Friday, May 6, 2011

Time for the Yo-Yo to recoil (updated 3-6-13)


http://www.greatenergychallengeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/gasprices-434x590.jpg.
Photograph by Dennis S. Hurd/Flickr (Creative Commons)

Gas Prices: How Low Can They Go? 

http://www.greatenergychallengeblog.com/2012/10/04/gas-prices-how-low-can-they-go/

Seems like only yesterday (way back in March) during a telephone conversation with my brother on the ever increasing price of gas, I predicted the number would max out at around $3.87 and begin a downward trend. Pump prices in my neighborhood at that time were around $3.48 a gallon for regular unleaded. Of course my older sibling disagreed with my prognostication, citing contrary information he had reaped from more reliable sources...perhaps during a daily dose of babbling conversation between those wacky gals on The View. Usually Oprah's views garner more credibility, but perhaps on that day she was taping one of her final riveting interviews with Barack Obama, or maybe an even more intense grilling of Doctor Oz!

But on this one day--and perhaps the last I'll ever hold so dear--I made such a bold prediction, based solely on my 'yo-yo theory.' It really is quite simple and even scholars such as Joy Joy Behar would not be left scratching her head with puzzlement.

Unfortunately, using my theory, the consumer (and here comes a bit of block-busting news) is always a loser! It is all a matter of getting people to tweak their comfort zone. Which has become rather routine over the past few years when discussing rising petro-prices.

When the yo-yo is hanging loosely on it's tethered thread , we head for the open road, regardless of whether it is for work, play or just running down to the corner store for a pack of smokes. (What the hell, gas is only $1.73 a gallon). Take the kids to soccer practice and pick up clothes at the cleaners. (Have you noticed prices have now risen to $1.79 a gallon--oh well, 'what's 6 cents)! Go to Walmart, Best Buy and Pets are Us--doggie needs more biscuits. (Gas? Oh, I think it's $1.82, but who's watching). Who has time with such important missions to complete, as we accelerate down the highway for ice cream at our favorite Dairy Queen, located 20 miles from our nest)!

Oh, incidentally, if you haven't noticed, and how could you with all this running around you are committed to on a daily basis, prices of gas at your local pumps have been rising--the cord is beginning to recoil back to it's mother ship, the yo-yo and prices head upwards. So now prices top out during the game at around $2.01 a gallon and you begin to hear predictions of a fall in gas prices. Yo-yo begins its decent, but slowly (ever so slowly--not nearly as fast as it's race to the top). On this cycle, the string will only allow your yo-yo to bottom out with less distance, or in other words, at around $1.80 a gallon and once again it will begin to recoil to the top. No big deal right. We've been there before (2.01, remember)? Only on this trip it might go up to $2.38 and the whole new game will start all over again.

The price of gas will never go any lower than the previous session (and if it does, you can be sure it will be short-lived).


It is all a matter of taking people out of their comfort zone and getting them used to a new environment. It is very uncomfortable paying those higher prices, but with training, you adapt and the next trip to higher priced gas isn't such a traumatic experience. And we can all be happier for this because of one little innocent object-----


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