30%

[digitaldiscipline]

Thirty percent.

That's how much a gallon of unleaded has gone up in the last year in my neighborhood.

How do I know? Because I'm one of those guys who tracks every penny he puts into his car on a spreadsheet, and I filled up today.

Second fillup in the new car (10 May 03): $1.28 9/10 per gallon of 87 octane unleaded
Twenty-fourth fillup (today, 19 Apr 04): $1.65 9/10 per gallon

Same gas station. Same gasoline.

Last time I paid less than a buck forty five was December 9th ($1.32). . . five weeks later (1/12/04), it was $1.50. Last August and September also saw a price spike at the pumps to the $1.55 neighborhood.

The only other time I paid as much for gas as I did today was 2/16/04 - and that was for 93 octane premium.

Dubya, if your war's about oil, I expect you to make your deal with the Saudis to try and save your ass come November pretty soon, because right now, even pulling Osama out of your ass [and it's widely suspected on pretty good evidence that you've got him holed up and are just using him like an attempted political trump card] isn't going to swing enough votes your way to keep you around for four more years of this bullshit.

I bet none of y'all have seen your salaries go up 30%. Or the unemployment rate drop 30%.

I didn't think so.

Let's have a 30% reduction in politics as usual, a 30% reduction in piss-poor policy, or 30% more attention paid to the wrongs at home rather than 30% more gusto overseas.

30% - what the average American pays in taxes, and how much more we're paying at the pump.

Let's see 30% more truth and freedom.

Comments

[emulsional.livejournal.com]

i've averaged 27mpg since i bought the car - blame the fuckers in the H2s and Escalades for their profligate overconsumption.

Trust me, I do blame them most of all. And I think I gave you props for having only filled up 24 times in just over a year... if not, yay!

[etcet.livejournal.com]

i drive minimally [i have a short commute [6.5 miles per day round trip], hence the whole notion of doing it by bicycle]. if i swapped jobs with K, i'd be a once-every-ten-days fillup type [35 or so miles a day].

7700 miles in a year, with 2500 of that accounted for in three road trips.