I've Been Inspired!

Thanks to Beth, one of Ed's good online friends whom I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago, my inspirational black hole has dissipated. Thanks, Beth! I was definitely hurting for ideas!

Beth's question - how insane are gas prices around Phoenix? - set me to thinking (a major accomplishment given my laziness last week).

Our gas prices are definitely ridiculously high (averaging right around $2.35-$2.37 a gallon in metro-Phoenix, I think), but I'm not sure that's really such a bad thing.

Now, don't get me wrong. I whine along with everyone else (probably more than most) about having to pay more than $25 to fill my tank every week since it used to cost less than $20. I'm pretty bad about driving out of my way (burning more gas and increasing my costs to refill) if I think I can pay 2 cents a gallon less by doing so, but really, that's just reflecting the years of conditioning by a father who used drive out of his way to pay $0.37 a gallon instead of $0.39. I also admit that the prices have annoyed me since they've made it more difficult for me to justify buying the new (not particularly fuel efficient) car of my dreams.

In reality, though, I think gas prices are actually probably too low still. Call me crazy, but if we're consuming a non-renewable natural resource at a record pace, the sources of which tend to be countries that hate us, prices should be pretty darn high. At some point, prices could actually get to a level that they would discourage use. With all the monster SUV's on the road, that couldn't be a bad thing.

I think Bill Maher said it best on Real Time Friday night:

How come we have cars with global positioning systems, satellite radio and voice-activated web access, and we still power them with the black goop you have to suck out of the ground?

He went on to say that prices of $2 a gallon probably make people choke on their $4 lattes.

That's probably true, but let's not get crazy. I'm willing to reduce my gasoline consumption but I'm not too thrilled about giving up my Starbucks.

Comments

[EnviroBoi]

Gas prices *are* still too low. I have a vague recollection from some of my environmental courses a few years back that, if gas were priced appropriately, it should be about $5/gallon. Still cheaper than a mochachocofrappalottechino from Starbucks though.

I remember driving around in college (early 90s) looking for gas under $1/gallon [and a bottle of Boone's Farm for under $1.10, but that's another story].