How much are you willing to pay for gas before you don't? When Jimmy Carter was sworn in as president in January 1977, the average price of a gallon of regular leaded gasoline was 60 cents. SIXTY CENTS! By November 1980, the price had doubled to $1.19. STILL, much lower by comparisons of the price of a gallon of gas today.
Four years after that, the price of a gallon of gas dropped to $1.11. That was with Ronald Reagan in the white house. It then dropped even further to 90 cents a gallon in Nov. 1988 when George H.W. Bush took office. Then our country got rid of leaded gas in 1991 which caused us to switch to unleaded gasoline. Four years after that, we saw the price of a gallon of gasoline jump up again to $1.15; By Nov. 1996 the price further increased to $1.25 per gallon.
When Bill Clinton took office. The price of gas seemed to hold for awhile. Then in Nov. 2000, gasoline prices suddenly spiked to $1.55 per gallon. Now, many do not know this, but Europeans were already paying high gas prices that far exceeded anything we Americans could even fathom. I recall, in 1993 when I was living in Germany, it was not unusual at all to pay $50 (in American currency) for a half a tank of gasoline and I drove an older model mercedes benz. Since I was on a soldier's income at that time, paying out fifty dollars for a half of tank of gasoline for my gas guzzling mercedes (which is the most popular vehicle driven in Germany by the way)!! While Americans were complaining of paying slightly over $1.15 per gallon....Germans were already paying about $4-$5 per gallon! Thank god for gas coupons that was available to us soldiers, otherwise, we'd never had afforded to drive around the beautiful country of Germany. The only reason I had to pay $50 for a half a tank of gas for my car back then was because I had forgotten to stop at the gas station on base in Frankfurt before the gas station had closed (that's the ony way soldiers could buy gasoline for far much cheaper than on the german market.) and I then had to shell out fifty american dollars at a German gas station.
The only significant exception to this rising gas prices pattern came in November 2004. The average price of gas had jumped again, to a sky-high $2.00. President Bush had won re-election. Here we are today in 2008 and we are at nearly $4 per gallon. Still far behind the Europeans by a long shot. Remember I said that the price of gas in Germany back in 1993 was already at $4-$5 per gallon! Look at how many years it took for the Americans to catch up to the gas pump pains Europeans had already been feeling. If you look at a chart of gas prices, unadjusted for inflation, going back to 1979, Americans have never seen anything quite like the great gas-price surge of the Bush presidency. The trend line is considerably less alarming if you adjust for inflation, but even then, the spike of the last seven years can be compared only to that of Jimmy Carter era. But is this just a way to blame the rising gas prices on the Bush administration or are we just complaining because for so many years, we enjoyed paying very low prices that people over seas could not enjoy?
We have to remember that we suffered from effects of 911 too! I remember that prior to 911, lumber and steel prices were very low. Then 911 happened. Suddenly, it seemed every lumber store was gouging those who wanted to purchase lumber. Wanting to fence in your yard at that time??? Prices of steel quadrupled! I remember even then the gas prices began to spike. So, while many political people want to blame each President that took office for this and that, how can we be so sure that it was their administration in office that was the problem? We have other factors that happened of which we can blame. We saw the largest gas prices begin to spike when we invaded Iraq. While I am prior military, I am against the war being waged over seas. Our billions of american dollars being spent in Iraq could do far greater service on our own land. Not to mention all of the soldiers who have died. The wars in these little third world countries have gone on since the days of Christ! And we think we're making a difference with these lunatics and fanatics? I've got news for those lunatics who are blowing themselves up thinking they will win 70 virgins in heaven because they died for jhihad! STOP BLOWING YOURSELF UP AND KILLING OTHER PEOPLE THINKING YOUR GOING TO GET TO SCREW 70 VIRGINS UPON ENTERING THE PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN! So do we think that the replubicans are finished just because there are many blaming them for the rising gas prices? I don't think so. Especially since it appears that Obama may be running against McCain. Polls have shown that democrats who support Hilary Clinton will not vote for Obama. They have said they will either vote for McCain or not vote at all. I think the tragedy would be to NOT vote at all, so its important this election that WE ALL vote...one way or another. Its clear to see that there is a split among democrats and there's alot of heated, passionate, emotions raging between supporters of Clinton and Obama. NOw, some are suggesting they get on the same ticket with Hilary being the VICE PRESIDENT...surely they jest??? How 'bout Obama as Vice President! It's about time a woman wear the pants in the white house.
Will we see oil prices continue to climb? Yes....we will. Because we are just now catching up to what has been going on in Europe for so many, many years! Will oil prices ever go down? Possibly....but not by much. I think what oil companies do is give us shell shock and then they drop the prices by a few cents and we seem to be relieved, even though we're paying over three dollars a gallon if they do drop the prices. SO the question is...how much are you willing to pay for a gallon of gas before you STOP paying for it? Will you STOP paying for it? How many people do you suppose can afford to pay $5 a gallon if they are only making $7 an hour and they also are supporting children? Are you willing to let your "toys" go just to afford to put gasoline in your ONE vehicle? The rich are not being affected by the plight of most middle class Americans and the poor are feeling the affects much more than the middle class. How far are YOU, the average American citizen, willing to go to keep putting billions of dollars in profits in the pockets of oil company bigwigs before you say enough is enough and you just stop paying for it?
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