a serious fuck up in the making

the blog title here is a serious fuck up in the making. thats a unique statement since a great many things in our lives can be fucked up. ill be specific on one issue of importance to me. and many of my friends and associates.
on 01 apr 05 myself and a friend of mine i was in the army with were just shooting the shit when he asked me a question. the question he asked me was what are you going to do when gas goes upto to such a point that its cost is unbearable. we were in this discussion for a good 30 minutes and all we could determine was that if fuel costs get to such a point you have to dip into your grocery budget to get the kids to soccer practice, there might be the need to stop playing soccer.
my friend is an over the road truck driver. its not uncoommon for him to travel in his vehicle in excess of 6000 miles a week. he makes runs from tennesse to stockton california. roughly 6000 miles round trip. when i talked to him he was going to stop for fuel then switch off with his partner. he also told me that he stops twice going and twice leaving for diesel fuel. each stop costs his company 487.00 per fill up. i understand that we dont drive semis and, as a general rule, many of us do not drive a vehicle the uses diesel fuel. however, the more important question for us is a what point do fuel costs start affecting our personal lives and lifestyle.
it is well known that in europe, some areas are paying as much as 5.00 per gallon of petrol(gas for us americans), and here in louisville kentucky the average today is 2.20 per gallon of gas. yes, it does appear that we americans,when compared to europeans, are spending less for fuel, but our cost of living,wages, and economic conditions are quite different from the europeans.
for example, i drive a mini van, and it has a 22 gallon fuel tank. at 2.20 per gallon. it will cost 44.00 to fill up at the pump. becuase i have serious limited my getting out and about in the past 2 weeks i have only burned 1/4 tank of gas and have 140 miles on the trip meter. i keep the van in very good mechanical condition and i feel i get pretty good gas mileage as a result.
anyway im going to conclude the blog by leaving you with some questions to ponder. please feel free to respond the questions at your convenience if you should decide to do so.
1.) does anyone remember the 1973 when the oil embargo forced us to wait in line for hours for no more than 5 gallons of fuel?
2.) does anyone remember during that time how people acted while waiting for gas?
3.)does anyone consider the affect of fuel costs on the trucking industry and how that may affect how we live?
4) have you thought about putting a locking gas cap on your vehicle?
5.)at what point will the price of fuel begin to affect how you live and, in general, your life style?
6.)what can you do to insure that you can afford fuel costs.
7.) just how high do you believe fuel costs can go based on opecs production and cost per barrel?
anyway friends and neighbors this is why i named this blog "a serious fuck up waiting to happen."
regards
archie, the old bald headed son of bitch himself.