Morgan Hill Review

Well, it seems that the the brief dip in gas prices has already begun to “correct” itself.  Safeway returned their price to $4.25 per gallon today (from a low of $4.21 a few days back) for regular unleaded gasoline.  So I highly recommend filling up your tank today if at all possible (whether you need it or not) and I recommend doing so at the World gas station on Monterey at San Pedro as they’re still at their 6 month low of $4.19.  Unfortunately, I’ve driven less than 15 miles since filling up at Safeway a few days back (they were only $4.18 with my loyalty card discount).

And speaking of gas prices, in their “Around The Water Cooler” feature today the Morgan Hill Times asked if “Should the national speed limit be lowered to 60 mph to reduce gas use?”  The panel came to a split decision, but I fuond a few comments noteworthy-

David Cohen (Writer, Editor): No. While it would save some gasoline, the punitive nature of the lower speed limit would only result in an increase in the number of speeding tickets.

Of course, this increased number of tickets means increased revenue for the government, who are the ones considering the rule in the first place…

Linda McNulty (Community Advocate): No, but if we took those speed bumps out of downtown, then people would stop slamming on their brakes … and that might save some gas.

Huzzah for Ms. McNulty! Those speed bumps are ridiculous unto themselves, but the fact that 90% of drivers stop in order to creep over them is simply insane.

Steve Staloch (Morgan Hill Times Publisher): Yes, if the legislation required that the savings – estimated at 2 percent of consumption – also be reflected in the price at the pumps, and is bundled with a broader long-term plan to achieve oil independence.

This response is simply horrifying.  Mr. Staloch is actually suggesting that the government mandate that private businesses lower their price simply because an entirely unrelated attempt has been made to modify people’s behavior.  I wonder what he would think if the federal government suddenly passed a law requiring that the Morgan Hill Times be provided free of charge to every person in America in order to increase literacy.

Tags: autos, cars, gas prices, gasoline, Morgan Hill Times, Safeway, World