As I’m driving down Glades Road, I hear a little beep. It’s my gas tank indicator letting me know that yet again, it is time to refill my tank. I don’t think I’ve fully filled my tank in a month or so. Every few days I put in ten dollars or so, hoping for the best. This amount of gas just doesn’t cut it. I find myself heading back to Hess in another three days. Soaring gas prices are nothing new for the community of Boca Raton, or anywhere else in this nation at the time.

I reminisce on only a little over a year ago when gas prices were around $1.50 a gallon. Those days are over and I can’t help but get a gnawing sensation in my stomach when I drive past the lit up sign for $2.39 a gallon – unleaded gas. There is nothing any of us can really do about the skyrocketing gas prices. We are at war, and I guess that is simply one of the downsides to the whole ordeal in the Middle East. But, is it really?

I got into a conversation with my friend the other day and we may have conspiracy theorist tendencies, but we think that these outrageous gas prices may be a hidden tool for propaganda by our government. Look at it this way. If gas prices were low right now, everyone would be happy. We would believe that nothing has changed and that there is an excess of petroleum.

However, if our gas is costing us an arm and a leg, we can’t help but be a little angered. Who is the cause of the rising cost? Why are we being charged so much? One can’t help but wonder if we are being manipulated into thinking that there is a shortage on petroleum or that big wigs in the Middle East are ripping us off, thus justifying our war effort in a way. I’m not saying this is true. I’m simply using my imagination to release some of my anger over having to whip out my credit card every few days simply to be able to move my car.

There’s nothing any of us can do but hope that the prices go down. As students, most of us must drive to work and, since FAU is a commuter school, to and from class. Because of this, many students are taking alternative routes and riding bikes or carpooling. If this isn’t the case for you, hang in there. Hopefully this madness will be over soon.