ABC isn't telling the truth about inflation

I love (not) what the MSM doesn't tell its consumers! ABC a few days ago was opining on various ways to save money to cope with inflation. They don't even mention Biden. Of course, anyone who is paying attention knows this is Biden's inflation, and we can't blame Putin as he does. He announced during the 2020 campaign that he planned to destroy the fossil fuel industry so he could cave to the goals of the Climate Change hoax pushed by the leftist of the Left in his party. Mr. Putin heard all that too and was rubbing his hands together with glee. More profit for Russia!

We all know how to save money so there's more for the gas tank. We Bruces both have extremely expensive prescriptions that warn no more than one drink a week. We used to order "house brand" Merlot when we went out on our Friday night date. So we can save $15 a week right there, just by following doctors' orders. Cha Ching. That's one tank of gas increase over last summer. Not the cost of the fill up, but the cost of the inflation. Thank you, Joe Biden, but you should accept responsibility for your failures. We have enough fuel in the U.S. to pull us out of this malaise, and to save the rest of the world from Putin's profit on the oil he can sell to buy weapons to invade Ukraine!

 
Stop being evil, Mr. Biden. Stop being a slave to the Climate Change worshipers and cult.

How to lower the price of gasoline—immediately

“Abolishing the ethanol mandate requiring ethanol to be blended with gasoline at the pump or waiving the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) would: (1) lower gasoline prices by millions of dollars; (2) result in billions of miles of free travel annually; (3) prevent millions of tons of additional carbon dioxide from being emitted into the air; and (4) improve national security and the energy picture since it is impossible for US ethanol to ever replace foreign oil imports. PolitiFact was asked to fact-check this but would not do so; therefore, it must be true.”

Read more here.

Got gas?

Gasoline prices in Columbus, Ohio for the last 6 years.

Where did the money go?

The drop in gasoline prices since summer has amounted to about $2,000 per household in spendable income. That's why a "stimulus" check isn't going to dent the recession. Now, we didn't get that much--we have two cars but don't drive a lot, but it did halve what we spent on gasoline. I think our share went to our California relatives (bunches of them--probably more than any other state). According to USAToday here's were it went:

48% for groceries

42% to savings

30% to pay down credit card debt

10% for entertainment

9% for home improvements

I think that shows the American people can make good financial choices when the government gets out of the way. Even though money that goes into savings isn't technically out there circulating by buying "stuff," it is used by banks to offer credit to businesses that do employ people. If you remember, since Congress doesn't, this was the idea behind the huge September scare--TARP. The money was to be used for banks to get the economy going. Instead, it has morphed into PARP POOP PORK. This is why we're getting the return of the Hoover-FDR economic boondoggle of federal fiddling (1929-1943), only this time it will be the Bush-Obama Boondoggle. Let's hope it doesn't last over a decade this time.

Highway fatalities down

Ohio had six; Michigan three fatalities over the Memorial Day week-end. Lowest in 38 years. I would say a higher price at the gas pump was worth saving a few lives, wouldn't you? Maybe it was yours--or mine. It was hard for us to judge the traffic since we left on Thursday and came back Monday morning. We saw almost no one on Monday, and even getting stopped for a parade in a small town, we made the best time I can remember. But also we got 24 mpg, about 2 more than usual. I was listening to John Corby (610 a.m.) on Tuesday and one of his callers, a driver of a Volvo, said he got 29 mpg instead of his usual 24 by driving 65. Exceeding 60 mph hurts your car's fuel economy and makes you a more dangerous driver. EPA says each 5 mph you drive over 60 is like paying an additional $.20 per gallon.

Slow down. The money and life you save may be your own. Also, just for nostalgia, pretend it's the 70s and turn off your cell phone. That's dangerous, too.

Save gasoline, save lives

Sometimes the easiest and simplest things do the most good. If we'd go back to the 55 mph speed limit we could save so much gasoline and reduce accidents. We did it in the 70s when there was a gasoline crisis, and we could do it again. It wasn't intended to reduce accidents, but it did. Libertarians and conservatives hated it, and the speed limits were raised. Many do not want to do the most obvious, easiest safety and wealth saver. I remember how driving became so much more peaceful at 55 and there were far fewer accidents of all types--both serious and minor.

There was a horrible accident in Columbus last week-end--four teenage girls died. I think I read none was wearing a seat belt--it's the law, but it's not "cool." If we just had the guts to raise the driving age to 18, thousands of lives would be saved every year just by giving those immature brains a chance to mature.

The three high-school students — Cori Anne Lake, 16, her sister, Cristin Michelle Lake, 15, and Jessica Elizabeth Mason, 15 — died after their Chevrolet Monte Carlo collided head-on with a Dodge Intrepid Sunday afternoon on the southern Outerbelt, west of Rt. 62. Meanwhile, a passenger in the Intrepid, Tasha Conley, 19, of Columbus, died yesterday at Ohio State University Medical Center. Deputies said the Monte Carlo lost control on eastbound I-270, traveled onto the median, flipped and landed on its roof in the westbound lanes, where it was struck by the other car, which was driven by Jerry McGath, 19, of Columbus. Columbus Dispatch story

Teen drivers are lethal. You are more at risk even having a teen in the car--even one who isn't driving--especially a male. "The AAA Foundation analysis shows that from 1995 through 2004 crashes involving 15, 16, and 17-year-old drivers claimed the lives of 30,917 people nationwide, of which only 11,177 (36.2%) were the teen drivers themselves. The remaining 19,740 (63.6%) included 9,847 passengers of the teen drivers, 7,477 occupants of other vehicles operated by drivers at least 18 years of age, 2,323 non-motorists. The analysis also shows that 12,413 of these fatalities occurred in single vehicle crashes involving only the vehicle operated by the teenage driver. . . Two teens in a car increases the likelihood of a crash by 86 percent, three teens by 182 percent, according to research conducted by Johns Hopkins University.
" Teen Driving Statistics

The teen brain: "New medical research helps explain why. The part of the brain that weighs risks and controls impulsive behavior isn't fully developed until about age 25, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some state legislators and safety activists question whether 16-year-olds should be licensed to drive.

Sixteen-year-olds are far worse drivers than 17-, 18- or 19-year-olds, statistics show. Tellingly, New Jersey, which has long barred 16-year-olds from having unrestricted driver's licenses, for years has had one of the lowest teen fatality rates in the USA." USAToday

It's really not that hard to save thousands of lives, if we just had the will. Even making it against the law for a teen driver to have a teen passenger would drastically reduce fatalities. And it's not even political.

Terri and Gerry mow the lawn

Terri is a columnist for the WSJ (Fiscally Fit) and yesterday posted her "how we're dealing with the gas crisis" obligatory article. It seems that a few years back she and her husband were having regular battles about upkeep of the lawn--he enjoyed doing it but just found better things to do with his leisure time. Finally, they agreed on a lawn/edging service, but the husband continued to do the weed and seed part. Each year the service went up about $5, but this year, due to gas prices it went up $10 (apparently Terri and Gerry's incomes didn't go up during the same time period to cover increases in cost of living--or did it?). Enough of this, said Gerry, I'll do it myself, and began looking at $2500 riding mowers. Terri panicked and went online and found one for $1750. So now Gerry and their 8 year old are bonding on the mower ($11.50 for 3 gallons of gasoline to run it.)

Call me crazy, but this doesn't strike me as a sound financial idea if you factor in trips to the ER. It's not a safe way to bond with a small child; it's eating up time they could be doing something else; we all know Terri will end up mowing the lawn when the novelty wears off the new pet. Terri needs to click over to the left and check out my posts on finances. We're obviously different generations. Letting an 8 year old mow the lawn with a power mower isn't a good idea. Let them sort laundry or run the vacuum cleaner.

That's not Terri in the photo; that's Sandra of Tedandsandra.com. But you can hardly tell the difference, right?

More ways to save for your gas tank

I've been making little suggestions (eat at Evelyn's at Lakeside instead of Rusty Bucket in Columbus) on how to save money so it can go in your gas tank, or how to spend it so you don't mind (drive to Chicago to the Art Institute). Now as a public service, I'm going to send you over to Deborah, who is a quilting librarian, a very crafty, talented gal, and she will save you money by reviewing the movie The Messengers, which she saw via Netflix. Not only creepy, but dumb and predictable she says; but a very well written review. Librarians are such a talented group!

On Wednesday I saw gasoline for $3.47/gal at a Speedway on Rt. 33 (Upper Arlington). Across the bridge about a mile (Hilliard), I passed another Speedway and it was $3.79/gal. I don't know if the guy on Rt. 33 was asleep or what, but a $.32 difference in one mile seems a bit over the top even for the day before the prices always go up.

4838

Gas costs squeeze daily life

USAToday headlines on May 9. But only for some. I'm retired, so gasoline price increases affect my leisure, hobbies, relationships and service opportunities, and increasingly my food costs, energy costs and anything that's moved by truck drivers. But not so much my cost to get my check, which is a fixed amount. Indirectly, it is reflected on my investments which I will need later on.

Some retirees know what's important--and that an extra dollar per gallon is worth it to. . . see art. It would be more painful not to have art in your life than to have high gasoline prices.

On Monday our friend, a member of several local art activities here in Columbus, noticed he was running out of time to see the Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper exhibits at the Chicago Institute of Art. His wife is a cancer survivor and they've recently lost a dear friend of 50 years--so in a sense, I think they feel that time is short in many ways. So he and his wife drove to Chicago (300 miles). On Tuesday they took in the Robie House and all the great walking tour stuff (Oak Park) of Frank Lloyd Wright, and on Wednesday they stood in line at the Art Institute to get in to the exhibit, and spent another four hours touring. On Thursday they drove back to Columbus. Counting the tickets, housing and food, I'm sure the gasoline was a minor cost.

But oh, I wish I'd thought of that!