Good old days of gas

Gas pumps are the new meeting places. I can remember when people simply pumped their gas and went on their merry way. But the higher prices rise, the more people seem compelled to talk about it -- especially to the person who's also going broke at a neighboring pump.

Earlier this week as I was pumping gas I heard two guys talking about the price of gas "back in the day." I might normally expect to hear statements that begin with "I remember when" from a couple of senior citizens. But these were young soldiers remembering the good old days when gas was only $2 per gallon.

Not too far away there were a couple of retirees talking about gas mileage and the price of gas. Apparently one of them had some monitor on his new vehicle that keeps a running calculation of the mileage he is getting.

As gadget-oriented as I am, I'm not sure I'm interested in a running tabulation of gas mileage. My gas receipts keep me well informed. And people I know who are driving what I consider to be some of the most economical cars on the road are spending $30-plus each time they buy gas.

A couple of years ago, I was talking to a man who went to prison in 1995. Gas was 99 cents per gallon back then. When he got out in 2005, the price was nearly $3 per gallon. Now, those were the good old days.

It still feels as though we are the subjects in some cruel experiment being conducted by the gas companies. They increase the price of gas at will, then watch as consumers make whatever adjustments they have to in order to pay.

If consumers aren't frogs being boiled alive, they are guinea pigs or lab rats. But somebody is watching and documenting the corners people cut in order to simply buy gas.

Everything else around us is going up because of the rising cost of transportation. Milk, for example, is in the middle of the mix. Will milk and gas eventually cost the same per gallon?

In the 12 months ending December 2007, the price of milk increased 19.3 percent, according to the CATO Institute. Other reported increases include cheese, 13.0 percent; bread, 10.5 percent; poultry, 6.3 percent; fruits /vegetables, 5.9 percent; alcoholic beverages, 3.8 percent; and non-alcoholic beverages, 3.5 percent.

Got gas?

I don't know what the lab master is reporting, but the one consumer who seems to be out of the game is that person who never pumped more than $5 or $10 in a car -- no matter what. We all know one of these people. Heck, some of us are related to them. But I haven't seen any of them around for quite a while.

If this doesn't end soon, some of us will be next.

An e-mail is making the rounds that could help drivers determine which gas stations are selling the cheapest gas.

Go to: http://autos.msn. com/everyday/gasstations. aspx and key in your ZIP code and learn which stations have the cheapest and highest gas prices in your area.

The information is updated every evening.