COLUMN: Some things don’t come cheap

I can complain about gas prices with the best of them. Just yesterday, I had a good gripe session at Kwik Shop with a gentleman who was also not happy about the little numbers on the pump climbing higher and higher.

After all, I don’t make a tremendous amount of money. And when I got my first car at 20, just a couple weeks before the start of my junior year of college, I recall gas was between $1.70 and $1.80 at the time.

Yesterday, I paid $3.559 a gallon here in Newton to fill up my little go-getter. Doubled, in about 4.5 years.

I drive a Ford Focus with a 12.9 gallon tank, and even I am feeling the pinch caused by higher gas prices these days. And now that I live in Hesston and work in Newton, I’m adding miles on faster than in the past.

And of course, the ripple effect takes even more out of my wallet at the grocery store and other day-to-day stops.

And yet, while I bemoan the increases, I realize that a 10-cent increase translates to about a dollar every time I fill up. I don’t, however, complain nearly as much when I walk into the convenience store and buy a 20-ounce Diet Coke and candy bar that adds up to about $2.

And while I now think a little more about how much I’m driving, the truth is, when I want to go somewhere, I go. So while I may complain about the few dollars it takes to get to Wichita, I’ll drop $20 to go out to eat while I’m there, and maybe spend a little more shopping or going to the movies. In other words, I choose to spend the money because apparently, I think it’s worth it. And if what I’m doing there is worth spending money on, why is it that I don’t think my means of getting there should cost a little?

This country has built an economy — and we Americans have built lifestyles — that are fuel dependent. We can argue all day whether it is our “right” to do so, but the bottom line is, we have. And that means we get to foot the bill.

A lot of people complaining about gas prices drive overpriced SUVs they have no reason to be driving. People may complain about that extra few dollars at the tank but will go out and eat three or four times a week without a second thought. We want seasonal fruits and vegetables brought in at unseasonal times of year but whine about the fuel costs that go into all that transportation.

I’m not going to pretend that I understand all of the politics and international relations that go into fuel prices. Then there are all sorts of arguments about our own oil reserves and whether we should drill into them. And ethanol and other alternative routes have proven to be anything but clear-cut, and again, I’m no expert.

But I do know we’re rapidly using a non-renewable resource that permanently pollutes the environment. Why do we then think that gasoline should come cheap? If the crazy gas prices cause us to question aspects of our lifestyle that are fuel-dependent, maybe it’s not such a bad thing.

If we start buying more fuel-efficient vehicles — and putting pressure on companies to make more fuel-efficient vehicles — that’s a step in the right direction. If we start buying more locally grown food items instead of making fuel-guzzling menus, yea for us. If we stop driving to and fro and slow down to spend more time at home with family and friends, we’ll all be better off.

I don’t like paying more at the pump any more than the next driver. But if we start examining our lifestyles and making some changes, maybe some good will come out of all of the pain at the pump.

If we’re willing to pay the price, okay then, but we have to realize some decisions and lifestyles come at a high cost.

Cari Middendorf is news clerk and a reporter for The Newton Kansan.