Gasunami

I heard a news report recently about the rising cost of gasoline that surprised me.

The reporter said, "if gasoline prices hover around $3.00/gallon this summer, it will add about $50.00 to the cost of your vacation."

Just fifty bucks? How far does he think people drive on vacation, 50 miles?! That didn't sound nearly high enough. Surely the cost increase will be in triple-digits. Rising gas prices are the equivalent of an economic tsunami!!

I decided to figure it out for myself.

First, I calculated gasoline expenses for $2.00/gallon gas, to/from a vacation destination 500 miles from home, in a vehicle averaging 20 mpg. (1,000 miles @ 20 mpg = 50 gallons @ $2.00/gallon = $100)

Then, I made the same calculations using $3.00/gallon gas. ( 50 gallons @ $3.00/gallon = $150)

Fifty bucks more.

Fifty dollars is certainly more than chump change, but I don't think it's a vacation-canceling amount. Some folks may simply decide to shorten their stay by one day to compensate for the cost of gas.

Maybe that's why hotels/motels decided to raise rates by 6% this year.

Regardless, I'm mad as hell that this country has failed to develop a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

There are viable alternatives.

Brazil has proven that.