Prices Climb, Packages Shrink, Quality Suffers?

Back a while I read that gasoline/diesel prices need to reach $5.00 a gallon before alternate energy sources would be seriously pursued and be made available to the general public at competitive rates. Money is always the bottom line. Seems that alternate energy sources cannot pay dividends until this magic figure is reached.  

Is it a conspiracy?

It was so uplifting to hear President Obama pushing for green job training and green business exploration. This is the wave of the future but it should be the wave of the here and now.

We watch as solar panels get installed on homes, businesses, schools, and government facilities. Yet, this technology has not been perfected enough to warrant their use by average America. The current available technology only allows solar to be a part of energy consumption. It doesn’t provide 100% unless there is room enough on property for vast arrays able to give excess back to the grid for supply during cloudy days. Solar panels require maintenance that most Americans cannot or will not do. The life expectancy of solar panels is twenty years. They will need replacing just in time for the last installment payment on the old ones. Where are the vast savings we are supposed to enjoy?

Same goes for wind power. The average homeowner does not have enough land to install a wind generator. Noise levels and the possibility of falling over have neighbors up in arms over those that wish to make an installation. Wind farms on land or sea are being met with much disapproval. On top of the impact to the environment, these wind farms will impact our pocketbooks in ways that are not acceptable.

Supply And Demand

If we all use less conventional electricity, gasoline, diesel, natural gas, etc., don’t the Laws of Supply and Demand kick in with higher prices to maintain profits of the big companies to offset lower consumption?

Home prices are still falling. Property values are too. Instead of being able to enjoy a tax cut, homeowners are faced with higher property tax rates. All those nice energy saving government grant induced installations are not showing up in the taxpayer’s pockets.

Support Local Businesses, Buy Local

The idea behind this is supposed to be that cutting out long distance transport will save us money and keep our money in our communities. Been to a Farmer’s Market lately? Produce should be available at prices less than the grocery stores. Transport is supposed to be less than 100 miles. Local farmers are supposed to be selling their own products. There are no middlemen. Why are the prices so high? Why are all the prices the same? Why are the stands being stocked with produce coming out of crates from the produce wholesalers?

Prices Continue To Rise

Gasoline prices have been over $3.00 a gallon before. Prices rose. Gasoline prices dropped. Prices did not. Now gasoline prices are over $3.00 a gallon again and prices are rising again. Packages are getting smaller and quality seems to be going down. What’s going on?

A Bic lighter used to be 99 cents and guaranteed a thousand clicks. The price has more than doubled and the guarantee is gone.

Store brand English muffins used to be 3/$1.00. Now one package is over $2.00. Yet, the same store has been offering a loaf of its own white bread for $1.00 for the past several months. What goes into an English muffin to make it so costly?

Rice used to be under a dollar a pound. Now it’s hitting the $3.00 mark. Is ice becoming a luxury item instead of a staple?

Sorry. I don’t buy into the gasoline prices controlling these price increases. You can only bleed so much out of us. Revolt will be coming if these tends continue.