Do Solutions to the High Gas Prices Exist?

It doesn't seem all that long ago, that gasoline prices were under $2.00 a gallon. In most areas of the midwestern United States, the price at the pump is now about $4.09 a gallon. And that's just for 87 octane gas. Mid-grade and premium grade fuels cost an average of nine cents and eighteen cents per gallon more respectively. For those few brave souls left who are operating a full service gas station where the driver remains in the car while the service station attendant pumps the gas, the price is likely to be around $4.49 a gallon. It's even more difficult to remember the days when a gallon of gas cost around .39 or .49 a gallon and two or three service station attendants would come out and check the air pressure in your tires, clean off a windshield full of bugs, and even pop the hood to check the oil and brake fluid. Even more difficult to find these days are service stations who still employ someone who can fix mechanical problems with your car or even fix a flat tire.

Just to have a little fun, let's look at how the landscape has changed in 2008. You pull into the average gas station today, and it's likely to be a convenience store that's more interested in selling lottery tickets, beer and cigarettes, than it is in selling you a tankful of gas. Because the price of gas now tops $4.00 a gallon, your choice at the pump is to either pull out a debit or credit card and get pre-authorized to pump your gas, or to make the trek inside if you're paying cash, and wait behind a group of people ahead of you who are buying lottery tickets, food items, or just making small talk with the convenience store clerk. Completely gone is the remotest notion that someone should actually assist you with the task of pumping gas. Even more enjoyable is the lingering fragrance of gasoline on your hands after pumping the liquid gold that usually necessitates a trip to the bathroom to wash your hands.