Full Tanks Put Squeeze on Working Class

[midnight armadillo]

May 13, 2006
Full Tanks Put Squeeze on Working Class
By ROBIN POGREBIN

MIAMI BEACH, May 12 — Giving up the occasional rib-eye steak hasn't been the hardest part for Ana Lopez, although her husband is a red-meat man.

More difficult are having to tell her 11-year-old son that he cannot go to the movies, and swearing off Sunday visits to her sister in Pembroke Pines or to her brother in Miami Lakes. These are the sacrifices required now that it costs $60 to fill her aging Toyota 4Runner.

Ms. Lopez, 48, who lives in the outlying suburb of West Kendall, must conserve every gallon possible for the 60-mile round trip to and from her job as the housekeeping manager at the Bentley Hotel in Miami Beach. "There is not enough money to spend for gas," she said. "You have to think about it: If I go to see my friend, I won't have enough gas to work tomorrow."

As many drivers struggle to cope with soaring fuel prices, working-class people like Ms. Lopez who commute long distances to their jobs are suffering the most. In many cases, they had moved far away from major metropolitan areas to be able to afford decent houses. Now, paradoxically, the cost of gas is making the distance prohibitively expensive.

"If you're poor, you're forced to make choices," said Stephen Cecchetti, a professor of economics at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. "All of a sudden, when the price of something that you can't give up skyrockets, you still have to go from one place to another."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/13/us/13driving.html?ei=5094&en=a7d341821e017bae&hp=&ex=1147579200&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. That's probably what the Iraqi citizens are thinking, too.

[B Calm]

2. Earning 12 dollars an hr. and I needed gas gas in my old car

last night. 40 dollars to fill the old car and I have a wheel bearing going out.. Thank god I have a 401 K to borrow from..

[midnight armadillo]

3. how can you use the 401k?

I don't think you can borrow against a 401k for any reason you wish, can you? I thought it had to be for a home purchase or something.

[B Calm]

4. damn.... your right...

[LostinVA]

5. I get 50-55 mpg, but I'm still staying home all weekend

I went to the grocery store on the way home last night. Today I would love to go to the bookstore and the outdoor store to just roam, have fun... maybe stop by Whole Foods. Was planning on getting a new hydration pack at the running store, too. But it would be a 32-mile round trip. That's over half a gallon of diesel. So... I'm staying home.

[Nobody]

6. If I go out with friends, I drive

I get better gas mileage. I am thankful I live in an inner city neighborhood with several places to get necessities within walking distance. Short trips kill gas mileage no matter what you're driving.

Wait for the extra expenses for the trucking industry to raise the price of everything else.

Will we all get raises to cover this? hell no.

Those record profits from the price gougers have stolen money from my pocket and yours.

[ThomWV]

7. Yesterday: 3/4 Tank, Cost $96

Ford F-250 Diesel.