Gas is Lighting a Hole in Your Pocket

This past Sunday I started my first job as an aide at my synagogue's religious school. I was so excited to  be given a role of responsibility where I help the younger kids in the school with Hebrew or with prayers. I really enjoyed my work and I left very content that I did a good job and that I earned some money of my own.

On my way driving home from the synagogue, I noticed that the gas tank on the car was only about a quarter of the way full, so I decided I would stop at a gas station to fill up. All that I had on me was about $25, which I earned from my job. I went up to the cash register in the mini-mart and asked to buy $25 worth of gas. As a newly-licensed driver, this was the first time I had gone alone to fill up the car. I knew gasoline is expensive, but I was shocked as the dollar amount on the pump's display increased so rapidly. Suddenly, I heard a clunk, indicating that my money was all used up. I felt quite let down when I entered the car and noticed that the tank was only a measly half-way full.

I kept wondering why prices of gas have gotten incredibly high. I thought back to what someone said the other day in American Studies class that gas prices do not have to be so high because prices often fluctuate based on what area you live in. For example, most gas stations in Cook County, Illinois charge much more than the national average. At first after taking the car to the gas station, I wished that gasoline prices were cheaper, so I would not have to constantly worry about how much gas I am using by driving to places. But, that led to my epiphany that the fact that people now think twice before they decide to use up 10 gallons of gas to drive to a shoe store is a good thing. Now, less and less petroleum is left in reserves because of an increased demand for petro products and because it is a nonrenewable resource.

Might investing in alternative fuels solve the U.S.'s as well as many other nation's everlasting need for petroleum?