26 JAN 06: FINE AND DANDY?
The Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs issued fines against several gas stations Wednesday, for price gouging during last August's "panic at the pump." The only things these stations should be "jacking up" are cars with flat tires.
The most notorious example of price gouging in Columbus was among those punished by the state. A B.P. station on Buena Vista Road charged five dollars a gallon at the height of the panic - and seven dollars a gallon for high-octane. That was a day when "premium unleaded" truly lived up to its name.
The Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs fined the owners of the "B.P. on B.V." $2,000 for its five-dollar gas price. Huh - ONLY $2,000? This station could pay that off, with about 20 SUV drivers getting fill-ups.
It turns out the fine against Triple Star Fuels is in the midrange of what the Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs is issuing. Gas stations are being fined anywhere from $500 to $4,000. What did the top-end stations do - refuse to provide free car washes?
(An Albany convenience store also was fined $2,000 - "Homerun Foods #1." The managers tried for a home run, but wound up striking out.)
The Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs has received about 3,000 complaints in recent months about gas price-gouging. But at this point, only 66 stations have been charged with violations -- so apparently a five-cent overnight increase does NOT count.
The lowest gas price we've found in Columbus this week has been $2.21 a gallon, at the Dolly Madison bakery on Victory Drive. I think I've finally figured out how this place has such low prices. It doesn't sell tobacco, so it saves money on cleaning supplies.
While the state of Georgia issues fines for gas-gouging, oil companies continue to make a lot of money. ConocoPhillips announced Wednesday its 2005 profits went up 66 percent from the year before. I've wondered for years where the name "Phillips 66" came from....
Meanwhile, Georgia's Governor signed a bill Wednesday to confirm a three-month break on natural gas and propane sales taxes. Democrats in the legislature accused Sonny Perdue of taking only a short-term approach to high energy prices - and they have a good point. The tax breaks would end just in time for gas grill season.
E-MAIL UPDATE: We told you Tuesday about the lack of public access cable channels for local groups in the Columbus area. We've now heard from a fellow blogger in central Ohio, who's found a similar dilemma:
None up here either. The company that operated them went defunct a couple years ago. Tough to pay the bills when your service is free. I understand the desire to start low cost but every time I ever browsed through cable access there was usually some nut or a puppet show. Not sure that's really the venue to be on.
Hey, wait a minute here -- what do you have against puppet shows? When I was young, I was cuckoo for "Kukla and Ollie" instead of Cocoa Puffs....
(Hmmmm - "some nut" on public access cable?! Maybe this guy saw Jerry Laquire on WCGT after all.)
Now for other things we thought about Wednesday....
+ An afternoon trip down Victory Drive found several trees trying to bud near the Dolly Madison bakery. January has been so warm that I join these trees, in dreaming of an early spring - and rooting for the winter clearance sale on corduroy jeans.
+ The late news reported Advance Fast Tax on Second Avenue has reopened, 11 months after a police raid found methamphetamines inside. The report left one big unanswered question - does that tax office still have tanning beds?
(Some people living near Advance Fast Tax are upset about the reopening, saying it makes the neighborhood unsafe after dark. It's next to a convenience store, down the street from Valley Rescue Mission -- yet a tax office makes things unsafe?! Maybe its refund checks simply are too big....)
+ WRBL presented its first live report from inside the Opelika-Auburn News. But reporter Chris Sweigart sat quietly for about ten seconds, clearly due to a long delay in the audio. Hopefully they'll find replacements for the tin cans and string in coming days....
+ The Georgia House gave final approval to a "Voter ID" bill. Rep. DuBose Porter accused Republicans of rushing it through the legislature, to rig this year's election. The G.O.P. should listen to him - because Democrats rushed through a new state flag a few years ago, and they've lost seats ever since.
+ The Georgia House also approved a bill declaring every February 6 "Ronald Reagan Day." Several lawmakers asked why there should be a day for him, when there isn't one for former President Jimmy Carter. Someone should have quietly told these lawmakers Mr. Carter isn't dead yet.
+ Columbus State University split a basketball doubleheader with Georgia College and State University. Several Columbus Cottonmouths attended the games - but they had to be frustrated by what they saw. After all, you can't even hand-check someone in college basketball.
+ Georgia was jolted in men's basketball 81-52 by Louisiana State. L.S.U. led 50-19 at the half - and a few fans in Baton Rouge wondered if the Atlanta Hawks had shown up by mistake.
+ Instant Message to the driver who passed me with the license tag "KRIDDER": Do you plan to change that tag, if the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer gets a new owner?
FREE VERSE: The Ohio blog we mentioned above noted the other day that a suspected terrorism leader released a tape, in which he recites poetry. If that man can do it, so can I:
There once was a man named Usama,
Who seemed to like Barack Obama.
He tried to attack,
But the U.S. pushed back -
With soldiers based in Alabama.
It's called "free verse" because you didn't pay for it! To make a PayPal donation, offer a story tip or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.
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