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Kadie Surgenor Honors American Studies Mr. Wimmer 2/23/12
 * Summary: **The price of gasoline is skyrocketing in America, and according to experts those prices are going to continue to rise even more. There a couple of reasons why these prices are rising so much, one being that there are supply disruptions in some of the smaller oil producing nations. But it seems as though the main reason is that there is fear that all of the tension with Iran will lead to a war, which will cause a disruption in our oil supply. This exponential rise in the price of gas has caused America to be at its lowest for consuming that it has been in 10 years. If Americans think prices are high now, they are in for a shock if Israel attacks Iran, because if that happens oil could bump up to 150 dollars per barrel, which is over 5 dollars per gallon.


 * Relevance: **The changes in gas prices over time in the U.S has caused many Americans to become angry, but if the prices shoot to a record high like some experts expect, many things may have to change. The number of consumers may drop to an all time low, and that would not put America in a good situation. One point of controversy in this situation is that while the prices of oil are rising, the U.S continues to export it. In the past year the number of gasoline exports has tripled, while at the same time the price of gasoline has risen almost 50 cents. But with that this question keeps arising, what can we do? Well, president Obama might be able to stop the exports by using the War Powers Act, like the U.S did during World War II. The rise in gas prices affects all Americans, but although there will be a lot more conservation of gasoline, it seems as though most Americans will be forced to condone the high prices and continue doing what they’ve been doing. All in all, the change in oil prices is a huge economic transformation, but not necessarily a good one.


 * Reflection: **While there are some things America can do to help the problem of rising oil prices, such as stopping exports by using the War Powers Act, at the same time I feel as though once summer hits and you pull up to the gas station and gas is $4.50 per gallon us Americans will be left with no choice but to pay the price. Since according to experts the tension with Iran is the biggest factor in why oil prices are rising, if America really wanted the prices to go down Obama would find some way to end those tensions to let the oil prices decline back to where they used to be. Unfortunately, I realize that it is not that easy for tensions within two countries to be eased, which is why this problem of feeling helpless when it comes to gas prices getting higher arises. Some analysts have said that gas prices could reach even $5.00 per gallon, and when that happens there will be a lot more conservation. Americans will be trying to save as much gas as possible so they aren’t wasting away so much of their money, by doing that they will most likely carpool with others, or trade their car with their bike for a day. America as a whole has been trying to conserve more over the past years because of air pollution and other factors that could contribute to global warming. So although the raise in gas prices will be an extreme inconvenience, the one positive thing it can do is push Americans to start conserving more.

"As gas prices rise, should US oil industry stop exporting? - Yahoo! News." //Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. []. Hargreaves, Steve. "Fear of Iran is inflating gas prices - Feb. 23, 2012." //CNNMoney - Business, financial and personal finance news//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. [].
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