So after packing and cleaning for about 7 hours today, I am ready for the drive home... In my friend's dad's Mercedes Benz... Let's pray that I drive safely, huh? :X It's a little nerve-racking, but I'm sure I'll be fine. There shouldn't be much traffic, and I like driving anyway. Also, my parents didn't have to come pick me up with all my stuff, which avoids a hassle and saves money.
Speaking of saving money, I've gotten two text messages in the last few days about a gas strike tomorrow. It claims that the government will lose 60 billion dollars if we don't buy gas... Really, people? Where's the logic in this? People will fill up their tanks the day before or after to prepare or compensate for a day without filling their tanks, which means the oil industry will be getting their money either way...
A more logical thing to do would be to propose riding bikes, walking, or using public transportation, and my guess is that most people are NOT willing to do so, especially now in the summer heat. And for the record, it's not even "Uncle Sam" that is making money off of gas prices, it's the oil companies. (However, it can be argued that some big wigs in our government are heavily involved in the oil industry, namely our Commander-in-Chief.)
But my point is, if you want to do something intelligent, do so intelligently.
What I'm Reading
The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
3 comments:
I agree with you that the proposed gas strike is a fallacy, a better idea is to create a price war between the companies by targeting some companies and buy gas from them only and not from others.
Michelle Hernandez: the lone voice of reason in our society. You should have a television show.
Jorge, the price war is impossible. Gas & oil companies actually have very low margins on the gasonline they sell. The reason the companies are making so much money is the sheer volume of gasoline that they are selling. Michelle is right; the only way to lower gas prices is to decrease consumption of gasoline (a way to do that would be to INCREASE the tax on gasoline). As a side note, the US's influence on gas prices will continue to decline as developing countries continue to expand at the blazing pace that they are now.
Addendum: You can't have a price war when capacity is severely limited. The way price can be lowered continually would be if the companies had excess capacity (the more gasoline out there the lower the price). The companies' production is very much constrained; therefore; they have no incentives to lower their prices- only to produce more.
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