By Kevin M
$55.12. That’s what I just paid to fill the tank of my Nissan Maxima—a mid-sized car. I generally view $50 fill-ups as the tipping point on gas prices. You can buy dinner for four at a moderately priced restaurant for that kind of money. That’s the kind of money that makes noticeable dents in a budget. And it’s ongoing; you’ll pay it every time you fill up.
Most of us seem to get seriously concerned only when gas prices set a new record. When prices pull back—even a little—we settle back into the comfort zone we call “normal”. Right now, with gas prices hovering in the $3.50 to $4.00 range—we seem to be right about on the border of the “serious concern zone”. We’re watchful, but not overly concerned.
Despite all of the rosy predictions of energy independence in the nearly 40 years since the 1973 OPEC Oil Embargo, we’re more tied to oil from unstable sources than at any time in history. The current rumblings in the Middle East and the gas price spikes they’re causing make our inability to deal with our energy problems on a collective basis painfully obvious.
That means we’re on our own folks!
