For those of us who live out in the sticks, the cost of gas is getting to be a pretty big deal.

It affects rural people more than city dwellers, mainly because so many of us have to make long trips instead of short ones.

Also, rural people earn less than urban people, so what they spend on gas is a much higher percentage of their personal budget.

Many people who live in Karnes County commute to work in San Antonio, Victoria, Seguin, etc. and the amount of money they spend on gas making these daily trips is a lot more significant than the amount of money spent by a city dweller who lives a short distance from where he or she works.

Let’s take a look at an example.

A person who earns $400/week at a job in San Antonio was spending about $60 per week for gas in 2005. That meant that what he earned – less what he had to pay to get back and forth to and from work – was $340 per week.

Now let’s look at today.

With gas prices double what they were in 2005; this same person is now paying $120 per week for gas used to travel to work. So now, what he earns, after gas expenses, has been reduced to just $280/week.

That’s a pretty significant pay cut – about $250/month less than what was going in his pocket two years ago.

That kind of dramatic impact on a person’s budget will change the way he thinks about a lot of things.

I think that there is a good possibility that a lot of people in Karnes County who have to commute long distances to work will either think about moving closer to where they work, or look at finding a job closer to home.

Unfortunately, in Karnes County, there are not a whole lot of jobs close to home.

I’ve heard some experts say that gas prices may double again over the next three years – jumping from $4 per gallon up to $8 per gallon, or even higher.

What then will be the impact of this on all of us and the way we live?

Are we looking at a future that will look more like the past?

Will we end up at the same place we were 200 years ago, living on a family farm, raising our own food and only traveling to town once a week by horse and wagon?

It’s kind of depressing to think about, isn’t it?

Not that there is anything wrong with this kind of lifestyle, but I think many of us will miss having the ability to travel as easily and conveniently as we do today.

One thing that gives me hope is the knowledge of how adaptable we are as a species.

Human beings have an exceptional ability to adapt, and change in response to changing situations. I think there is a good chance we’ll see much more fuel efficient vehicles developed over the next decade. I think we will find ways to do everything that we do without having to drive as much. Hopefully, there will be political change that will loosen the shackles of taxes and environmental regulation which I believe has contributed to the meteoric rise of gas prices.

It’s certainly a serious issue.

One that we all need to think about – especially those of us who live out in the country.