That’s just bat shit insane on the part of the motorists. Don’t get a more fuel efficient car or cut down on driving, don’t just suck it up and realize that we still have cheap gas compared to Europe. No no, instead spend hours driving to Mexico and waiting in line for somewhat cheaper gas.
I’m sure that if they actually figured out the time spent in getting each tankful, it wouldn’t make economic sense at all.
Going to Mexico seems foolish, but we are getting screwed on fuel. Say that they have it worse in Europe if you like, but that does not excuse the 300% increase in fuel costs over the last few years. Meanwhile, oil companies have record profits.
Ken — in parts of Chihuahua, around Ciudad Juarez, it’s worse than Sarajevo. Poke around the news sites
and you’ll see the horrible details. There’s a massive drug war going on in Juarez, with an out-of-town mob
pushing into the city, and murders are happening at an incredible rate.
I have very serious doubts it is worse than war-torn Sarajevo.
How gas prices are compared to Europe is immaterial–it’s the increase in gas prices compared to little to no increase in wages. We are paying MORE with the SAME amount. THAT is the problem.
NCallahan, it’s called faking it to make it. If we ACT like it’s the apocalypse already, sooner or later we’ll all be living in the Thunderdome. AND IT WILL BE AWESOME.
“It’s worth taking the risk even with the violence,” said a retired California engineer named Terry, who declined to give his surname, as he filled his red Ford pick-up truck in Tijuana, over the border from San Diego. “I know they could kill me or kidnap me, but the cost of filling my tank in the United States is just too much,” he said.
Well if you’re stupid enough to make that argument, I guess your life probably isn’t worth the $1.40-a-gallon-minus-fuel-wasted-driving-to-Mexican-gas-station-and-back.
And of course, there’s no way this loser and his friends could possibly, uh, use less gas or something?
I stood in line at my local gas station (I live in Canada, which imports all of its fuel from Alberta and therefore shouldn’t be paying the equivalent of $5.25 per litre but is nonetheless) and listened to the guy with the V-8 pickup with the empty bed, 4-inch diameter exhaust pipe and a car seat squeezed in next to his wife, bitch about how much gas cost.
Under his arm he clutched three 1.5-litre bottles of water.
“Yeah,” I said “At this rate gas’ll soon be more expensive than Dasani, eh?”
I don’t think he got it, but I was too politic to say “Hey, goof. If you’re going to pay $1.85 a bottle for stuff you can get free out of the tap, don’t come to me with your consumer issues.”
My dark cynical mind imagines a world in which this reconciles southern Americans with illicit immigration, as American motorists going to Mexico to save on gas figure out that they might as well use the remaining spare room in their cars to run an hybrid car pool/coyote service for clandestine immigrants.
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"By MightyGodKing, we mean sexiest blog in western civilization." -- Jenn
June 21st, 2008 la 4:45 am
The center cannot hold.
June 21st, 2008 la 10:44 am
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.
June 21st, 2008 la 11:51 am
“Rampant drug violence”… look, I know it’s bad, but it’s not like it’s friggin’ Sarajevo over there.
June 21st, 2008 la 12:23 pm
How close are these people to the border?
June 21st, 2008 la 1:23 pm
That’s just bat shit insane on the part of the motorists. Don’t get a more fuel efficient car or cut down on driving, don’t just suck it up and realize that we still have cheap gas compared to Europe. No no, instead spend hours driving to Mexico and waiting in line for somewhat cheaper gas.
I’m sure that if they actually figured out the time spent in getting each tankful, it wouldn’t make economic sense at all.
June 21st, 2008 la 1:48 pm
The only problem with Mexican gasoline is it gives American-made cars the squirts.
June 21st, 2008 la 2:08 pm
The only problem with Mexican gasoline is it gives American-made cars the squirts.
“American-made” cars? You mean like my Honda (which was manufactured less than 30 miles away from my home in Columbus, OH)?
Or do you mean like my dad’s Chevy - that was put together in a factory in northern Mexico? From parts imported from China.
I’m not even sure I know what an “American made” means with regards to cars anymore.
June 21st, 2008 la 2:35 pm
Leave it to the Americans to act like a situation is apocalyptic before it really is.
June 21st, 2008 la 3:06 pm
Of course we still have cheap gas compared to Europe - but that’s not because of oil prices, that’s because of taxes, isn’t it?
June 21st, 2008 la 4:07 pm
Going to Mexico seems foolish, but we are getting screwed on fuel. Say that they have it worse in Europe if you like, but that does not excuse the 300% increase in fuel costs over the last few years. Meanwhile, oil companies have record profits.
Something needs to be done.
June 21st, 2008 la 4:47 pm
Yeah, like a viable alternative to oil.
June 21st, 2008 la 5:28 pm
Ken — in parts of Chihuahua, around Ciudad Juarez, it’s worse than Sarajevo. Poke around the news sites
and you’ll see the horrible details. There’s a massive drug war going on in Juarez, with an out-of-town mob
pushing into the city, and murders are happening at an incredible rate.
June 21st, 2008 la 6:38 pm
I have very serious doubts it is worse than war-torn Sarajevo.
How gas prices are compared to Europe is immaterial–it’s the increase in gas prices compared to little to no increase in wages. We are paying MORE with the SAME amount. THAT is the problem.
June 21st, 2008 la 6:40 pm
I realize I may not be clear here: I’m referring to Sarajevo circa the Bosnian War.
June 22nd, 2008 la 11:59 am
NCallahan, it’s called faking it to make it. If we ACT like it’s the apocalypse already, sooner or later we’ll all be living in the Thunderdome. AND IT WILL BE AWESOME.
June 23rd, 2008 la 5:59 pm
“It’s worth taking the risk even with the violence,” said a retired California engineer named Terry, who declined to give his surname, as he filled his red Ford pick-up truck in Tijuana, over the border from San Diego. “I know they could kill me or kidnap me, but the cost of filling my tank in the United States is just too much,” he said.
Well if you’re stupid enough to make that argument, I guess your life probably isn’t worth the $1.40-a-gallon-minus-fuel-wasted-driving-to-Mexican-gas-station-and-back.
And of course, there’s no way this loser and his friends could possibly, uh, use less gas or something?
I stood in line at my local gas station (I live in Canada, which imports all of its fuel from Alberta and therefore shouldn’t be paying the equivalent of $5.25 per litre but is nonetheless) and listened to the guy with the V-8 pickup with the empty bed, 4-inch diameter exhaust pipe and a car seat squeezed in next to his wife, bitch about how much gas cost.
Under his arm he clutched three 1.5-litre bottles of water.
“Yeah,” I said “At this rate gas’ll soon be more expensive than Dasani, eh?”
I don’t think he got it, but I was too politic to say “Hey, goof. If you’re going to pay $1.85 a bottle for stuff you can get free out of the tap, don’t come to me with your consumer issues.”
June 24th, 2008 la 3:41 pm
My dark cynical mind imagines a world in which this reconciles southern Americans with illicit immigration, as American motorists going to Mexico to save on gas figure out that they might as well use the remaining spare room in their cars to run an hybrid car pool/coyote service for clandestine immigrants.