Pain at the Pump – What People are Saying

These days we're all feeling the pinch at the pump. Okay, it's more of a squeeze. From a boa-constrictor. Right before eating us whole. It sucks, is what I'm saying. And it reminds me of being a sixteen year old punk kid with a new driver's license, and no real money. So the ten or twenty bucks in my pocket had to put gas in my car, food in my belly and maybe pay for a coupla' movie tickets.

It's been a long time since then. Like, none-of-your-business how long. But I recall making those dollars stretch by NOT filling up the gas tank. My friends and I would "just put a couple of bucks in." Now full grown, fully employed (and perhaps underpaid) adults are making those same deals with the pump, "I'll just put a couple of bucks in," we say, hoping that when we return to the pump prices will have dropped. Hey - a person can dream.

I scanned Twitter to see what other people in the northwest were saying about gas prices. No partisan political comments here, just "real Americans" hit real hard by the rising cost of fuel.

Sometimes All You Can Do is Laugh

The Bigger the City, the Higher the Gas Prices

We're All in the Same Boat, But Not Really

I have to call out this last tweet. It's true that if you can afford to live in the city of Seattle, you may get away with walking or biking to work. Congratulations! You're either rich or own virtually nothing and can afford to rent a closet to live in. For the rest of us, there's the commute.

Buses are an option from the suburbs to the city, but they're inconvenient, and trains are even less so.

Seattle is NOT New York, and traffic isn't backed up on 405 because there's "very little reason to even own a car here."

Public Transportation Ridership is Up

Welcome to the Club

This final Tweet (below) is the reason I wrote this article. It reminded me how privileged I am to be able to afford gas - and groceries - without having to stretch those dollars by saying, "I'll just put in a buck or two." Some people struggle with this every day, and when it finally starts hurting the rest of us, it's even worse for them.

So try to keep your head up, keep it all in perspective, and ask your boss if you can work remote. I hear that's big these days.