire.
David Stead, Seattle
Put gas prices in perspective
I'm a teenager without a steady job, so I can relate to those who wish the gas prices would be less than $3 a gallon. But let's re-evaluate this: we're so concerned about our gas prices while someone else is crying because their husband, wife, child, or other family member is gone, lost to the hurricane. Why is the US so selfish? Is all we can think about the price of gas? Let's put ourselves in someone else's shoes for a couple of minutes and see how much we complain about gas prices then.
Katie, St. Louis
Biodiesel no longer seems expensive
Three dollars a gallon is just the tip of the iceberg. Gas will probably crack $5 per gallon before the end of the year. It's going to get much worse before it gets any better. But there are alternatives. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil and can be used in any diesel vehicle. The going rate for is is $2.80-$3.20 per gallon. It used to be the "expensive but green" alternative. Now it's competitive with conventional diesel.
Brent Eubanks, Sebastopol, Calif.
Price increases for everything
I only live a mile from my office, so it looks like I'll be biking to work a few times a week. But, I cannot avoid the increasing prices of nearly everything as manufacturers pass along their skyrocketing transportation costs. That translates into less discretionary income for entertainment, travel, etc.
Tony Boatman, Boise
Telecommute or use mass transit
I believe more people who have the possibility of working from home are going to start doing that in larger numbers. Even if they live a short distance from work, people are going to shun using their cars for everything but essentials. Americans may also start clamoring for more mass transit options from local, state and federal officials as a way of combating higher energy prices and becoming less dependent on their cars.
Norman Iannarelli, Norwalk, Conn.
'Glad I bought a bike'
I'm glad I bought a bike in July. I think I will be using it more than I planned. No reason to contribute to the record profits of the oil companies.
Debbie, Santa Fe, NM
Reduce gas tax for farmers
My personal belief about how the government can assist is to reduce the amount of tax on gas that farmers and other workers in other essential sectors pay. If that does not happen, a great deal of our infrastructure will collapse.
Craig Zimmer, Raleigh
'I really don't see how I can make farther cuts without help'
I already don't drive long distances (I take the train). I try to "bundle" trips into the village to shop and run errands, and I telecommute three days a week. My 10-year old car still gets 25 miles per gallon. I really don't see how I can make further cuts without help. I'd love to buy a Prius, but they're expensive. So is getting solar panels installed. My prayers and donations will go to the displaced people of the Gulf Coast, but I think Mr. Farha (below) has a point – this might be the tipping point for our worsening dependence on a nonrenewable resource that requires centralized processing.
Annelies Kamran, Brookhaven, NY
Embrace solar power
Mother nature provides the Earth with ample free energy and now is the time to embrace the application of solar power. We've run our Maine home on solar energy for the last 10 years - harvesting the sun's energy for electricity, domestic hot water, and heat. The technology works. We need to embrace it as part of a national policy that sees the end of cheap oil, not as a future possibility, but as a crude and present reality.
William Lord, Cape Porpoise, Maine
Just what this country needs
In my opinion, this is exactly what our country needs. While higher energy prices certainly put a strain on our economy, it is unfortunately what will be needed to finally push our country off its politically and environmentally damaging petroleum dependency. This is a blessing in disguise, and hopefully these prices will linger, forcing much needed change.
Ryan Farha, Baltimore
Stop driving SUVs
Stop driving SUVs people! If we didn't use so much gas they would make less money. I work on a family farm and the gas prices are making it so hard for the small buisness to survive. We should be looking into alternative fuels and taking the money and power from the oil giants.
Breanna Strebin, Troutdale, Oregon
I can't afford $3 per gallon
I am recently unemployed and I cannot afford $3 per gallon, let alone $2 per gallon, for gas. I'm a single parent with three children to raise, a mortgage, a vehicle note .... I may have to give it all up and apply for government assistance.
Brenda Lenkowski, Iowa, La.
People more important than gas prices
The care for all of the 'displaced people' is far more important than the price of gasoline. I do not believe that any offical who would have tried to project a plan to cover this size of a problem could have gotten anyone to listen to them, much less help them make a plan. I pray for all of them and all of the people who are left waiting.
Georgine, La Mirada, Calif.
I'll have to 'cut back on a lot of things'
This will most definitely have an impact on me seeing as how I am on a fixed income, and will likely have to cut back on a lot of things in order to have the gas I'll need for my pickup truck.
Richard Roulier, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Ways to drive less
Higher gas prices will influence the frequency of driving. Unfortunately, I need to drive to school, church, and to visit family. Perhaps I will rely more on telephone calls for family contacts and will consolidate stops for shopping, going to school, and accomplishing other tasks.
Ingrid Williams, Mendham, N.J.