Letter to the Editor

Gas price increases are ridiculous

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

To the Editor:

I live in Cloverdale, and today I made a trip to Greencastle to shop at Wal-Mart.

I had a half-tank of gas in my car when I drove past McClure's at noon, and saw that the gas price for regular was $3.53. I decided that I would fill up on my way home.

At 2 p.m., I stopped at McClure's and started to fill up. I paid special attention as to pay at the pump, because I didn't want to have to go in for a receipt.

My complaint is this: First, at 2 p.m., the price of regular gas at McClure's was now $3.95 (I only put $7 in my tank); second, I did everything correctly at the pump and STILL had to go in for a receipt (I also talked to a manager because this is not the first time); and third, I pulled out of McClure's and went right up the street to Swifty's that was still selling gas at $3.53 (self serve) and paid $3.58 to have the guy pump it for me (because there were a lot of other smart people getting gas at Swifty's and we were in line out onto 231).

I think it's ridiculous that gas should go up 42 cents at all, let alone in a two-hour time span. It's also ridiculous that gas prices should vary so much within a few miles (Casey's and Marathon in Cloverdale have stayed at $3.79, even when McClure's was at $3.53). Also, gas prices at the truck stop and the BP are always outrageous, but you go west on I-70 to Exit 23 and that gas is priced usually the same as the lower gas prices in Greencastle.

What gives? Those four stations are right at the exit, and their gas is cheaper than here.

How about restarting all those oil pumps (that are just rusting in the fields) that you can see form the highway as you drive out west, and the U.S. starts manufacturing its own fuel?

Linda Larkin

Cloverdale