Gas Crunch My Ass

During a random fire drill here at the FPB this morning, Scott made an interesting point regarding the recent oh so "shocking" high price of gasoline. He pointed out that it is finally beginning to reach an equilibrium with the price of milk. Someone pointed out that a gallon of milk runs about $3.50, give or take a few pennies, while gas is apparently ranging in low $3.30's these days.

Now there's something to think about; a domestic, even possibly local product that is considered a staple in everyday life (milk and bread are what people buy when the snow storms hit aren't they? oh and I guess TP as well), costs and has cost for so long that much more then a gallon gasoline. Gas includes all these extra costs such as oil mining, drilling and extraction, followed by refining and a big (read: expensive) cruise across the ocean before reaching the tanker trucks that (burning diesel fuel mind you, which according to the Union of Concerned Scientists via GrinningPlanet.com despite it's better overall fuel economy still takes 25% more oil to produce then gasoline), lug it across the country to the gas stations that sell it to consumers. Oh yeah, don't forget the overhead costs at stations and government gas taxes.

But, milk still costs more then gas, and we're up in arms about the high price of gas... Gas isn't even exactly a renewable resource, at least with milk there will always be more (well until the population of humans finally destroys the earth and everything on it. Cows? There's no room for cows! We need space for more strip malls and highways!) We're draining the world of oil faster and faster each year with hardly even a blink of an eye as to the decreasing real supply. And I'm not even going to start on the pollution/global warming front either.

I guess I'll leave you with this little tid bit of joy. At least we know that all this whining and crying about high gas prices is having it's effect and consumer demand is finally kicking in to start curtailing America's obsession with irreverent over consumption...

What's that you say about digging one's own grave?

I'll be here in the corner rooting for something more around the $10 range personally; maybe, (though likely not) that would get people to stop and think.