The Gasoline Revolution
You think it’s bad where you live? I paid $4.40 a gallon at the gas station yesterday – that’s after cost comparison on regular gasoline throughout the island of Maui. I can’t complain, however, our neighbors on Lana’i Island are paying over $5.00 a gallon.
The cost of gasoline has hit this state like a ton of bricks, especially after rising fuel costs have caused two airlines that flew to the Hawaiian Islands to close shop. It may seem like small potatoes, but to a state that is completely dependent upon tourism to sustain itself, cutting two airlines is like cutting off two of our legs. Tourism is down by 24% according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin, after the closure of both ATA and Aloha Airlines, two of ten domestic airlines that fly into our islands.
Inter-island travel is restricted. Those of us who are use to paying roughly $50 to fly inter-island are now paying double. Commuters who live on one island and ferry to work on another are expecting a 40% increase on the price of their daily ticket after this month.
It doesn’t stop there. Rising gasoline costs also affects the price of our food. I was at the grocery store the other day to buy some eggs, when a “fresh off the plane” tourist incredulously looked at me and said, “They want $7.00 for a dozen eggs?” I just smiled and said, “Wait until you buy milk.”
The far reaching consequences of this silent but deadly economic disaster are both tragic and ironic. Tragic, because many in the tourism industry have already lost their jobs, adding further economic stress to our state and members of this state, but ironic because…well, the word revolution comes to mind.
The word revolution is defined as an overthrow and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.
Let’s face it folks, our country is ran on and based upon money. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has gone by the wayside and now we see those things as by-products of money. The reason we are paying extraordinarily high costs at the gasoline pump is because gasoline has hit its hay day. According to Chevy, Ford and Honda we are only a year away from the technology to produce a completely self-sustained electronic vehicle; one that can travel maximum distances and speeds. And now the technology to make a non-gas guzzling airplane was released last year by American scientists working for Electric Motors.
It seems as though, those at the top of the gasoline chain have decided to pull in the dough while the getting is good.
And that’s the bottom line.
But, in my opinion, it is working against them. Yes, we are Americans and we love our cars. But this crisis has caused more money, more resources, and more research to go into the completely self-sustained electric vehicle. When gas was cheaper five years ago, the need to find alternative energy sources did not seem to be such a necessity, but now five years later we recognize the need to quickly produce alternative energies, and Americans are crying out for more research and innovation.
The Revolution has begun.
In the short run we are struggling in this economy because of the gasoline increase, but in the long run, these companies have done us a favor. We are thoroughly replacing our need for petroleum in this society. According to the LA Times, “Sales of hybrid cars surged 25% during the first four months of this year compared with the same period last year.”
Revolutions have never been an easy transition. In fact, they are usually marked with difficulty, especially for those who were in economic depravity. It’s every day people who are suffering at the gasoline pumps, a further burden on the dwindling middle class of America. According to Goliath.com, at best, it will be 2020 before our country has completely done away with the gas station, but the results might be radical.
Little or no cost to drive to work.
Fewer pollutants in the air.
Airline carriers that can offer affordable rates while working within the environment rather than against it.
And dog gone it…a decently priced gallon of milk.
The future may look brighter than today, but dire short term consequences in comparison to long term gasoline eradication, may be exactly what we need.
- angelawood's blog
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