Gas is cheap again, but keep conserving

How quickly we forget!

Just five months ago, America was pulling its collective hair out because gasoline hit $4 per gallon and more. It was enough of a shock that people actually began to think about techniques to maximize miles per gallon.

But the price of gasoline began to decline. People became lax in their efforts to conserve, to the point that folks have now gone back to their previous wasteful habits.

I drive an old VW Beetle. It was getting about 26 mpg last spring. As the price of gas began to inch up, I took corrective actions. I put new points and plugs in it. I tuned it up. I cut back the number of trips I made by consolidating chores. I began to drive 55 mph on the freeway. I was very conscious of jack-rabbit starts and my braking techniques. All of this resulted in a gas savings of four to five mpg.

We could stick our finger in the Middle East’s eye by returning immediately to consumption consciousness.

Timothy Earl Osburn
Parkville

Comments

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

Pelosi needs to have her private jet taken away.

[Engineer]

Oh come on Tim. I want to see a VW beetle make a "Jack-rabbit" start.

[mianotkia]

at least once or twice a month RC.....

[solomon]

Don't leave it up to Timmy, tell Jo mama yourself.

[mianotkia]

Tell you what Timmy, tell Pelosi, Reed, and Jomama to let us get our own oil and you won/t have to continue to risk life and limb in your cab over roller skate.

[Marctnts]

The price of oil had almost nothing to do with the actual demand curve (the PERCEPTION of demand, maybe...) Demand rose less than 2%, and oil prices more than doubled. Consumption dropped by a little less than this, and prices fell to levels lower than when this latest see-saw began.

It was speculation and a weak dollar. While it's good for Tim to conserve where he can, his lack of conservation didn't begin the latest roller-coaster ride, and his savings didn't end it.