USUALLY when I sit down to write about things not going well and people going through difficult times, I speak about Zimbabweans and their struggles. I feel that sometimes it is unfair for me to speak about how my power bill was so high last month when someone in Zimbabwe, or some other part of the developing world, doesn’t even have electricity.
However lately, things seem to be getting a bit tight for me as an ordinary Zimbabwean living in the Diaspora.
When I first moved to America, gas/fuel/petrol, whatever you call, it was pricedat$1.29. This was cheap. I filled up my car for $15.00 and drove endless joy rides. I didn’t care how far I was going to drive. I had a full tank, so no worries.
I never gave a thought to using the train, or the bus, because it was cheaper to buy fuel.
Besides, if you live in Atlanta as I do, in certain areas, using public transport is not an option!
Over the years, fuel slowly started to rise, but it was under $2.00 a gallon. In 2005, hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Louisiana and Mississippi and overnight, gas rose to $2.29 cents. The rise was blamed on Katrina and we all bought into the story, with the reassurance that as soon as things were under control in the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, prices would come down. Katrina happened three years ago and right now, I buy regular unleaded fuel for $4.05 /₤2.02 a gallon.
Now, tell me, who do we blame for this rise in gas?
The fuel situation is just the beginning. I walked into the grocery store the other day and was shocked to see that the price of everything had gone up, including the price of salt.
My budget for food and basic commodities has almost doubled and now I have to cut out some of those unnecessary items on my grocery list. I mean, I cannot be spending money just like that because the minute I walk into the store I have to remember that I have to save money for my fuel. Just going to the grocery store has become a planned trip. I no longer drive to the store just because I need milk.
Now, if I don’t have milk, I have to wait till the end of the week when I do my grocery shop. It’s not that important. Every item in the store has gone up and it seems to continue to rise.
The subject of most conversations I have now seems to centre around the high cost of fuel/gas and how that is affecting everything else. Most people who have a long drive to work now take the train. Lucky for me, my job is not that far from where I live, which is such a huge relief is because I don’t have to fill up my car twice a week.
At this point, I am so grateful that I have a fuel-efficient car, but it does not change the fact that I now have to dig deeper into my pocket to pay at the pump.
I have a good friend who drives an upper-end luxury car and he does very well for himself. Now, he has begun to feel the pinch of gas on his wallet. His car only takes premium fuel, which is selling for almost $5/₤ 2.50 a gallon, so with an 18-gallon tank to fill up, you do the math.
The price of oil has affected everyday life in America. The market is doing so poorly, the average person and now, the upper class, have begun to complain about the way things seem to be going. Nothing is stable yet salaries remain the same and things do not seem to be improving. The mere fact that everything I do has to be planned around my gas tank and the price of fuel at the fuel station is not making my life that simple.
Even my social life has been reduced to a minimum. I have had to cut down on anything that involves driving for fun. I would rather stay at home, and watch movies. If you ask me what I am doing at home on Friday, or Saturday night, well, the answer is I am saving my fuel and money. I don’t have to pay for gas, food and drinks if I am at home so I chose the cheaper option. Whoever wants to hang out with me is welcome.
You may say I have been spoiled by living in America, but truth be told, I am grateful for the fact that I can still walk into a store and find what I want on the shelves but I am not happy that I have to leave it on the shelf because it has become a luxury. Life is fast being divided into wants and needs. I get what I need and what I want, well , I will get another time.
I believe America is headed for some serious challenges. We will wake up one morning to discover that America has filed for bankruptcy. The super powers need some super magic to fix the economy.
Hopefully, that will happen soon because I have to refuel again, and I am dreading it!
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READER OPINIONS
joe chihota • frowax@yahoo.com.uk Subject: zim sitaution self inflicted Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:01:15 • zimbabwe situation was created by zimbabweans not by mugabe.Removing the white farmers showed just how weak ordinary black zimbabweans had become.Its a wake up call for everyone...it was better mugabe took them off than ordinary zimbabweans who had become too reluctant to take them off.All university graduates who moved to england & america during the so called good times are the ones writing articles about zimbabwe.They had success on foreign soils but they didnt bring development back home...instead they come home driving fancy cars,flash jewelry & have multiple women in their hands!! All they had to do was lure investment & build more factories.Mugabe was never an issue...because he opened the door for zimbabweans in germany,england,sweden,canada,america, russia,china,japan etc but you couldnt read what he was trying to tell you graduates!!!Selling the country means unable to feed yourself & relying on some to the point that you will do anything for them.You lie on visa application that you are a asylum seeker,you exchange money on the black market & you've been abroad for more than 15 to 20yrs or more!! You did nothing for us!! Now you want regime change at your convienance.Change will come with acknowledgement you are criminal too! There is blood on your hands too!! Lets unite & forget the past & move forward now.Mugabe is 85 just let him be & embarass foriegn powers by solving problems over the table(which black africa has failed over the years) We know our culture better...start calling him VAMUGABE instead of gabriel!! Respect is in our culture dont forget that!! thats the only way forward ...if you are christian you know what i mean! if you are not use your common sense!!
Robert Simba Makoni • simbagroupusa@gmail.com Subject: The end is coming- but end of what? Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:36:01 • Politics has always had a way of messing things up especially towards re-elections or just basic elections.The general populace are always the victims and have to bear the brunt of it all. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The situation is America and the rest of the so called first world or economic powerhouses and liberators is just a wake up call, that as long as we continue to denigrate and disregard each other, there is always going to be conflict, verbal or physical. Guns or weapons don't kill people but people kill people. Its when we stand aside and do nothing as governments like those of Kenya, Zimbabwe and other third world countries continue the scourge of human rights abuse unabated, that we fail. People of Zimbabwe made a decision and went to vote for their choice but were not only robbed of that choice, they were beaten into submission. To submit that they made a mistake and are now being forced to vote again on Friday in the name of re-education.Ain't that salt in a cup of tea?
I believe there is a medical reason for Mugabe's actions.It borders on insanity and a bit of the so called bi-polar or MPD-multiple personality disorder. He believes he is invincible and irreplaceable. I am going to commit my research years at the medical school in studies such personalities. Perhaps one day i may save a country like zimbabwe from such leaders.The end to his antics is soon to come but the damage done so far has scarred us all for life.
To get back to the article herewith, the economies of the United States and perhaps Europe are going through a reactionary phase. What they are reacting to is still unclear, but l will soon sit down and write about it.The sad news is that it is still a long way from disipating. Tougher times are right around the corner so brace on and re-invent yourself. Its called psycho-evolution.
Goodluck!
Arthur Gwagwa • arthurgwagwa@yahoo.com Subject: Things are certainly changing Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:26:15 • The same credit crunch biting America is sweeping across Europe esp in the UK and Spain. I have parked my car for a month now and only drive it for necessary journeys. I wonder if its even worth paying insurance and road tax for it.
Gordon Brown was in Saudi Arabia over the weekend with a begging bowl asking for money. houses in London have hit the lowest prices in 20 years or so.
Yet Zimbabeans think our salvation lies in the West. We need to unite and work hard and not allow politics to divide us.
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