As far as Mayor Jeff Williams is concerned, the town of Needles is often famous nationwi
de for entirely the wrong reason.
Weve been on the national news too many times as the town with the highest gas prices in the United States, Williams said with a grimace in his city hall office. Its an embarrassment.
While the average price for a gallon of gasoline has risen to record levels or just above $3, at least one gas station here showed a per gallon rate of $4.09.
Needles lies on the Colorado River over the other side is Arizona but the last stop for gas before this Californian town of 5,600 when you head east on Interstate 40 is Ludlow, some 90 miles west of here.
The gas stations in Needles are looking to gouge people whove made it here with almost no gas and have no choice but to fill up, said David Spak, vice president of a construction company in Laughlin, Nevada. Spak said he had never bought gas in Needles.
Just a few miles north of the town over the Arizona border, a local gas station was selling the fuel for $3.19 a gallon. 
And a few miles beyond that, the price was $2.97.
Mayor Williams worries that these high prices scare away the tourists he wants to try out the towns golf course or fishing and boating on the river.
People take one look at the gas prices here and theyre afraid of what theyd end up paying for a hamburger, he said. They buy just enough gas to get into Arizona and they think Ive got to get out of this rip-off town.
Its not just tourists who avoid the gas stations here. Needles native Linda Lusk, a clerk at an insurance office here, said she hasnt bought gas in the town for three years.
I go to Arizona for my gas, she said.
Its criminal what they charge here, she added, shaking her head.
Dick Pyle, head of the local planning commission and a Needles resident for 10 years said simply Ive never bought gas in this town.
Mayor Williams said the town has no remedy for the problem, as the gas stations are free to charge what they want.
Thats free enterprise for you, he said with shrug.
Trackback
One comment so far
Is the price of gasoline upsetting to anyone else besides myself? Does anyone out there feel as if the oil companies are laughing at us, all the way to the bank?
I am incensed, insulted, and enraged that an oil company can, gleefully and unashamedly, report a 16 Billion dollar profit, 16 BILLION DOLLARS FOLKS, for just one single quarter alone! All the while, with a straight face, bemoaning high costs and high exploration fees.
Why is gasoline so expensive at the pump? Is there any truly good reason?
Can’t you just picture a meeting of the CEOs of all the big oil companies in the “Brandy Room” of their exclusive country club?
One turns to the group and says, “We could always say that a flatulent Panda Bear in Western China startled a huge flock of Butterflies. The resulting wind from their wings raised a huge dust cloud. This caused a terrific thunderstorm which swept into the Arabian Desert. This resulted in flash flooding which in turn shut down all production of crude oil. This caused barrel prices to soar, which forced us to raise our prices.”
As one the group of CEOs would smile and nod, knowing that this story was a whole lot more possible than any of the other spins they had been spewing out.
Is it possible that it really is OPECs doing? Is this their way of retaliating against the U.S. for sticking with the Bush War in Iraq? Are the oil companies just luckily making huge profits from a bad situation?
Why is everyone in this country so apathetic and complacent about this blatant price gouging at the pump? I can’t believe that no one is mounting protests. We should be marching, yelling, and boycotting!
We the working class are being hit the hardest. As usual the poor and middle class of this country will feel the pinch the hardest. Our paychecks won’t stretch far enough anymore.
Where is our “vigilant” media in all of this? Where are all of the investigative reports that should be roaring out a protest in the public name? Why have our representatives in Washington not started hearings into the obvious price gouging going on?
Maybe it’s time we all stood up and did something for ourselves. We can, with just a little effort, recapture some of the “Power of the People”.
Let’s make June 7th and 8th NO GAS DAYS ! Talk to your neighbors. Spread the word to your friends and family. Bug your co-workers. Each and every one of us across this nation, June 7th and June 8th, don’t go to work. Don’t go to the store. Don’t run errands of any kind.
Stay home with your family. Have a cookout, watch movies together, play games. Do anything but drive your car. Above all else, do not buy any gasoline at all!
If we all band together, everyone across the nation, on the same two days, we can send a very clear message. A message that shouts, “16 Billion Dollars Profit From My Pocket Is TOO D***ed Much!”.
Wake up the Editors of the newspapers. Shake out the Bloggers. Make the talking heads on the TV news take notice. On June 7th and 8th we should declare Boycott Gas Days!
Folks we need to help ourselves. No one will do it for us.
edpermenter@yahoo.com
- Posted by Edward Dorn Permenter