So, a gallon of gas is roughly 1/8 of an hours pay for a construction worker. In the mid seventies, that was about what it was. Prior to that, I paid about 1/16 of an hour's pay for a gallon. The point is, inflation has hit hard in the last fifty years and the rate is exponential. Went to town last week and spent 90 dollars to fill up the pickup. 270 bucks worth of groceries didn't fill the shopping cart. Outrageous though it may be, the truth is, I'm in a situation where it's no real hardship. We still put money in savings and don't go without too much. We live somewhat frugally, compared to many, but we always have.
Let's face it, anyone who has four acres of lawn and a diesel powered mower to cut it with doesn't need a lot of sympathy if he spends twenty bucks on diesel to do the job!
The sad thing is, there is very little in the way of real value behind all these dollars. When some guy spends an hour pushing some papers around on his desk, produces absolutely nothing, then is rewarded with enough money to buy twenty five gallons of a tangible product, a product which can accomplish real work, there is something a little out of whack.
When fuel prices are high, I do my part to bring them down by traveling less and buying less fuel. If people won't pay the price, it will come down. Or, we can follow Joe's lead and simply borrow money to spend in any frivolous way we choose. GD
