AAA drives home the high price of today's motoring

[Deja Q]

http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Apr/04092004/utah/155526.asp

  It has never been so expensive to keep a new passenger car rolling down the roads of Utah and the rest of the nation. AAA reported Thursday that motorists operating 2004 models will end up averaging at least $8,431 this year in driving costs, or 56.2 cents per mile -- the highest level since the organization began publishing such studies in 1950.


Uh, oil. Uh, peak oil... Uh, it's not going to get better. Ever. Uh, society has a habit of murdering the messenger - as they had with Carter when he said in 1980 to prepare today (sic) what would happen in 2005.

Mainstream media can whine and cry all they want, but they directly contributed to the demise of the party that might have helped us get out of this situation. Indeed, "Crude oil, gasoline and natural gas markets are expected to remain tight," EIA administrator Guy Caruso said. "We're in a very robust, strong period of growth" which will increase gasoline demand and keep prices high.
SPIN SPIN SPIN. I know firsthand it's a big lie that the economy is in a strong period of growth; we've all seen continual reports of layoffs and closures from big name companies. Worse, gasoline demand will only increase as the supply begins to DECREASE. The media's continued use of fatuousness to dumb down the eager-to-be-duped populace boggles the mind.

I also love their brief comment on depreciation. As oil supply diminishes, depreciation will only get worse.

I dunno. If the mainstream media was (a) fair and balanced, (b) prone to killing the messenger when they speak the truth, and (c) not corporate-ruled, we might be better off.

Oh well. I'm hungry, it's off to make some vittles...

[pop goes the weasel]

1. Drive 55

I have a 90 mile round-trip commute. I have figured out, thanks to the handy gizmo on my dashboard that lets me average mileage, that I can gain 3 miles to the gallon on combined city and highway driving, 10 miles pure highway, if I drop from 68 to 55 on the highway. This means that I can delay re-fueling by one day. Of course, there are some stretches of highway I don't dare do this on, but where I can, I am doing it, and so are dozens of others I've noticed. Even one of the local gas station owners admits to doing it.

Join life in the slow lane. It is the only immediately feasible way a lot of us have to reduce fuel consumption. As for those of you near public transportation--take public transportation at least once a week. Lucky you.