House of Eratosthenes

Two short weeks ago I was pitching a hissy-fit that our “news” services were kind enough to tell us that boy oh boy, that gas crisis, it’s a really bad one because in some places it’s going for three dollars, regular unleaded. Where would that be? Silly you. Somewhere, that’s where! And it’s really bad, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. Just wanted to know you how bad it was, tune in at eleven.

And I was raising the question, what kind of news is this?

Now, sometimes I run off on bunny trails and sometimes I don’t. I’m looking at that one and thinking, well that’s sort of right on the line isn’t it. Because it was not my intent to challenge that gas cost three dollars a gallon, or that it was on the way up — I was questioning whether what we call “news” is a product being offered to serve “our” own interests, in this case, the interests of gas consumers. I do still have substantial questions about that…and it IS what I wrote about.

But it’s probably fair to level a charge at myself of coloring-outside-the-lines because offer Sacramento as a model for high gas prices, I did. And dispatch myself to go look at local gas prices, I did. And revise my prediction at the time, by a dime a gallon, I did. And have something to do with my original point…well, it kind of didn’t.

I bring it up now because it’s kind of interesting. They apparently like to name the towns now, and what the prices have done in the last seventeen days…hoo boy.

Take a look at this. It still doesn’t affect me worth a damn because of what I drive. But all the rest of you have a serious problem. And…you know, when this is all over, we need to revisit that original point. What does news do for us? Is it supposed to tell us what’s going on, or is it supposed to get us all huffy and puffy when it wants to, like a tail wagging the dog?

Gas Prices May Rise As Much As 40 Cents Wednesday
State Consumer Protection Urges People To Report Suspected Gauging

The cheapest unleaded was settling at $2.99 for most of the area Tuesday night. That’s a jump of 20 to 30 cents a gallon, but that may be just the first shockwave.

WISN 12 News has learned that the price gas stations pay for their gas is jumping about 40 cents Wednesday, which would make $2.99 seem like a bargain.
:
“Sometimes, I wonder if people are living under a rock because they’ll come in and yell. They’re yelling at me, and I’m like, ‘You know, we don’t set the world oil prices at Brass Ball Mobil. We don’t have a little red switch in back that says this is what it’s gonna be today,'” [gas station owner Tom] Koenecke said.

More…

I feel sorry for all of you — except the retards who yell at people like Tom Koenecke. You’re just jerks. Here’s an idea, jerks. Get an SUV that — just to shake things up a little — doesn’t have a stepladder for you to get in. Sell your kids on the idea of basic cable instead of premium so you can pony up the extra hundred bucks a month. Stop yelling at Tom.

People are spending the night in a stadium with no electricity and foul-smelling water everywhere. They’d love to bitch and yell about gas prices, if only they could care.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent

Items of Interest

Monthly Archives

What They Say

Links

Can You Feel It Yet?Tuesday, August 30th, 2005

Can You Feel It Yet?
Tuesday, August 30th, 2005