Daily Dunklin Democrat

Observations -- A new paradigm to American Life

Posted Thursday, May 8, 2008, at 3:08 PM
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I'm wondering, is the cost of fuel going to be curbing anyone's traveling plans?

I was reading about one man who said high gas prices are the reason he and his wife will not be driving to a casino at Lake Charles, La., this summer -- an annual trip they were making.

The same man said he and his wife were canceling their family's annual vacation to the Dominican Republic. The reason? High gas prices.

I've found myself driving less. Kind of looks to me like the Internet is going to become even more a part of our lives as gas prices continue to climb. Gas prices are certainly going to continue to climb unless our government changes its policy and permits drilling in Alaska. And, who knows, maybe they would continue to rise anyway.

Already, one can order movies via the Internet and have them shipped directly to his home for viewing as long as he wants and then return them for more, eliminating the drive to the local video store.

Practically everything one buys for the home can be purchased via the Internet and delivered to the home, eliminating all kinds of trips.

No doubt schools will be evaluating long trips to play ballgames.

Looks like we're entering a new paradigm to American life even more dependent upon the Internet than ever! Yes? No?

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My oh my! I had no idea my frustrations might give rise to so many interesting comments. I must say I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them ALL. Incidentally, I did hear someone say that it takes a dung beetle to know a dung beetle!

-- Posted by Jack Rollins on Thu, May 8, 2008, at 3:14 PM

Re: Jack Rollins

Touché, as one doodle bug to another.

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Thu, May 8, 2008, at 5:35 PM

The high cost of automotive fuel confronts and affects the average American's life like no other thing. They see it in stark terms every time they go to gas up the family car, it rises from one fill up to the next, it is beyond their control, they don't understand it at all, and increased angst follows.

Sadly, the personal cost of fuel will prove to be only a small component in the looming price of oil that will come to effect their standard of living beyond anything they can now comprehend.

Like it or not, there is no aspect of the American economy that is not dependant upon oil, it is literally our life's blood. Realize it or not, when one sits down to a meal, you are eating oil, the farmer depends upon petro-chemical fertilizer for peak production, fuel to till the land, harvest the crops, and deliver to market. Fuel delivers the farmer's produce to the food processor, to the wholesaler, and to the retailer at final point of sales, food is going to cost more, much, much, more.

Petroleum feedstock is required for almost all synthetic materials and chemicals, medicines, paint, plastics, synthetic rubber, clothing, etc, etc, etc. Even a casual glance around the room one now sits in, will reveal just how oil impacts so many things in our lives. The increased cost of all these things derived from oil, now lags behind the curve for that of fuel, but it is coming, it will be passed on to consumers, and when it does, it will hit like a tsunami with devastating results.

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Thu, May 8, 2008, at 7:22 PM

Well, I'm just a dung beetle, but I'll comment nonetheless. The gas prices have been high, and seem to keep rising. I have tried to make fewer trips to the grocery store, and etc., and limited my driving to only necessities. Did you know you can actually grocery shop online too? However, while the gas prices continue to rise so do the shipping costs.

-- Posted by Darth on Thu, May 8, 2008, at 9:39 PM

Not an alarmist, but being a realist, concluded that stocking up (a pessimist would say hoarding) on long term storage food stuffs would be a good investment, and we did so. Now see where the Wall Street Journal and others are saying investing in food will out perform returns from any other investments one can make.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wall+street+j...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Thu, May 8, 2008, at 10:23 PM

Jack,

The sad thing about "Joe Public" is that he has know idea about drilling in ANWR, what is there and how it is done! The pictures shown on the national news show the pristine rivers, mountains and caribou (which are about 100 miles south of the costal plain where drilling will be done). ANWR is 19 million acres in size. The costal plain where the drilling will be is 1.5 million acres with only 2000 of that being used for drilling.

Look at it this way the land mass of ANWR is slightly more that 1/2 of Missouri yet an area only 2/3s the size of Kennett would be used for drilling.

As for the caribou and the effects of drilling in the area just look at the Central Artic Caribou herd in Prudhoe Bay (North Americas largest oil field) the herd has grown over 50% in size since 1970 when scientist started studying it.

ANWR will help to bring prices at the pump down, but it will also take changes to our energy policy: Nuclear and clean coal for electrical power production. Low Sulfur Diesel is a step in the right direction, but without more refineries it is driving the price up... Way UP!

-- Posted by FarUpNorth on Fri, May 9, 2008, at 10:43 AM

The funny thing about the gas price and people is this...I hear people complain about the price a lot, which they should, but I see the same people speed all of the time. It's amazing how much someone could save on gas, if they just drove the speed limit.

-- Posted by grizz1 on Fri, May 9, 2008, at 12:25 PM

Heard something once, that going 55 miles an hour will help reduce the amount of gas you use or such? If that is true, it is interesting that people speed along at 60-70 miles an hour. Guess time is more important that gas bills.

-- Posted by Darth on Fri, May 9, 2008, at 12:36 PM

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=reduce+speed%...

-- Posted by Lived There Once on Fri, May 9, 2008, at 7:27 PM