The Obligatory "Gas Prices" Post

I'm not bitching.  Yes, the prices are high, but M and I have one car, and we carpool.  So nyah. 

We pass thousands of SUVs while cruising down the carpool lane, and I just have to wonder... Are these people idiots?  They know that sitting in traffic is giving them 0 mpg, and then if they do get to inch up a few, its max 20 mpg.  SUV and Ginormous Truck owners are also the first to bitch about how much they spend on gas a week.  Wanna know how many times we gassed up last week?  Once!!!  Once Bitches!  You may kiss my feet now. 

These people are also usually middle aged, or at least baby boomer.  They believe that it is their inherent right to be able to purchase affordable (nay, cheap) gas at any hour of the day, any day of the week.  No.  Its not.  I wasnt allowed to fuggin watch TV past 10pm without having to take a nap, therefore you should understand the principle behind not always getting what you believe you deserve.  My parents are a beautiful exception.  Perhaps its because expensive gas prices aren't a surprise to them.  Gas in Europe was so expensive that the US Gov't actually subsidized its purchase.  This was waaay Pre-9/11. 

They own a hybrid and a gas guzzler.  Dad, who doesnt work near home, takes the hybrid to do his job, and Mom, who works nearby, gets the gas guzzler.  If'n they ever take a long distance trip, 9 times out of 10 they take the hybrid.  They acknowledge that the rising gas prices are, for the most part, subjective... and they are doing their part.

M's mom called yesterday bitching about gas prices.  M reminded her that she drives an SUV.  She believes that she needs it in case the entire world encounters a giant snow storm, the likes of which have never been seen, and she decides, at that precise moment, that she could really go for some bananas.  Mm... as a matter of fact, a banana sounds pretty damn good right now.

The whole thing reminds me of a "fauxmercial" that I kept hearing in the 3rd iteration of Grand Theft Auto... "I'm a single guy who lives in the city, so of course, I need a car that can drive through arctic tunda!"  It sums things up perfectly.