i wish there were more options for travel, such as amtrak service in eastern oregon, but nonetheless solutions are based on lifestyle. since gas costs $3.60 per gallon, i stretch for ways to not support oil companies. today, the price of oil was $105.56 per barrel. i find it sadly humorous watching gas at the pump prices increase with the price of oil, yet not seeing gas prices decrease with the price of oil. for instance, last week, when oil went under $100 per barrel, gas prices did not go down. kind of like taxes i guess, the price can only go up not down. i know the companies say it takes months before that gas makes it to your car. but if you follow the prices of crude oil long enough, you will find that to be hogwash.
like my other consumer feelings recently, i do not complain about gas prices. i don’t feel consumers have a right to complain. like other products, the price is only as high as people are willing to pay. if people refused to pay $3.60 per gallon, prices would go down. if people would refuse to pay over $1 per gallon, i am sure oil companies would find a way to get it to us for $1 per gallon. i cannot fault oil companies for pushing gas to $3.60 per gallon when they are making a killing. i would charge that much if i were in the business too. for my part, i do not buy gas any more than i have to. work is a 23 minute walk from my house. i know well because i have walked every day this week. as far as going out of town, i have taken the bus the last few times or car pooled. my expenses for gasoline this month have been pleasantly low.
though transportation options are few and far between, i can manage. last weekend, i went to la grande remarkably cheap thanks to the la grande arrow. i have taken greyhound, but it is the biggest hassle and rip-off. it crosses oregon only twice per day. and while it leaves directly from downtown, it is cost prohibitive. a one way trip to la grande (45 miles) is $22. even when i drive my 12 mpg beast of a car, the gas only costs me $16. it is not like greyhound is exactly hurting for business, either. the bus is nearly full everytime. they make a killing off those runs. and when i wrote to ask if there were any frequent commuter discounts they said no. well, forget greyhound. just a short jaunt out to the rez, i can catch the shuttle to la grande, for a whopping total of $2.
two dollars?!?! are they kidding? there were five people on the shuttle. the arrow surely loses money. most likely it is subsidised by tax money. in other words, the people who don’t mind paying $3.60 per gallon for gas, also don’t seem to mind paying more money via taxes so that i don’t have to pay for gas. tax money put to good use, imagine that, a real community service.
put this into a couple more laughable perspectives... five of us got a ride to la grande for less than half of what greyhound would have charged just one of us... while waiting to take the shuttle, i drank 2 microbrews, ate 10 chicken wings, left a tip, and then paid a shuttle fair. all together i spent $6 less than a greyhound ticket to the same destination and didn't have to wait in their freezing shed.
take into account the lessons of the oil companies and greyhound and the message seems to be, the more you charge and the less you provide the more people want to buy. i, for one, would rather not support senseless endeavors. guess i am not a typical consumer. it pays to search out options for sure though. if i can get away with not buying gasoline out in the middle of nowhere, anyone else can get away with it anywhere.
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