When gas prices hit $4.20 a gallon this summer, I was pretty sure we'd never again see gas drop below two bucks.
Frankly, I was doubtful that it would ever drop below $2.50.
It's too bad it's coming at the cost of a global recession, but I just spotted a gallon of regular unleaded for $1.97. I filled ‘er up, even though my gas tank was ¾ full.
In fact, lately, I've been filling up whenever I see "cheap" gas, no matter how full my tank is. I have a feeling that these "low" prices won't last long, and I'm getting while the getting is good.
I've heard some people say that a resurgence of lower gas prices will cause Americans to take their eyes off the prize, to ignore alternative energy sources and to resume our nation's bad driving habits. I don't think that'll be a problem. I doubt too many people expect to see gas prices drop much further, and I don't think we'll see Escalades outselling Priuses ever again.
I consider this just a brief respite. An early holiday gift. A chance to save a few bucks before the next big spike, and who knows how high that'll be?
Am I driving more now that gas is under $2? Nope. I'm just driving with a few more bucks in my wallet.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
