Comp I

Summer is over and it is time for me to go back to school.  Having involuntarily taken a summer vacation (I forgot to sign up for classes) and previously having nothing but online classes, I had to clean out my backpack to prepare once again for on-campus classes.  My first class of my new school life was Composition.  I learned a lot about writing, all of which I have now forgotten and even saved all the papers I had to write.  Some of them are okay.  Most of them I had to stay within the boundaries of the assignment.  Focusing of different sentence structures and whatnot.  Here is one of my favorites.  It is suppose to be a persuasive paper.

High Gas Prices Must Stop.

by

Jared Brustad

Composition I

Gas prices in the United States are reaching a record high. Something has to be done, or they will continue to rise.  The average price of a single gallon of gas was $3.09 as of the sixth of November in 2007. That price has increased by twelve cents since two weeks prior. The rise in price has not just been happening in the past few weeks.  As of last year, gas prices have risen a total of eighty-six cents.  Also, $3.09 is nine cents shy of the United States all-time high set on May 18th, 2007. The biggest issue is that families' average incomes have been dropping every year since the September 11th attacks.  The increase in gas prices is a thorn in the side of most families that are struggling to make ends meet.  A change must happen soon.

The public taking advantage of their city's transit system could be one of those changes. Between buses, taxis, subways, and in some areas the light rail system, people have plenty alternate solutions other than their own cars. Taking one of these options to work or to the store every now and then would cut back on how much a person spends on gas a week. It would also stretch the value of gasoline throughout the United States.

Another solution would be carpooling.  This ancient mode of transportation can no longer be an idea of the past. Carpooling with coworkers to and from work can not only save you some money, but it can help build relationships as well.  If people were to work out a carpooling system between each other, then they could all be saving money.  Plus, instead of driving to work by oneself getting nothing done, a car full of coworkers can get the work dat started earlier and beat deadlines together.

There is also no reason that carpooling should specifically be for work.  It could be geared towards friends and neighbors as well.  People can organize all-neighbor trips to the local park or plan on Wednesday to be the day everybody gets their errands done.  All of these ideas would help bring down gas prices.

There is, however, one solution that topes them all - Put and end to NASCAR.  This idea is bound to upset NASCAR fans across the country, but statistics speak louder than words.  One weekend of races uses up nearly 6000 gallons of gas. Spread that over thirty-six races (the equivalent of one NASCAR season) and it totals nearly 216,000 gallons.  All that gas could be used for people who actually need it for life's daily routines.  Throw in the fact that fans, sports announcers, and even the NASCAR drivers themselves have to get to the racetrack for every race. NASCAR takes up to thirty percent of the country's fuel intake. 

 

Out of the three solutions that were proposed on what to do about high gas prices in the United States, ending NASCAR is the best choice.  Put aside the amount of gasoline NASCAR wastes on a yearly basis, the sport itself is pointless. It is more of a competition for mechanics that a sport.  Mechanics could compete in how fast they put wheels on cars without all of that driving around in circles.  In the end, without NASCAR more gas will be available to the public.  The sudden burst of ample gasoline will make prices decrease to a price more affordable to the average family.  To make cases eve better, NASCAR fans will be forced to find work.  This act will help solve the United States' unemployment situation.  Putting an end to NASCAR would actually kill two birds with one stone.

I got a B+.