Gas Stimulus Benefit

Well, our area, like many others around the country, got pelted with snow on Tuesday evening. In my location, we had 6 inches of the powder which added to the 2 inches already on the ground from the night before. As I mentioned in my blog on Tuesday, driving conditions weren't bad, but by Tuesday night things had changed considerably. The additional snow that fell, coupled by the non-existent snow plows in most areas, made for very challenging driving to say the least. My current vehicle, a Dodge Durango (rear wheel drive) was fine once I got going and built momentum, but getting started was a different story. Pulling out of a local restaurant after dinner with my wife and family, was like skating on ice. Can you say, fish-tail? Luckily, we made it home in one piece. The next day (Wed), schools were of course closed again, and due to this fact, plus the excitement of the drive home the night before, my wife decided to stay home with the kids. I choose to take her vehicle to work (a Lincoln Navigator) instead of mine, since hers is a 4-wheel drive. I had a feeling (a correct one) that the morning commute would be an adventure, due to the new snow and the unplowed roads. What a difference All Wheel Drive makes! While most cars were in the one lane than had visible tracks to follow, I passed them all with ease in the snow packed but unplowed and very sloppy right lane. This made me thankful of our decision last summer to purchase this Lincoln (a used 2004 model). Last July when we bought it, we felt we got a great deal, but lamented that gas prices were so high (nearly $4 per gallon, remember that?). Since then, as you know, gas prices have dropped steadily to well below $2 per gallon (we are now in the $1.60-1.70 range in St. Louis). This tremendous drop in gasoline prices has served as a huge, stimulus "package" for all driving Americans. "That $2 drop roughly equals a $240 billion tax cut for consumers, economists say", says Mark Huffman at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com. I know we are saving anywhere from $30 to $40 dollars every time we fill up, when compared to last summer! So while President Obama and the GOP wrangle over what to include or not include in the proposed $1 Trillion dollar economic stimulus package, thank your lucky stars that you've already got a huge stimulus in the form of lower gas prices! I wonder how those Toyota Priuses handle in the snow?