CJ: Pinched at the pump

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RV RIP
The motor home is for sale. The 10 and 12 year old truck and Chevy Suburban are paid for and a new car payment would be higher than any gas bill so keep them in good condition and not buy new. Combine errands and raised my own prices for pick-up and delivery of articles for my business. Hate grocery shopping anyway so just do that even less. No vacation planned this year as we usually use RV. Live out in what use to be country until everyone started moving out but it is still better than more crowded in town living so we will keep the 10.5 acres of woods and try to shut out the loud and road rage world. We are old and have pinched pennies all our lives. We will just pinch a little more.
--Carol Mathews, Rock Spring, Ga.

Saving every way possible
These high gas prices have all but ruined my chance to go back to college, I'm a single mom who receives no child support so all the money I make goes toward bills and 3 teenagers, they have jobs and help, but it's still tough. You can get a shopping card at Wal-Mart that knocks of 3 cents, so gas is now $2.05 (after the 3 cents off). I drive a Jeep Cherokee and it drinks gas like a wino drinks wine! lol. I agree with the person who wrote about people increasing the population, while I understand that many people already have 2-4 children, I have 3 as I stated before, but that was long before this crises developed. The people in this country need to step back and look at the big picture, large families are a thing of the past, and once our resources have been depleted, there's no turning back. We all need to take stock in what's happening to our beloved country, take care of it!
--Lana Fincher, Leitchfield, Ky.

Long commute makes for careful planning
Last summer I bought my elderly mother's house out in the country and moved in to take care of her - seemed like a good idea financially until, shortly thereafter, gas prices skyrocketed. It's a 76 mile round-trip to work each day and even though my little econo-box cranks out 34 mpg (or more since I now drive less aggressively) my commuting expenses are strangling me. I carefully plan any shopping and errands for after work while I'm still in town and my car is often not used at all on the weekends. I used to buy fuel at whatever station was most convenient but now plan my fill-ups for evenings when I have a class because there's a Costco on the way. There is no public transportation available, my schedule pretty well prohibits carpooling and it's much too far to ride a bicycle. Also, my job is paying my employer's line-haul freight bills so I know that the truckers are being slammed. The public can expect to see higher and higher prices on food, clothing, just about everything.
--Joyce P., Rogue River, Ore.

Looking to the future
As a computer consultant, I work from home over the net. Most of my fuel expense is for pleasure or errands. I drive a super luxurious Chrysler Town and Country Van (long wheelbase) and it gets a respectable 16-17 mpg in the city and a great 24-26 mpg on the highway. The van provides me with great amenities and comfort -- although I realize it is not a "green" vehicle. However, I only drive about 1,500 miles per year now and fuel cost is not a factor.

However, I do believe that my next vehicle will be a 40-plus mpg vehicle or I will not acquire it. The planet is running out of resources and people cannot (or will not) slow their breeding habits. Eventually, oil will cease to exist. I could take the low road and say "Hell, I am so old it doesn't matter -- let the next generation cope with an oil-less world". But that is not my nature. I believe that our government MUST provide incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles and include trucks in the present CAFE laws. I know that science can easily develop a fuel source from hydrogen (or whatever)which is unlimited and available at low cost, but there is no financial incentive to do so.

As an avowed conservative Republican, I am disappointed in the party in that they are the promulgators of SUVs -- the greatest sap of the world's energy resources ever marketed. I do not care what the "young" people want. There comes a time when the planet and the economy of the world's communities must take precedence. If that requires laws to forbid gas-guzzling vehicles –- so be it.

All in all, I lived through a time when all thought the "gas would never run out". We all know that is no longer true and it is time to take steps to enforce conservation and switches to alternative energies.
--Tom Dombrosky, Tampa, Fla.

CONTINUED

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