$4.00 for gas, $3.50 for a coffee. Welcome to 2000

Cost of Gas Puts Pressure On GOP By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and Steven Mufson Washington Post Staff Writers Tuesday, April 25, 2006; President Bush and congressional Republicans are under mounting public pressure to reduce gasoline prices, but they have few if any policy choices that would cut them over the next few months as family driving reaches its annual peak and as the midterm elections near. [Washington Post]

Face it people, the days of cheap oil and gas are over and it is only going to get worse from here. While you might like to think the elected leaders can do something to reduce the costs at the pump, they really can do very little except reduce the overall tax rates on gas. The wholesale price is not likely to come down much. If you are reviewing your budget for this year, it is not out of the question to see $4.00 a gallon (here in the US) before the year is out and if you are budgeting anything less than $6 for next year, you are dreaming a dream that will never come true.

So the question remains - what is more important to you. Being able to get to work or seeing how many wrinkles your favorite TV star has on your high-definition TV. Time to start prioritizing, it will only go up from here.