Gas Going Down Big Whoop

Whoa have you seen that gas prices have been coming down in the last month. Well when you consider that the average price is still at $3.69 across the country is this really a price for us to get happy about. Don’t you think it’s a sad situation when you pay over $3.50 for a gallon of gas and you are now grateful for that price.

It was only a year ago that the price of gas was on average a full dollar below what we are paying now. Lets go further back than just a year ago. As you will not have to go very far, just 3 years ago back before the summer of 2005 was the first time we even saw a gas price average of $2.00 a gallon. Up until then if you look at the gas price historical data that is readily available on the net you will see average gas prices that were always under the $2.00 dollar mark.

Why then have prices started to come down all of a sudden when in the last 3 years we have seen nothing but up up and away prices. Is it the fact that the US government is threatening to drill for their own oil off their own lands? Now I will grant you that the mere spoken word of the US drilling off its own shores has been a little incentive for the prices to come down. But let’s be serious how long do you think it will genuinely take a law granting off shore drilling to pass through the ultimate red tape mine field called the US government.  Lets not hold our breath on this one having an immediate result.

People are cutting back on travel expenses for all aspects thanks to the gas prices. People are staying closer to home during the holidays. Evidence of that was obvious at the July 4th holiday that recently passed. As travel numbers were down for that holiday from the year past by 1.3% that was a direct response from the gas prices that is hurting the travel industry big time. There are however recent reports from AAA that they expect another drop in travel for the upcoming labor day holiday although they do expect these numbers to be a little higher than July 4th. Another sign of what a big influence the gas prices have on the travel industry as more people seem to be willing to travel a little farther than 50 miles from their homes this labor day holiday thanks to the recent drop in gas prices.

Of course this is all madness all this money going to different countries for a product that we do not need and most people if given the choice would not use. I would gladly choose an alternate fuel source if it was made readily available and affordable. I do get the feeling that we are at a major crossroads in history where we are about to make a change that in our life time we will see the end of gas price wars and be free of oil all together. There are of course many new movements gathering to go green on a global scale. Do a search there are plenty of ideas out there. Here’s hoping we can all agree on one at a national level and run with it, I miss my travel time!

Watch for yourself the history of gas prices for the last 50+ years!