The Rude Price of Crude

I had to fill my car the other day. I found gas for $2.28 a gallon. That kinda confused me, because earlier in the day I was at the V.A. I go there for medical care because I went to Vietnam. Now they have to take care of me. I noticed gas on that side of town was $2.58 a gallon. Wait a minute, that’s a 20 cent a gallon difference. See why I’m confused? I can’t explain why this is, but there is a pattern. My neighborhood, while far from affluent is certainly an area where you have to be able to afford to live. We have lots of nice people and they come in various sizes, shapes and colors. They work hard and pay their taxes and enjoy their families are happy with the schools and the all around living conditions. Gas is $2.28 a gallon. Geez, that gives us even more to spend on other stuff in the community. The V.A. is in a rather rundown area on “the other” side of town. The homes are small and some are fairly ramshackle. It’s a run down, depressed neighborhood. Most of it’s inhabitants are nice people who come in various sizes, shapes and colors. They too work hard, but it’s usually at two jobs that don’t pay enough to have any money to spend on other stuff in the community and, to add insult to injury, gas is $2.58 a gallon. Damn, there goes dinner…..right down the gas tank. They don’t really care much for their all around living conditions.
I suppose there are any number of sociological debates about the psychology of the downtrodden. One the one hand there is the argument that throughout history people have pulled themselves up by their proverbial bootstraps. That great American Horatio Alger rags to riches lesson. On the other hand there is the valid argument about the cyclicality of poverty and how if you are never taught where your bootstraps are, how can you teach your kids? These are arguments that have gone on, ad nauseum, I suppose as long as someone has had it better than someone else. That’s not why I’m confused. It’s the disparity in the price of gas. Is this really fair. I don’t know who to point an accusing finger at. Certainly not the oil companies. If it can sell gas in one part of town for $2.28 it certainly can go for the same price on the other side of the same town. It must be the individual gas station owners. Shame on them. I have no answers, but I am able to add to the confusion. I came out of work today and I saw gas about a block away for $2.58 a gallon. It’s still $2.28 in my neighborhood. See why I’m still confused. Either the building I work in isn’t in the greatest part of town or gas is $2.58 all over Dallas and the only place it’s $2.28 is in my town. Twilight Zone, Tx.

THAT’S HOW I FEEL…………………………..WHAT CAN I TELL YA’