ACCOUNTING FOR GAS FACES 1

Tisa Silver of Talk Stock Trading asks “Who gets the Gas Face?”

On my most recent trips to the gas station I have made it a point to turn away from the pump. I have no desire to watch the price meter run up to $55 for a tank of low-grade gas. Turning away from the pump has allowed me to look at what other motorists are doing. Much to my chagrin, they are looking back at me!

We trade smiles through what I like to call “the gas face.” It is a somewhat stressed look of displeasure induced by the pumping of expensive gas. I have seen a lot of gas faces and they are not pretty!

. . . the name was actually coined by a rap group called 3rd Bass. Way back in 1989, “The Gas Face” was released. The basic concept behind the song is that anyone who says or does something dumb “gets the gas face.”

So, who is responsible for this face that I have to see once, sometimes twice, a week? Is it the oil companies, oil producing nations, gas station owners, our government (federal and/or local)…or should consumers be blamed for buying gas guzzling SUVs instead of hybrids?

There are historical statistics on gas prices from the Energy Information Administration which point to the culprit. From the figures, it looks like the oil companies have been kind (Refining), the gas station owners have not taken advantage (Distribution & Marketing), and the government has tried to help (Taxes). The guilty party appears to be OPEC (Crude Oil).

graphics by Ren Garcia / image from Microsoft Clipart