Gas prices driving us down

LOLITA HARPER

Back in my day, gasoline only cost $1.09 per gallon. Yep, those were

the times -- back in high school when I would pack four of my friends

in my little burgundy Jetta, back when it was still legal for

teenagers to pile into one car without an adult in sight.

We’d each pitch in a coupla bucks for gas money and we were off to

the beach, to Raging Waters, Magic Mountain -- wherever. Today,

Newport-Mesa kids would have to start cashing out their trust funds

to afford such freedom.

OK. I am grossly exaggerating but really, can’t we all agree that

today’s gas prices are insane?

Newport-Mesa’s gas prices, ranging from $2.17 to $2.69 per gallon,

are still higher than the record-breaking California average

announced Monday. That means the numbers on the top screen of the gas

pump -- indicating the dent in your wallet -- will be more than

double the bottom figure that tells you how much gas you put in your

tank.

It’s depressing at best.

Most of those interviewed at the pump used language that cannot be

printed to describe the current fueling situation.

“I have nothing to say except for who would like this?” said

Patty, a Newport Beach resident who did not want to give her last

name.

It’s a funny thing that the prices we pay at the pump are so much

higher than the state average when the wholesale price for gasoline

on the Los Angeles spot market fell more than 12 cents, according to

an article in the Los Angeles Times.

And if that statistic kills you, you’re not going to like that the

national average is $1.78. Sure, people in Des Moines are squawking

about the hikes in their tractor fuel but what would you give to pay

that price again?

Michelle Adams, who was getting gas at the Shell station on

Westcliff Drive in Newport Beach, said she is resigned to the fact

that she has to pay through the nose to drive her sporty BMW.

“There’s not much you can do,” Adams said, who only has a

seven-mile commute. “I hear everyone complain. Sure $2.25 [stinks]

but you have to drive.”

Compact car drivers can boast a phenomenal 27 miles per gallon

statistic but when gas prices are this high that still means shelling

out $30 for a tank of gas, which is ridiculous when you are used to

filling up for less than $20.

One can only imagine the pain of filling up a flashy, new H2

Hummer or the sport utility vehicle of choice. Or how about feeding

the 493 horses that power a Mercedes SL55 AMG, with a 24-valve, V-8

engine? There are more than a few of those cruising the Newport-Mesa

streets.

As painful as it might be to shell out that kind of cash, we

refuse to get out of our cars. Statistics show that demand for

gasoline is also at an all-time high.

Rudolfo Cervantes said the high prices are motivating him to stay

out from behind the wheel.

“It’s ... crazy,” he said. “I hate driving anyways, so the price

helps me hate it more and I drive a lot less.”

Newport Beach resident Jim Clay takes a different approach, saying

he understands that there is only so much oil in the ground and it

costs money to drill for it and refine it. Clay said the higher

prices are just a cost of living.

As far as driving less or conserving, he is not concerned.

“I pretty much do what I wanna do and go where I wanna go,” Clay

said.

* LOLITA HARPER is the Forum editor. She also writes columns

Wednesdays and Fridays. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by

e-mail at lolita.harper@latimes.com.