My two cents. Read this this morning, reporting that almost 80% of voters would like the government to actively cut petrol prices. The sample wasn’t that big, and who knows where it was taken from – but really, do they think that will change anything?
Pricing doesn’t work on the cost price of goods. It works on what the market will pay – and people are still paying for petrol. Any cut in excise and the market price will gradually grow to what it has been… and keep growing.
I’m sure that people’s wallets might be feeling the pinch, but as long as we have 100’s of DVD’s on our shelves, flat screen televisions on our walls and up-to-date wardrobes, then there is still room to move. Time to start adjusting our lives to living with high petrol prices. Walking more, using public transport more, and shopping close to home. Car pool. Ride a bike. Grow your own food. Defer your wish for indulgence, live in a simpler fashion, take the time to enjoy the basic things of life that require no petrol. You might find high petrol prices don’t hurt so much after all.
One last thought: Why do we insist on seeing the various governments of our country as so many older brothers or fathers who will get us out of a fix? This sees the role of government as being to maintain my standard of living, thankyou very much. Can we not act, adapt and change regardless of their position? Do you need a car? Do you need to own a house or apartment? Why is it the government’s responsibility to do something about this? Instead, can we not revise our own expectations?
Sorry for the rant, but I can’t believe that neither the SMH, nor whomever conducts the polling cannot imagine some more creative things to poll on. Of course people will answer yes to the question of ‘would you like to pay less for X?’.
Filed under: Politics, dribble, economics, experiences, green, madness, marketing, observations, random thoughts , Australian federal government, housing prices for that matter too, petrol prices, rant
I used to subscribe to the same theory… Petrol is too expensive waa waa waa… However, after reading an article on the fact that petrol prices aren’t high *enough* I turned around.
The effective way of combatting pollution and the traffic congestion etc, is putting the petrol price up. It also fights against the demand on oil, meaning reserves will last longer.
It’s a bit more deeper than that, but essentially that’s the gist of it. People should deal with it instead of whinging life isn’t cheap (or easy) anymore.
petrol prices aren’t high *enough*
Yeah, that’s what I was trying to imply.