This is in response to Janet Page's letter "Skyrocketing gas prices halt travel" (SN 5/18). Three words: quit yer whinin'! Some of us travel more than 1,800 miles a year for leisure and work and have no plans on stopping as gas prices fluctuate but steadily increase faster than the admissions grade-point average into the Eli Broad College of Business. Granted, we might change our driving habits a bit, but for the most part, we will still drive, and we will still pay for such a privilege.

I'd like to know what the correlation is with a person spilling a gallon of gas in Hong Kong and rising prices in Michigan. I highly doubt that someone in Hong Kong would be so apt to spill their gas; they pay beyond the equivalent of $5 for just one gallon. Gas companies are crooks?

Since when was it a crime to do smart business? The average vehicle today gets better fuel economy than those of the past, and we drive more miles than ever as a society. It's a simple reaction to market demand, one that always picks up with the summer season. This market is full trucks, minivans and sport utility vehicles which weren't purchased with fuel economy in mind. Dodge reintroduced its trademarked Hemi engine and marketed it as a powerful truck. I believe the tagline was "Hey does that thing have a Hemi? SWEET!" and not "Bummer, what a gas guzzler!"

Last I checked, the Ford F-150, the best selling full-size pickup of all time, started at just more than $22,000 and runs up to $30,000 fully loaded. You're the one complaining about $2 for gas?

O. Daniel Rodriguez
hospitality business senior