Drivers run out of gas to save money

[BlackS40]

Sometimes, people are just pathetic!!

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/25/life.gas.reut/index.html

[quadzilla]

If you can't afford the gas you can't afford to drive.

Hand in your keys and get on the bus. 

[mrthompson]

The potential damage to the fuel pump etc. would cost much more than a gallon of gas!  Les incompetents...

[ovr50]

The stupidity of some ppl never ceases to amaze me..........

[random006]

The article refers to a California experience.  The question is how soon will that spread to the other 49 states and then across the border?


The most interesting part to me is contained in this quote:

Moshe Ben Dayan, whose TipTopTow company performs a similar service in Los Angeles' affluent west side, said some people were taking advantage of the freeway service patrol.

"There was one guy a while back who was stopping every morning and trying to get his one free gallon," said Dayan. "I think it is going to be more drastic when the price of gas is closer to $4 a gallon."

Affluent people playing the poor broken down motorist.  Now that IS sick. 

[wing]

So to save $3 they sit an wait hours on a freeway?

[safristi]

...I'll BE BAACKK.....wif a gallon of GAAZ Maria....hole yooz Horses..!!!! .....



   Wotz ya mean it's $4 a Galleon.......it's ONLY 444Pfennings in bluddy AUSTRIA.......fackin' AMERIKANS....

[ovr50]

So to save $3 they sit an wait hours on a freeway?

Hey, it's Kalifornia, anything can happen, and usually does.....

[Giant Dwarf]

So to save $3 they sit an wait hours on a freeway?

What's the difference... around LA in rush-hour you do that anyway! 

[paulk]

Also unusual, apparently US pawn shops are doing enormous amounts of business these days from people pawning things to buy gas.  People are even pawning their TVs!  There are stories about this all over the US newsmedia, e.g.:
http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=4802278&nav=menu86_1
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/26/news/local/20-pawn.txt
http://www.thehometownchannel.com/news/8996495/detail.html

Sometimes you need a professor to state the blindingly obvious: 
"The problem is that gas prices are expected to remain high and people eventually run out of things to pawn, said Doug Young, a professor of economics at Montana State University in Bozeman."

My guess is the higher prices hit them proportionately harder because they're driving larger vehicles (costs $120 USD even at just $3 a gallon to fill a Ford Excursion) and because they're more extended with credit.

[ovr50]

The media loves to print stuff like that - "human interest/suffering" stories. I would guess it's the lowest economic stata that is driving that is doing stuff like pawning their TVs (which they probably don't own anyway, the finance co does). The poor have been with us always and always will be. 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

http://www.marubeni.co.jp/research/eindex/0407/index.html

The US is about to reap the whirlwind of excessive personal and government debt.

[safristi]

Hey   I'm below the average..... ...I have ONLY $ 3,ooo BILLION IN DEBT.....whoopee...time ta light up a
 Churchill and have a snifter of Napoleon.......

[johngenx]

Why have wages been so stagnant?  GDP growth has been incredible.  Where is the money?  Check the cash poistion of many companies and you'll find corporate treasuries bursting with money.  So much for "trickle down" by reducing corporate taxes.  Did they increase wages?  Nope.  Invest?  Nope.  It just sits there, waiting to be paid out as CEO bonuses.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Why have wages been so stagnant?  GDP growth has been incredible.  Where is the money?  Check the cash poistion of many companies and you'll find corporate treasuries bursting with money.  So much for "trickle down" by reducing corporate taxes.  Did they increase wages?  Nope.  Invest?  Nope.  It just sits there, waiting to be paid out as CEO bonuses.

Real disposable income has been declining for median families. All of the increase in income has gone to the top 2%. Everyone else is loosing ground.

[initial_D]

How far will a gallon of gas get you?  Don't understand the logic of some people. The pawn shops are doing good? Well, the products being pawned could be obtained in illegal activities.No?  Geez. Americans! 

[skypoint]

Out of curiosity, how do those economic figures compare to Canada? It's always interesting to compare the social welfare state versus the hard capitalistic one.

Anyway... it should be interesting to see how the US economy (and society) shakes out in the end.

PS: I wonder what would happen if petrol prices in California reached British levels? (today: US $6.50 per gallon, or Canadian $1.93 per litre)

[safristi]

Hmmm funny all those bursting Coffers(EVIL PROFITS) were taxed somewhere along the line Johnx so the Oil Co's make about 9cents a gallon Profit...the Gov Taxation  around 19%..then individual States like NEW York take about 46cents a gallon extra...Hmm who is getting rich here..
    Now all the US POLS are puffing themselves UP about r windfall Taxes needed ...obscene profits blah blah blah...they feed at the Gov Teat and don't have a clue about cutting a paycheck or running a SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS........how many employees does BIG OIL have 100,000'sssssss  all earning nice $$$ and paying $$$$ TAXES...how simplistic OF YOU...hope yer not entering ECONOMICS 101  AGAIN!!! feryer Post_GRAD WORK.....

[paulk]

Hmmm funny all those bursting Coffers(EVIL PROFITS) were taxed somewhere along the line Johnx so the Oil Co's make about 9cents a gallon Profit...the Gov Taxation  around 19%..then individual States like NEW York take about 46cents a gallon extra...Hmm who is getting rich here..

Someone posted this link earlier in another thread:
http://www.taxpayer.com/pdf/ProvincialGasTaxes2002.pdf
It has an interesting breakdown by province of the price of gas.  In BC, 46% of the price of gas is various kinds of taxes.  That's more than the actual cost of the crude, which only makes up 38% of the price of gas.

[dorin]

I don't see the problem with paying high taxes on gas.  Driving has high social costs and gas taxes are one way to pay for them.  Really, that's the purpose of taxes...