We here on Maui have the highest gas prices in the country. I guess that’s the price you pay for living on a little island in the middle of nowhere, but it’s a little maddening when you hear the news that in the rest of the country gas prices are dropping continuously while here they go up with every piece of bad news but never down when things lighten up again.

A gallon of gas here is between $2.35 and $2.40. Prices went up to this level (from around $2.15) this spring when gas prices were spiking everywhere in the country. Since then prices have gone back down, while here the price has stayed at its high level. The prior spike came with the pre-Iraq War tension after which prices also mellowed but not here.

To make things worse I was actually on Kauai and Oahu earlier this year and gas in both places is considerably lower (around $2.00 and a little above) which clearly points out that the price of gas itself can’t be any higher to go to another island (especially when compared with the more remote Kauai). The government here on Maui is so corrupt and stale and has no pull on any local policies it’s pretty pathetic. Local business including the oil companies (and the ‘landlord’ A&B who own just about everything including all the shipping in and out of here) get away with everything without anybody from a state agency even thinking about investigating price fixing scams that have to be going on to keep gas prices at this inflated level.

Add to that the fact that the gov’t taxes the hell out of vehicles and worthless vehicle inspections every year. Over the last three years registration fees have more than doubled.

So there’s my gripe of the day… I suppose I shouldn’t complain – I don’t drive that much, after all the beach is just a few blocks down the street … still being taken for a ride (pun intended) in this way is frustrating especially when there’s nowhere to go and meaningfully complain…