Gas prices may soar another 20 to 30 cents a gallon in California over the next few days, approaching all-time highs — to the frustration of motorists who have already seen pump costs jump more than 40 cents in the past month.
San Francisco has the most expensive gas of any city in the continental United States, at $3.16 a gallon, and San Jose is at $3.04. Those figures are far higher than the national average of $2.52 a gallon.
And if some energy experts are right, San Jose’s single-day record high of $3.37 set last May is not far away.
The reaction at the pump: predictable.
“I am outraged,'’ said Todd Carey, a 30-year-old product support specialist at Horizon Navigation in Santa Clara. “Where do they get off raising prices so much so fast?'’
Dear Todd Carey,
Where do you get off, expecting oil to be even that cheap?
Most of that stuff is coming from people who don’t like you. In fact, they downright resent you. They’re getting real tired of subsidizing your lifestyle, which you’ve come to expect as some sort of born entitlement. This gasoline stuff has to be pulled out of the ground, stored, refined, stored again, loaded on ships and carted halfway around the world before landing in your gas tank.
Even better, those guys who hate you, they’ve been having a tough time meeting world demand over the last couple of years. Research it - look up the numbers for yourself. Demand is steadily going up and growth in world production is nearly flat. So you’re damned lucky that you’re only seeing a $.30/gal bump right now.
Just wait until it’s a three dollar bump, over the course of about a week. If we have a bad hurricane season this year, or Iraq just goes completely to hell, or we get into a war with Iran, or Saudi Arabia announces a depleting Ghawar field, or any other of a half dozen different scenarios for 2007.. if any of those happen, then you’ll see a real bump to worry about.
Don’t like gas prices, Todd? Cut back your driving.
I’m outraged at reality, too. Reality doesn’t care.
