Thursday, May 22, 2008

Gas price

It was a tough week for me! Well, I think the main reason is hormonal. Also, everyone seems to be off in my place of work. I've been covering territories that is someone else's. This is very hard because of the price of gas. It is now $3.65 per gallon. I will not be surprised if it will hit $4 and beyond this summer. It is painful in my line of work which is home health. We go about 50 miles radius from the hospital. I normally goes to east side of Des Moines and other eastern towns. I have a Nissan Sentra which gives me about 32 miles per gallon. Mercy reimburses us 50.5 cents per gallon. However, with the wear and tear in my car plus the seemingly-constant-upward-climb of gas prices, it has been tough. Added to this is we are the main transport for my father. He works night shift, out-of-town, in Ankeny which is another suburb of Des Moines, for Wal-Mart. Bus system is not really good. I have no choice but to reluctantly ask him to buy a tank of gas monthly to ease my pain.

Not too long ago, gas price was not an issue here in the United States. I remember, in Summer of 1999, I was driving 60 miles one way to work but it was not a big deal because it was 79 cents per gallon. Jason said that it was strange and uncommonly low price for gas. Maybe, it was lower here in Iowa because of ethanol. People were into SUV's. All my Filipino friends were driving SUV's. When you buy car, they were more on luxury and safety features. Now, it is the mileage.

Oh how times change! I feel nostalgic to the old good days of cheap oil. It will not come back. It is simply an issue of supply vs demand. With China and India's economies growing in this high rate, there are more demand for fuel and the supply never grows. Oil is non-renewable.

In reality, it is bittersweet. I know that high prices in the gas pump make it difficult for a lot of people. There is a domino effect. High fuel price equals high food prices. Then, consumers confidence drops which means many businesses will not make it. However, there is a silver lining. We are forced to conserve energy. We become more aware of the immediate need for renewable source of energy! Also, crude oil is dirty! It causes global warming which will be more devastating to all. I am optimistic that in not-too-distant future, we will be free from the tyranny of oil.

P.S. I am sorry for this rant. It is just hitting me hard in my pocketbook. I fill up my tank about 2 to 3x per week. It's about $100 dollars or more.

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