----- Original Message -----
From: "Bruce Collins" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2003 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] OT: [HP3000-L] Gas Price Whining


> If you convert $2 / gallon into units that the rest of the civilized world
> can relate to you get something like 53 cents / liter, which would be
> considered a bargain.
>

Bruce,

From one of those who remember such oddities....

I remember that many in Washington (D.C. not the State of) were stunned back
in 1991 when Ross Perot made his first bid for the presidency and had as one
foundation of his campaign the need to balance the national budget and pay
off the national debt.  His very lucid argument was that the debt heavy
federal budget was killing any chance of addressing the long term problems
Washington should be trying to solve.  He proposed an increase of as much as
50 cents per gallon of gasoline, to be implemented and possibly earmarked
towards paying off the national debt.

The surprise on the part of most Washington insiders was in how well the
idea was received.  When presented with the reason for this tax increase,
the possibility that it would be directed for that purpose, and *the
relative low cost of our gasoline versus all other major industrialized
nations*, the American people went along with it.

We've known for some time that our gasoline is artificially cheap.  We just
don't have a real reason to change it.  We are a country dependent on
automobiles (not necessarily SUVs and H2's), because our public
transportation systems are (for the most part) horrible, mismanaged, under
funded, overpriced, failing infrastructures.  And besides, the car makers,
fuel refiners, gas stations, service stations, local/state/federal
Departments of Transportation, road side hotels/motels, food chains,
etc...would all lose out if we started moving away from the automobile as
our main mode of transportation.  That's allot of money fighting against any
real change.

The American mentality of travel is: Take a train across the state?  You've
got to be kidding!  I'll drive, or if it's too far to drive, I'll take a
plane and rent a car when I get there!  So, instead, we expect our really
cheap gas to remain really cheap.  The fact that our gas costs 25% of what
it would cost in other countries means nothing to us.  The fact that the
prices went up 15%, 20% or more in a matter of weeks *does* mean something
to us.

Living in the SF Bay area, I'm lucky to have pretty good public transit and
I do use it.  Going into San Francisco proper, I ride BART (light rail) into
the city and transfer to the MUNI system (underground, and above ground
electric trains, and cable cars) once in town.  I drive into the city
sometimes as well; but parking in SF is a nightmare, and generally, anyplace
you would want to go is pretty easy to get to using BART and MUNI.  You just
have to keep in mind that a BART ride, a transfer to MUNI, and then walking
to wherever you're going will take you 1.25 to 1.5 hours, and you may be
able to drive there in 30 minutes.  *IF* you find parking close to your
destination, the public transit route would take an hour longer than if you
drove, but it's just part of the scheduling decisions.  I have literally,
gotten to the area where I was going 15 minutes before I was expected, and
then spent 30 minutes looking for parking, and thereby ended up arriving
late.

I usually drive to work, but that's because I have reverse commutes and
don't have to deal with traffic.  Anyway, I filled my gas tank yesterday and
paid $2.21 per gallon for regular unleaded.  Gas at the same station three
weeks ago was $1.79 per gallon.  In three weeks, the price went up $.42, or
23.4%.

My own mental ramblings,
Rs~

Russ Smith
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