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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Cajoling City Hall ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The demise of Cecil the lion ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, Aug. 7 ... Our View: Cajoling City Hall ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The demise of Cecil the lion ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, Aug. 7 ... LOCAL TAKE What do you do with money saved from cheap gas? Comment By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 4, 2015 at 5:54 PM By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 4, 2015 at 5:54 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Local Take: Should U.S. Senators have written directly to Iranian leaders?... • What are your hopes for the new governor? • Should Gov. Kitzhaber resign due to his fiancee's entanglements?... • Are you prepared for the next great Cascadia quake? • What are you doing on Super Bowl Sunday? • What do you think of the state of the city? • Has Dr. King’s dream been realized? • Have we recovered from the Great Recession? • What do you think of the proposed natural gas pipeline? • Are you glad the Ashland Rotary Centennial Ice Rink is here? • College debt load balloons: What could, should be done? » Social News Ask anyone why gasoline is suddenly under $2 a gallon and you’ll hear a lot of conspiracy theories, some backslapping for whoever is president and some muttering about Arab states, most of it not very factually grounded. Ditto if you search the Internet. In old movies, before the big gas shortage of 1973 (caused by OPEC) (right?), you can see gas signs at 28 and 32 cents a gallon, causing everyone to swoon at the cheapness of travel. That’s never going to happen again, so get over your swoon.  A graph of the last half century shows gas at its lowest during the swell years around the turn of our century — think $1.40 or so. Remember that? It had been 2.5 times higher in the recession of the early '80s. But gas began to skyrocket about 2002, peaking at $4.38 in summer of 2008, as the economy teetered into the Great Recession. Then gas rapidly dropped to about $1.80, then back up to about $4.40 in 2011. Since then, it’s descended nicely, just in recent months. Locally, it’s as low as $1.89. Now, you hear people say the economy is even getting “strong,” there are some jobs, more expensive wines are leaving shelves and you hear change jingling in people’s pockets. AAA predicts low gas prices will remain for a while, possibly staying below $3 for the remainder of 2015, and said the low prices are an example of capitalism at work. Saudis have continued to maintain high production in the hopes that it will run some of the U.S. companies out of business. The price of crude oil continues to trade below $50 a barrel, down from more than $100 last year. Plus the U.S., thanks to the fracking boom, is producing oil and natural gas at levels not seen for at least 30 years. Meanwhile, the gas mileage of American cars has gone up in recent years, resulting in less demand. The question we asked Ashlanders is, “Well, what’s going on here? Are lower gas prices changing the way you budget and spend? What are you doing with this extra money? Do you have faith these low prices will stick around?” Nicholas Trygg — I don’t drive. I gave up having a car and I’ve saved a lot of money. I have mixed feelings about gas prices, because it makes it easier for consumers to drive more. This has an impact on global warming. We release more emissions. The warmth we feel right now, it’s bizarre. I heard low prices come from a glut of oil and that prices are artificially low. I won’t be surprised if it goes back up.  Susan Cain — It hasn’t really affected me. I don’t drive too much. I drive to the college for work and it’s only a few minutes. My husband drives an electric Leaf and loves it. I drive a Rav and get 25 mpg. I don’t understand why prices are low. It’s the math of the oil companies. Maybe it’s an oversupply or everyone’s being more careful now.  Sylver Chankalian — I get to go places more. I’m retired, but now I’m a serpent dancer and can travel to perform. I don’t have to carpool now. The economy is so bad, they had to do something, so they dropped gas prices. Nothing has changed with oil reserves. Sometime around Christmas, they’ll do it to us again and raise prices. Magee Downey — (declined photo) Gas prices should change. If there’s leftover (supply) they should stick with the price we are used to and used the money on repair of roads, bridges, making bike lanes and pedestrian crosswalks, to keep highways safe. Of course prices will go up and when they do, they aren’t coming down. That’s because the supply of oil is limited. I have not increased my driving. The extra money not going into driving flows right back into household expenses. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Feb. 4, 2015 at 5:54 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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