Today in the San Antonio Express News, business columnist David Hendricks concluded his column with the following:
Gasoline prices won't go down anytime soon in the United States because too many Americans won't drive less. They don't like smaller cars. They disdain public transportation and continue to carelessly waste fuel.
Sure, gasoline at $3.50 a gallon hurts, but not enough to make people change.
About a year ago I made a decision about my use a gas. While a portion of that decision regarded the price of gas, most of the decision was to reduce my carbon footprint. I decided to park my 20 mpg vehicle and find a more planet friendly vehicle.
To be honest, I also looked at lower priced, high mpg, standard compacts. I decided that since I could afford I Prius, I needed to purchase a Prius, with the thought that without some sort of demand, these vehicles could go off the market or that new breeds of better hybrids (plug ins, etc.) would not be developed.
So here we are in the latter stages of the primary season and we have a policy debate about a tax holiday - a full out pander by two of remaining cadidates. Funny thing is, changing driving habits just a little bit could save more money than such fool policy. Even though I now drive a Prious and love it (mainly for being greener) I have also learned to change my driving habits. From my observations though, many here in Texas still drive their large SUVs and drive solo 90% of the time. So I open the paper this morning and see a column stating - gas prices not hurting enough. I include some of the column here :
DAVID HENDRICKS: Gas prices not hurtful enough yet
Gasoline at $3.50 a gallon hurts.
It certainly seems expensive, especially when compared to prices one, two and three years ago. But does $3.50 really damage the pocketbook?
As much as we hate to pay $50 to $100 or more for a tank, the pain is not broadly evident. Gasoline consumption is about the same, perhaps only 1 percent less than a year ago, when gasoline cost about 70 cents a gallon less.
Anyone can see that gasoline is not considered liquid gold yet. I see gasoline wasted nearly every day. Drivers sit in their parked cars for five to 10 minutes, or longer, yakking on their cell phones, the engine running.
Doesn't anyone make the connection when they later pull into gasoline stations? If they don't, it is because the cost is not hurting enough.
The president of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said earlier this week that its crude oil prices could reach $200 per barrel. OPEC's Chakib Khelil said that could happen if the U.S. dollar continues to weaken, not because of a shortage of supplies.
Such a shock, even if temporary, might be good for consumers and the economy. They might develop better habits. They could devise better driving routines and routes to stretch each tank. Their next car purchase could be guided by fuel efficiencies instead of the auto's color. According to news reports Friday, a larger number of car buyers are starting to favor smaller cars, but the number is still too low.
Americans like to think that the tight gasoline market is due to unfriendly nations with large crude oil reserves, limited U.S. refining capacity and rising gasoline demand in China and India. They should look at themselves for factors that are even bigger.
David Hendrixs, San Antonio Express News
Everyday I hear the complaints of people about their gas expense, but little do anything to help themselves. The pain is not great enough yet.