How have gas prices affected you?

It's ridiculous!! We have had to give our annual family out-of-state vacation. We enjoyed going to a different state every year and this summer we cannot afford the gas to go that far. I think as a nation, we need to pull together and find ways to take care of ourselves! Stop importing and exporting and definitely stop the financial aid to poor countries. The way this nation is headed we will soon be one of those poor countries and who is gonna help us??

Our 13 year old (192lbs, 5'4") will actually have to expend some energy to go get his Coke? Damn you liberals!

I use my electric golf cart around the farm as much as possible. To hell with Bush and his Arab buddies getting fatter at our expense.

A 13 year old @192 pounds and only 5'3"? I'd say there is plenty of untapped reserve energy in America that could be utilized. No need to worry about getting foreign aid.

Haven't changed anything yet and hopefully won't have to. As far as I'm concerned, government and "Big Oil" are going to do what they want and won't think twice about those American's that can't keep up with the cost. I mean really people, if you started planning a vacation last year and budgeted for 80 gallons of gas to drive say 2000 miles (25 mpg average), you're looking at an extra $100 between $2.75/gallon and $4/gallon. Doesn't seem like it's worth cancelling a family tradition over $100. Better come up with another excuse.

Well- we were going to take the family up to Rapid City, but not at $4/gal. We did though drive half that far and went to Valentine where the fuel was $4.03. OMG...

And on top of everything else, the state' three cent gas-tax increase goes in to effect today. :(

I bought a bike and have been riding it. I am losing weight and feel great.

I've noticed that you don't see as many fat kids on gas powered scooters driving around these days.

At least that's a positive!

Cancelling a vacation because of gas at $4.00 a gallon isn't an excuse and it's not just that $100 more that I would have to spend on my vacation. It's the extra money I have to spend to get to work and the extra money I have to spend to heat and cool my home (because natural gas, propane, electricity, and heating oil have gone up too) and the extra money I have to spend on groceries because the high cost of fuel to deliver the groceries to the store is passed on to the consumer. When the price of gasoline goes up everyone takes it in the shorts regardless of whether you drive or not.

More of the same... I wish he was a lame duck pres.

"There are four major reasons impelling Bush and Cheney to take this new military action in the waning months of their disastrous terms of office.

1. Oil. To keep control of Iraqi oil with Exxon, Chevron, and other major western oil companies, a major purpose of their invasion of Iraq, now forced on the Iraqi government they created.

2. Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq. With Iran retaliating, the U.S. military presence and large diplomatic/economic mission in Baghdad will be assorted to protect U.S. interests in Iraq, its oil, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

3. The Presidential Election. The best chance Senator McCain has to win the November elections is a major escalation in the war on terrorism, the terrorist threat becoming the greatest concern of voters in the November elections. Striking against Iran's nuclear sites in September could accomplish this. McCain's grandfather and father, both full Admirals, the first and only father-son to attain that rank, guided McCain to the Naval Academy and military career, backing for Rear Admiral, before political ambition diverted his career track to the rank of Commander-in-Chief. Obama has no military experience.

4. Bush's legacy. Bush is faced with a failed Presidency. He needs for however short a time to appear as the president who prevented a member of the "axis of evil," from obtaining nuclear weapons, as he proclaimed before. His celebration of some agreement with North Korea is designed to avoid recognition of the fact that it acquired and possesses nuclear weapons on his watch - and that leaves Iran alone on the firing line"

To Ridiculous: On top of the $100 difference that you state, people are also having to spend about twice as much on groceries as they did a year ago. With the cost of everything going up, that $100 really makes a difference in some peoples lives. Escpecially when a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck but still like to give their family some kind of a nice getaway.

Ridiculous, fuel prices don't bother you ? You must be one of Columbus' "Dime store millionaires" !$100 is alot of money to some of us !

What's a Dime Store Millionaire?

If you're living paycheck to paycheck, learn to budget your money and stick to it. Don't complain and blame everyone else for your inability to save. My grocery bill (family of five) is half what it was just a few months ago, get creative. If you're stretched to the limit, if you grow and raise your own food, if you don't drink or smoke, if you don't have cable or cell phones or other luxuries then I can see your point, but with the growing majority of people that's not the case. There's always room to tighten the budget.

I chuck cash from my car windows like it wasn't nothing. I go to the pump to pour gas from the spigot on to the ground. Gas could not be cheaper.

To Dave:
What is wrong with u? You probably have alot of money so u can just let the gas pour on the floor like it was nothing. Well for your information some people would love to have money to use that gas that u like to spill on the floor which i think is wrong by the way.

Yes, alot of us could manage our money better than we have, but how much thinner can we stretch it the way prices go up faster than our wages? And Columbus isn't the wage capitol of the world ! Oh, be sure to tell me to move if I don't like Columbus, it cost money to relocate too!

the gas prices suck major a-- i can bearly drive to work every day when i only get 15 mile a gallon

Oil companies have profit margins of about 8%, about 12% of the price of a gallon of gas goes to the government in the form of taxes.

Have you read about a millionaire a day in North Dakota. 400 billion vs. 650 billion in Saudi Arabia

Artificial crisis by L I B E R A L S

Isn't it interesting that the Democrats gained control of the US Senate and Congress and the cost of petroleum is getting close to $150 a barrel?

I understand that people who are making a payment on a new SUV and a payment on a nice large house miles from their work are feeling alot of hurt in the pocketbook. They have no one to blame but themselves if two or three years ago they were living paycheck to paycheck and today they can't mantain that lifestyle anymore.

I would like to leave you with one more thought, the first order of business for the Democrats when they regained control was to raise the minimum wage. Could some of the price increases we are seeing be the direct result of that?