Kiss my Gas

Remember a year and a half ago when gas was a little over 2 dollars a gallon? We were all worried about the prices rising and whether America could afford to pay more for a resource they rely so heavily upon. Well, the prices did rise and I know personally I paid as much as 4.30 for a gallon of gas this past summer. We saw some cutting back on driving and car sales, but there were still plenty of cars on the highways and roads around the country. We managed.

If you go to your local gas dispensary today, you will notice something odd, yet wonderful. Gas prices have returned to close to where they were 2 years ago! I filled my entire tank yesterday for less than 35 dollars, and I was pumping premium! We have seen the price of a gallon of gas get cut in half over a course of 3 months. Granted, it seems like the entire world's economy is tanking faster than Sarah Palin taking her SATs, but is that the only reason why we are getting this monetary reprieve?


Why was gas 4 dollars a gallon in the first place? I don't think we are consuming significantly more or less gas than we did at any time in the past 3 years, and I am pretty sure there is still an ocean of black goo under all those pumps in the Middle East, Canada and South America. So what gives? Why would something so indispensable to American life be able to have it's price fluctuate and differ so much from year to year? How can the gas that does the same thing for everyone that it did for the past 100 years sell for much more than inflation would dictate, then revert back to prices more in the norm on a whim?

I will grant that I am not an economist or a trader, but I'm pretty sure I have a good idea as to why the gas prices have seen such dramatic changes. It's a common trait among any businessman: greed. Gas sold for what it did this past summer because people will pay for it, no matter what. Gas is so essential to our daily routines that, if economic conditions were not as dire as they are right now, a gallon would still be 4 dollars and could keep on rising. There has to be some moderation just so it is not blatantly obvious that the men behind it all are ripping the consumer off, but they really had a hold on their own future. They can charge whatever they want and reap in the profits. I can't even comment on the 'gas futures' market because my eyeballs would explode from anger. Plus, these oil companies are bringing in record profits, yet the prices continue to rise! It just pisses me off that it takes a global economic crisis in order to bring these gas prices back to normal. Those ass napkins in the middle east (among others) are just raking in cash while they tamper with a resource that is crucial to daily operation. Sure, you may say that if this gas is so valuable, then why not charge as much as you want for it? If you are a capitalist, good point. You should have a right to make money on your product. But this product is used world wide. This product runs everything from transportation to heating. This is a commodity, a part of the globe's functionality. It should be protected from shit like this.

In the end, I can understand how it happened and even why it happened. Greedy oil bastards realized they could be making much more money. Good for them. Exxon makes 10 billion in profits, those retarded wipe-my-ass-with-money fools in Dubai build fake islands, indoor ski slopes, ridiculous theme parks and mile high skyscrapers with all this oil money, and nothings in 'future trading' make money PREDICTING that these people will make money. All I can say is a giant "Fuck You" to all of them. There was no need for that spike in price. Gas is $2 right now. It was $2 3 years ago. I understand increasing with inflation, but doubling price in a year? Ridiculous. You shouldn't be able to mess with gas. It is too imperative to the functionality of our society. Sure, the gas spike was great for the 'green movement', but let's get real; that's not going to change anything for a while. I want my $2 gas now, and I want it kept that way.

History!

Last night was a great night. Either way the election went, history was to be made. But the results of last evening marked a huge step in American history and has, in my opinion, solidified our country as a nation unified in our diversity. The underlying implications of this momentous event are still yet to be seen, and in reality, I don't think much will change, but it is fantastic to see an African-American as the leader of this great country.

That being said, it's time to pick apart a few things now that the campaign trails have ended. Despite the multitude of negative ads, I was pleased to see that neither side involved the families in the debate. The wives and children were left to their own devices, as they should be. Even the Palin daugther's pregnancy was slipped under the rug while the focus was put on the candidates. Good show.

Secondly, even though the majority of the population voted for a black president; light was still shone upon the less tolerant of places throughout the nation and reminded us that despite our advances and betterment of our society and culture in the past 100 years, there are still plenty of ill-informed, bigoted and intolerant people residing in the United States. It blew my mind to see how many people still thought Barack Hussein Obama was an Arab, a Muslim, or a terrorist; often giving the reason "just look at his name". I suppose there will always be people like this amongst us and there will consistently be a camera nearby to exploit and highlight this ridiculousness. Last night, at McCain's gracious conceding speech, members of the audience actually booed at the mention of McCain continuing to work with Obama and Biden in the future. These people booed at the sound of the new President's name. Hopefully the excuse is that the meth has kept reality from sinking in and they haven't realized the election is finally over. I don't have a problem with the booing per se, but rather the fact that they interrupted the final speech of their dear candidate with booing of the newly elected President. No respect...

But people are people, and this was a highly emotionally charged election. No one was more aware of this than the media as a whole. They capitalized on this by having 8-person 'panels' with various wing-nut sides taken and a whole lotta jibba-jabba in between actual poll numbers. I understand this was a big deal, but was a 2-minute ultra close shot of Jesse Jackson crying really necessary? Let the man enjoy the day without exploiting his face on the TV (though, I did detect a little bit of hamming on the Reverend's part, with a few looks right into the camera). Also, every major news station had some sort of fancy expensive graphic to go along with their coverage. None was more egregious than CNN's holograms of reporters in the studio. Are holograms really that appealing? I know this election was a turning point in history, a great look into the future of the country, but do we really need holograms to make us listen to cable news? Give me a map with colored states and I'm fine. Take the money from the hologram and buy out Joe the Plumber so he never appears in a media mention ever again.

What will be in the media now is how the Democrats handle things from here on. There was an obvious overturn for the Dems, and while having democratic control of Congress and the White House may sound great for all those blue staters out there, it opens them up to great criticism. We are in the middle of a war, an economic crisis and expanding energy concerns. If the Democrats fail at handling these issues responsibly, we very well may see a complete Republican overhaul come 2012.

But that's the future; I'd rather soak in the present. What I am most pleased about right now is that it is all over. No more ads on TV, radio and billboards. No more robocalls or unexpected knocks on the door. No more muckraking and needless arguments. People will still argue of course, but now the lines are clear. The people have spoken and have chosen the new leader for the next 4 years. I think we made the right choice. Unfortunately, he's got quite a large hole to help us get out of, but I believe he can do it. History has been made!