Herman

Cain

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June 16, 2008

Save $2 Per Gallon!

Now that I have your attention, here’s how.

Slow down. Stop the jack rabbit starts. Don’t slam the brakes. Dump the junk in the trunk. Use the cruise. Ride on air. And sweat on the way home.

A properly maintained vehicle, plus changing your driving behavior can actually increase your gas mileage by 50 percent, which saves you $2 per gallon on your next gallon of gas. And I have the listeners who have done it to prove it. Here’s the math.

The pain at the pump is now averaging $4 a gallon. If you are currently getting 20 miles per gallon in the hot wheels of your choice and you increase the mileage by 50 percent, then you will be getting 30 miles per gallon. That’s 10 extra miles for which you will not have to buy gas. Therefore, you save $2, since you are paying $4 per 20 miles driven.

The incentive to change your driving behavior with these gas-saving tips is that they cost you no money. Zippo! The only cost is some patience. If you want to boost your chances of achieving the 50 percent increase in gas mileage, then take a look at the list of gas saving techniques we compiled on the web site of my radio show.   

An additional incentive is to imagine how we would dramatically reduce U.S. demand for oil if all drivers got serious about extending their mileage for a gallon of gas. OPEC would not like it, but that’s the point. It could even take some pressure off world demand, which could actually reduce the price of oil noticeably, and the savings would be compounded.

The Democratic leaders in Congress have repeatedly blocked all attempts to remove restrictions on additional U.S. oil exploration and drilling. They were able to block such legislation when they were in the minority in the Senate because of the 60-vote rule to end debate, and they have been able to throw up even more roadblocks now that they have the majority.

If we wait for Congress to ease the pain at the pump, we will be out of gas and out of money. Alternative fuel vehicles are going to take a while to become the economic alternative of choice. And alternative fuels will require more time for the proper infrastructure to evolve commercially.

These “maximum mileage” tips are not intended to be a long term solution to our severe energy dependence, but they can immediately ease some of the pain at the pump, while Congress continues to do nothing except look for someone else to blame.

We can impact our personal pain at the pump without a new law. But if the Democrats in Congress get wind of this idea, they may want to impose a “windfall mileage tax” on us.

So don’t tell them.

People who choose to exercise all of the mileage tips can certainly add another 10 miles per gallon of gas, and maybe even more depending on the type, model and condition of their car. Choosing to do at least some of the major tips can shave dollars off what you are paying at the pump.

This is a whole lot better than the nickel and dime ideas that Congress can’t even agree on, such as cutting the federal gasoline tax, since those dollars have a hard time funding the projects they were intended to fund.

If the Democrats in Congress had to sweat a little on the way home by turning off the air conditioners in their cars to save gas, then maybe they would be more concerned about helping to ease the pain at the pump than trying to posture for more political power.

They are certainly more concerned about the caribou than the people.

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