A Gas Conundrum

Here's how it goes....

The price of gas went way up, so people stopped driving as much. Even as the gas prices tanked (sorry, couldn't avoid it) we didn't go back to our previous habits.

That's good. Many were worried that the price drop would send us back out on the roads and reverse the hopeful trend that we will learn better oil-use habits.

But it turns out that this is bad- for taxes. As we have driven less there are fewer gallons of gas sold. That means fewer tax dollars are collected.

So they want to raise gas taxes or there won't be enough money available to fix roads and bridges.

Which will raise the price of gas again. Which, according to the law of supply and demand or something or other, will mean that we will drive less.

Which is good. Except that tax receipts will decrease.....

You got the message. Which, as many understand it, will in reality be a very good thing for the long term decline in our oil needs. Maybe, finally, we will once and for all cut our gas usage and perhaps push Detroit to have better fuel efficiency. It may be painful in the transition, but our grandchildren may thank us.