Badin vs. Versailles
Law Enforcement Memorial Day
American Idol 2012 finale
Happy Earth Day!
Happy Earth Day!
Today is the 38th annual celebration of the planet we call home, and a day to step back and think about things we can do to preserve and restore our natural resources…
So that’s the official line on Earth Day, but I want to know: what do YOU think about Earth Day?
Is it a time to reflect on accomplishments?
A time to call for more action?
Or something in-between?
Send a post, let us know, then go outside and do something good for the planet.
Home > Blogs > Living Green > Archives > 2008 > April > 16 > Entry
$4 diesel and a spooky scenario
The gas station I pass on the way to work listed diesel at $4.19 a gallon this morning. Unleaded - the cheap stuff - wasn’t much better, at around $3.25 or so. It’s been closer to $3.45 most of the week.
Topping off the morning’s worrisome news, I caught wind of rumors that truckers may stage another protest like the one held to some notice on April 1, parking their rigs or holding up traffic over the high cost of gas.
There’s more about the April 1 protest in an AP story here.
It seems to me this is setting up to be a no-win game.
If all the truckers stopped in unison and stayed that way, we’d all be up the creek. No one would be spared the ripples of that doomsday scenario, though, so I suspect freight companies will find some way to avoid it.
But the first solutions that come to mind bother me. There has been talk (see the AP article) about tapping oil reserves to artificially lower diesel prices. Fine and dandy, but what happens when the reserves dry up?
The more likely scenario, it seems, is that shipping rates are going to go up. That means retail prices will rise in response. That makes sense, after all; if the end consumer wants a product, it stands to reason he or she should pay for the shipping.
But list the things you can see around you that didn’t ride in a truck at some point before getting to you. From where I sit in my home office, I see nine old books and my dog. That’s it. Everything else: clothes, the snack on the table, the table itself, all came out of the freight arteries that keep the nation pumping.
This is not a case of consumers paying more to get what they want - it’s a case of people paying more for the things they need.
Any thoughts on a way out of this one? I’m very open to suggestions right now.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: environment and politics
Comments