Sadly I must say that I have come to a point in my life where I am truly financially unstable. I have a great deal of expenses… rent, utilities, child care. However, the main culprit causing my family so much stress over past few months has been something we call… GAS! As I stand in the aisles of the grocery store I ponder the question… groceries or gas? hmmm? To compromise I’ll throw in a couple nights of ramen noodles or Chef Boyardee a week but, I know my children’s eating habits are suffering in the process. It’s truly sad; however, I am honestly stretched beyond belief and all I can think is when will it stop?
I read an article called, “Gas Prices Soar, Posing a Threat to Family Budget”. The article reports that the price of oil has quadrupled in six years. A Harvard economist, Kenneth S. Rogoff states that, “the effect of high oil prices today could be the difference between having a recession and not having a recession”. Some of the reasons why rising oil prices failed to put a dent in global economic growth before were: In the U.S. consumers had access to easy credit and rising prosperity. Those in developing countries had access to government subsidies to help them through. The article reports that due to the increasing demand producers are struggling to catch up. They are unable to replace the oil they pump out fast enough due to restrictions on field access and rising costs.
In another article I recently read "House Democrats urge regulators to investigate gas prices”. House speaker Nancy Pelosi and six other member of the House leadership moved to urge the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the oil and gas markets for price manipulation and other fraud. A group of senators also urged President Bush to halt billions of dollars in sophisticated arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf producers unless they agree to pump more petroleum. I must point out though that there was a study requested by President Bush last year. The report issued by the FTC last August found no evidence of market manipulation by oil and gas companies.
All I know is that gas prices right now are hurting people all over the country. It is sad day when someone must choose between a good nutritious meal or filling up their tank.
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This link is pretty cool. Just enter the type of fuel you are looking for and the general area you are looking into and voila.. You'll then be able to find where the cheapest gas is located.
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It's pretty ironic that after pondering on the thought of what is more important; gas or food; that I would stumble upon Chanel's blog titled "Gas or Groceries". I'd like to start off by saying that I am so anti-vehicle that commenting on this blog may make me sound like a hypocrite. If I could I would ride my bike everyday and everywhere but because of commitments and pressures to abide by time restrictions I'm forced to pollute the earth with gas fumes.
I drive a 2005 Honda Civic SI hatchback that I consider a gas saver. Well with the steady rise of gas prices this is no longer the case. Less than two years ago I had a weekly budget plan that enabled me to spend no more than twenty bucks for gas per week. Fast forward to present times. About 2 weeks ago I'm pumping gas and as usual my mind started to drift slowly into a daydream. My soul was no longer trapped in the form of a human. In this daydream I envisioned myself gliding effortlessly through the sky hovering the Caribbean Ocean towards what appeared to be an icy mountain top embedded into the clouds. All of a sudden I hear a "click", total buzz kill. I looked over at the gas pump and my heart stopped. The grand total was $36.66, the most I've ever spent on gas. I immediately began to think, so this is where the cost of living raise I received last month is going. The very poison that is used to pollute our society (money) will inevitably lead to the destruction of our planet (pollution). Every minute spent breaking our backs at our daily grinds won't necessarily lead to a better way of living. With the rising cost of gas prices organic eating and living will remain out of reach for the majority of us. Forcing our generation as well as younger generation to digest chemically altered nutrition increasing the probability of diseases and health risks. Maybe this is more of a moral issue than it is a money issue. Or we could think outside of the box and assume that this is all an attempt by our government at controlling the population.
The one part that really stands out in Chanel's blog is when she described herself standing in the aisle of a grocery store pondering on whether or not "Gas or Groceries" are more important. The thought of a mother having to compromise on her children's welfare saddens me. Is this what it's coming to? Our Patriotic Government is terrorizing us and using Iraq as its alibi. As Outkast quoted in one of their songs, "the world is staged and everyone has to play their parts. Clearly elimination of the inhabitants of the earth isn't a "part" worth partaking in.
http://chanelspoliticalmindset.blogspot.com/
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