Back in the '70's, there were rebellious legislators who blasphemously wished to provide a $0.50/gallon tax on gasoline to encourage conservation. I'm not fond of taxes, but I thought perhaps there might be some merit to a tax such as that. In my mind, it would not hurt me that much, and maybe it could emphasise, through the pocketbook, that glutteny is a sin, and that there's a lot of practically in thrift.
Yesterday, I discovered some rather nice photos from the "Sunken Garden" in San Antonio, and decided that "someday", I'd be putting them into my stream.
Today, I filled up the wife's car, and came to the realization that the fillup cost approximately five times what it cost when they were proposing that tax, and ten times what it cost when I was making regular trips between Austin and Santa Fe (NM, not the one down near Galveston).
What this means, in terms of fuel costs, is that San Antonio is my new Santa Fe! The fuel cost for a round trip to SA is what it was for a round trip to SF in the '60's, and people are still squandering gas. That fifty cent tax probably would not have helped anyway!
2 comments:
Ah, I can still remember when my dad gave me five bucks to go fill the tank and let me keep the change.
And I'm still trying to reconcile today's extraordinary prices, blamed on oil shortages, with the Chevron's $18.7 billion profit in 2007, Shell's $28 billion profit, and Exxon's profit of $39 billion in '06.
Actually, no I'm not. It's just nasty.
Thanks for your comment, Bruce! If it should turn out that this forum is just between you and me, then so be it. I like the way you think.
I once said "I'll never have to spend more than $3 for a tank of gasoline."
I recently heard someone say (yesterday morning on TV) something similar to "a strong economy attracts capital".
I had never thought that attracting capital was the purpose of an economy. I've been enlightened to the ways of the world.
I could say more about the sources of this attracted capital, but I guess I've said enough.
EXCEPT.......I once belonged to an organization who promoted "getting rid of Texas's usury laws so we can attract some out-of state capital!" (I wondered at the time if that was a good idea, being basically a consumer, playing with the big shots simply for business reasons.) They got the laws changed, and within three years, many of them were bankrupt, our banking system was being absorbed by "megabanks", and I was fortunate enough to be forced to abandon my practice, which I'd come to abhor, and luck into what turned out the be "the dream job of a lifetime".
Wow! I'll bet you never expected such an elaborate, rambling response to a simple comment about gasoline.
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