I stare at the news every day and I see oil prices fluctuate. Yesterday, prices dropped some but not much. Today, oil jumped back up to $52 dollars a barrel. OPEC said they were going to raise production 500,000 barrels a day during May. Oil prices are down from the $58 earlier this month but the summer driving season is starting. I’m going to a family reunion on Memorial Day weekend myself. I figure it’ll hit $2.50 a gallon that weekend. Maybe more.
I’m glad our president is a Texas oilman just like his daddy before him. I’m glad the vice-president is in the energy business too. I’m glad they’ve surrounded themselves with people like Ken Lay over the years. It gives them real insight into the way the energy business works. I’m glad that the oil companies haven’t seen fit to build a refinery in 30 years to help meet gasoline demands. We’ve got plenty of oil. We just can’t process it fast enough. But it’s in the best interests of America right? Right?!

Right. I personally commute to work from Harrodsburg to Lexington. It’s probably 45 miles or so. My tank for my mini-van holds about 20 gallons. So that’s about $40 a week for me now. My wife does the same thing but sometimes works different schedules than I do so probably another $20 to $30 a week. So, now I’m looking at around $60-$70 a week in gas. That’s not counting visiting family in Hardinsburg or in Raceland for birthdays and such

Hmmmm… we’re looking at around $300 a month in gas. Maybe more. I figure there a lot of families in a similar predicament around the country. They work to feed their family. They buy clothes, take vacations, and maybe go to the movies. Pretty standard middle class fair I guess. Except that since fuel costs have doubled in the last few years, we’ve got to cut things out. I always wanted a new Ford Explorer but I can’t afford the gas in one now. Did I mention SUV sales were down nationwide? That doesn’t hurt Kentucky too much except we make those Explorers in Louisville don’t we.

The thing is when fuel goes up EVERYTHING goes up: your gallon of milk at the store, your new shoes for church, everything. Your cost of living goes up acacross the board. So not only do you have cut out some of the fun things, you have to start thinking if you get take your vacation. Do you go play golf or any other activities? Schools having rising bussing costs. Cities and towns have higher costs for fuel for police and fire. Lexington has problems paying their public safety people now.

The middle class in this country and in Kentucky is suffering under the republican leadership. Ever since the current administration has gotten into office, our country has gone through Hell. We’ve gone through 9/11, invading Iraq, a recession, and now gas prices go through the roof. It’s as if they’re eliminating our ability to do things for ourselves. They make us either too scared to leave our homes or too poor to afford it and Governor Fletcher is just an extension of this very thought process that’s bring doom to the working men and women of our wonderful state. Jobs are great. I just hope they pay enough to allow people to live here.

I am relieved our national leaders know about the energy business though. We’d be thoroughly screwed with if they didn’t.

posted by Stithmeister @ 8:53 PM
 
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