What exciting news................................................................... but possibly not.
The 53 cent drop in gas prices in the past 2 weeks is the fastest drop in the price of gas up to date. It is predicted that gas prices will continue to drop, but at a slower rate. The average price of gas was only $2.78 a gallon on Friday, down from $3.31 on October 10. These drops were attributed to the drop in price of crude oil, due to lower demand in these bad economic times.
Though it seems like great news, I really don't think it is healthy for the economy to fluctuate as violently as it is now. Gas prices skyrocketed and plummeted within just a year, and just look at how the stock market is doing. I have no idea how it is to be done, but we really need to get our economy more stable before it becomes so unstable that it fails. Also, these lower gas prices just symbolize the state of our economy and how poorly it is doing.
Also, from an environmental standpoint, lower gas prices will make people less conservative on oil, which will cause more air pollution and increase the rate that the limited fossil fuels in the world get used up. Soon enough, gas really will be worth $5, and soon after $10 a gallon. I'd much rather be safe than sorry, and have everybody pay more for gas than it's really worth. Until we can find a good alternative to gasoline powered vehicles, I don't think gas prices should be lowered to such low levels. Keep them in the middle.
I guess it's nice that gas prices dropped so much so that I won't empty my entire wallet on gas (although it was more annoying to pay my last $5 for parking yesterday), but if prices stay low, it's effects in maybe just 10 years sure won't be so nice. Hopefully the people in charge aren't making these decisions just because it won't harm them much in their lifetimes, as they'll be sitting around in retirement homes playing bingo. I hope the next president will put this issue decently high on his priorities.
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10 comments:
I completely agree. It is scary to see what is happening with the economy. Mervyns closing, shoe pavillion closing, gas prices, bank failures. It seems like every sector of the economy is being effected. Its frightening too see the pace of the change in the economy. And i totaly agree with what you were saying about gas prices and the environment. The price that consumers are paying at the pump is not an accurate reflection of the environmental costs. If you take into account the costs related to air pollution (lung disease, pollution clean-up, ect.) and the fact that it is a non renewable resource, then the price of gas would be several times higher! So thank you Kevin for not being happy that gas is cheap, because its important to remember that it would be best if gas was more expensive. Go you!!!
yes i agree that the fluctuation in prices is disturbing. I was walking in macys this weekend, and it seemed like almost everything was 50% off, which means people are not buying. I'm contrastingly happy about the lower gas prices, as long as they go back up in the future to a reasonable price. I think if gas prices are low for a short time the environment will not be drastically harmed.
It's funny that everyone is jumping for joy because of gas prices going down, but in comparison to the past when gas was less than two dollars the decline isn't drastic at all!
In response to kevin's statement saying that gas should be more expensive in order to save the envirionment, I think it's important to keep in mind public transportation. Public transportation has gotten extremely expensive..come on now it cost me $8 to get from belmont to Palo Alto on Caltrain, WHAT THE HELL! Public transportation should work out a deal with the government to make trips cheaper, in order to encourage the use of public transportation (which would make gas prices go down because it would be in less demand by individual people and it would be environmentally friendly!).
I agree with everyone, the fluctuation is scaring me, even though I am a little relieved that I don't have to pay as much for my gas anymore. It's actually kind of sad how much less conservative people are when gas prices drop and it's going to lead to an environmental problem as well as an economic one. People are more worried about on finding ways to lower gas prices than to find ways to ween us off of our fossil fuel dependency. One day all of the gas is going to be pretty much gone and then we're all going to be in trouble because not enough people set their sights on the future and tried to make things more economically helpful and environmentally safe.
~Kimiya Bahmanyar
This is worrying, yes gas is cheaper, but at what cost? I agree with Amiee, that gas prices really aren't reflective of the damage they cause. Let's face it, if we had people pay fees when they buy gas to cover it's affects elsewhere in health bills as more people develop asthma, or to pay to plant more trees to balance the pollution we're putting out, our entire economy would collapse. Not to mention as Nelia said, public transport costs are going up as the state tries to make more money to keep a balanced budget and are discouraging a greener living in the process. There is some light coming from the end of the tunnel, cheaper gas means cheaper transportation for goods, which means economies might to start to regain some ground. I'm extremely curious to see what happens when we finally run out of gas. I realize I most likely won't be there to see it, but it's nice to postulate about the possible solutions we can come up with. For such an intelligent race we sure have some large moments of stupidity.
Yeah, most people are just excited that the prices are dropping (I'll admit, I was overjoyed), but it's true that it goes a lot deeper than that.
I don't know if I agree that the prices are too low, and they should hit a "middle ground". The prices were RIDICULOUSLY expensive before, so maybe now we see that as the norm? Only 5 years ago, gas was less than $3. Maybe the prices right now are the "middle ground", and we're just brainwashed to think that gas should cost $4 a gallon. Something to think about.
Coming from the perspective of an environmentalist, gas prices should be astronomically expensive. It would be a tough pill to swallow, but it would quickly get us off oil and into electric cars instead of being weaned off at an agonizingly slow rate.
How to do this without hurting people's wallets? The solution would be high taxes to raise gas prices, which would then be distributed back to households based on a fancy formula considering the number of household members/distance of commute/special circumstances/etc. This way, people driving less than the average person would pay less make money, people driving average would see a zero net gain/loss, and people driving Hummers solo would bear the brunt. I would almost guarantee that people who do not drive economically or who own uneconomical cars would soon see reason to change their cars/habits. Plus, the incentive for electric cars/public transit is huge: you would receive a free check in the mail each month!
It's probably actually a good sign for the environment that prices are falling for gasoline. You would think that a lower price for gasoline would increase driving. But nobody’s going out joyriding. Instead, people are holding back. They’re all dealing with rising food costs, and anxiety over the stock market, unemployment and credit. There’s an awful lot of anxiety out there, and people are reducing expenses whenever and wherever possible. It's another tough pill to swallow but our misery over the economy makes our air easier to breathe. But, I remember, when the environment dominated as the big issue in '06 and early '07, that the reason not to switch to more energy efficient sources was that switching would cause economic problems, specifically for big business. I wonder what people think of that in our present economic downturn?
This gas drop is such a nice thing. If you think about it, oil price is what drives the economy at the moment in a way. With lower oil prices, companies can cut the cost to make things and save resources and power. This lower price is a big plus to businesses everywhere. And since winter holiday season is getting close, there will be more opportunity for people to travel. This will help some of the failing airline companies out. So the gas drop is a great thing.
today in downtown i saw gases prices as low as 2.99. i don't think i've seen them that low since...well awhile. unlike everyone it sort of scares me because i know like a pendulum, gas prices will sky rocket...sooner or later. also like everyone says, everyone will rush to the gas station trying to take advantage of the low gas prices which means... : more pollution ( what happened to going..green?) and our fossil fuels will run out even quicker!! instead..every one should buckle down and think things through. gas prices are bound to go up again and every one will be whining and complaining...sigh.
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