Gas is Cheaper

I’m sure you noticed.  I did, when my biweekly fill-up was only $28.  Also, Mom informed me that Dad found gas in Central VA for $1.99, after she got it for $2.04.  This was exciting because one of my Dad’s favorite things is procuring cheap gas- once he remapped my route to high school so I’d hit the $.99 station.

According to Reuter’s, we’re still not driving as much as we were last year, even though gas (and oil) has dropped by 50% since July.  Woot!  Perhaps we have finally begun restructuring our lives around more sustainable methods of transportation!

Or not.  The article points out that the economy is so bad right now that even with gas at $2, instead of the $5 or $7 that seemed possible this summer, lots of people still can’t justify as much gas as they’re used to in their budgets.  The reduction may make some able to take holiday trips, so we’ll likely see a normal spike in driving in the next couple of months, but the overall decrease in driving might be here to stay.

I’m torn between being happy about this and cranky at the underlying causes.  I’m not one who thinks the ends justify the means- so let’s focus on trying to see less driving as a thin silver lining?

This Is Getting Sick

At St. Ann’s Parish in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, the Rev. Edward McDonagh has decided to institute a drawing for a $50 gasoline card at weekly mass.

The drawings are symbolic gestures and not intended to boost attendance, he said.

“When Jesus was at the wedding feast of Cana, the groom ran out of wine, he produced the wine for them,” he said. “In that spirit, we feel that this might be comparable.”

From a Reuter’s article on what people are doing for free gas.  Not that this quote is the most morally awkward part of the article, but in terms of WWJD, that’s a bleak answer.