Life...

It's been over a month since we last posted.  There has been a lot going on.  Jim is back in school, and working extra, Kimberly's gotten a few teeth pulled, and the kids continue to grow.  Sophia is loving school, and Sadie has become one of the happiest kids we've ever seen.  She smiles everytime you look at her.  She just loves interaction, hugs, and conversations.

Posting from Windows Live Writer

Jimbo got a new laptop for school today.  It came ready with Windows Vista.  So, I'm taking some time this afternoon to get to know my new operating system a little.  First impressions?  I really like it.  It's similar enough to XP to not get totally lost.  It doesn't really feel like I'm learning a new operating system. 

Yet, Vista is way more intuitive.  Everything just makes way more sense, and that's proven out by how quickly I'm learning everything.  When I'm looking for a certain function, I look first where i think it should be, and 75% of the time that is exactly where it is.  I really like that aspect.  It also seems that they've taken strides in integrating the web with your desktop.  I'm currently posting a blog entry from Windows Live Writer, a blog program on my desktop dock that doesn't require me to open my browser and navigate to our family blog.  Instead, I click the icon and post.  The program does the rest.

Pretty neat.  

(more pics)

Sophias First Day of School

Hello All!

Just posting a couple of quick pictures of Sophia's first day of preschool! No, I can't believe she is old enough. And no, I didn't cry (almost) ;-) I'll reserve the tears for in a few years when the big yellow schoolbus comes to take her away! For now its just a few days a week and mom gets to drop her off and pick her up! Sadly, or not - depending on how you look at it, she has NO problem seperating from mom and dad to be at school. She is VERY much in her element and has loved it thus far! She is a very smart little girl, very social, sings nonstop, and seems to be a little leader already amongst her peers! ;-)

Also included - some bonus pictures of cookie making! She wanted to help me... I think that she was a little more interested in running off with the whippers at the end than the actual help though! Hmmm... just like her daddy! ;-)

Speaking of, stay tuned for pictures of DADDY'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL in two weeks! YAY DADDY!

Love - Kimberly

Does anyone really support abortion? This Christian's perspective...

The election is right around the corner, and it's a big one. Americans turned out in droves not seen in a long time for the Primary process. Here in Minnesota, the state secretary is expecting an 80% turnout of registered voters for the general election. This hasn't happened since the 50's. For as many new ideas there are about the important issues facing the nation, there are some very familiar rumblings that are beginning to get louder with each day.

For all of the focus on platforms, and “where the candidates stand on the issues” that we seem to be concerned about during the early parts of a political process, it seems that inevitably as an election draws near, certain voices begin to try to limit the “truly important” issues to only 2 or 3 choice issues. Almost anyone could guess which ones I am talking about: Abortion, and gay marriage. Of the two, Abortion always seems to be the hottest issue.

Admittedly, this issue is most often brought up by conservatives, or Christians. No, in this day and age they are not one in the same. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble. I am a Christian, but I have to say before I go any further, that this phenomenon seriously distresses me. Without getting too off topic, let me just say that I don't understand how a Christian person could so easily, and so profoundly choose one or two issues facing this country as “the moral issues”, or even “the most moral issues.” God was never ONLY concerned about unborn children. Jesus was never ONLY concerned about children, or only concerned about money, or only concerned about following rules. If there was anything at all, anything that Jesus was ONLY concerned about, it was the heart of man; something far more unlikely to be so easily turned into a platform.

All this said, let me explain why I've felt compelled to write. This has been a very interesting election cycle to be a part of, and I don't mean from a, “Wow, did he really say that?” point-of-view. What's been most interesting is the varying reactions of many of my Christian friends, brothers and sisters, around the country. It seems that I am seeing different ideas, different perspectives, and different reactions from Christians than I have seen before. The more liberal Christians among us have fallen where it could largely be expected. But, those who have more classically been conservative seem to land all over the spectrum. Still, there are those perpetually conservative Christians who spell “Christian”, r-e-p-u-b-l-i-c-a-n, and who think of Republicans more like the army of God than as one perspective amongst many.

A hot button issue

It is the voices of this last group that compel me to finally put thoughts to paper about this election and it's candidates, at least where abortion is concerned. Why? Well, I've gotten a lot of emails about Barack Obama from different Christian friends. Some of them claimed he was a secret Muslim, a fake Christian, a wolf in sheep's clothing bent on the destruction of America from the inside out. Some touted how he hated America because he wouldn't wear a flag pin on his lapel. Some called him a terrorist. Lately, those emails, videos, etc. have begun to drum up the classic abortion issue that always surfaces at about this point in the election cycle.

I've heard comments from people too. Last week, I posted an article on my Facebook page that I thought was interesting. It was an ABC news piece about how numerous items from Sarah Palin's RNC speech were completely untrue. One person responded sarcastically that they sure weren't going to vote for someone who supported abortions. And, that statement is the most interesting statement that I've ever heard floating around in conversations... ever. And it got me thinking.

Of course, understanding the platform of the candidate I intend to vote for a little better than the average Joe, my first reaction was to want to explain that there is a difference between supporting abortions and not being willing to make them illegal. I don't think that one infers the other. But, that is really only scratching the surface. The label of “supporting abortion” is thrown about with such ease and frequency. If you are pro-choice, you are considered by those who are pro-life to support abortion. Republicans love to tag Democrats with the label. Nothing energizes the conservative base more than a war against liberal, extremist, gay, baby killers. But, I really have to ask...

Does anyone really support abortion?

Seriously, is there anyone out there thinking, “Hey, abortion is awesome! I'm so glad we can do it. I think I'm going to go get pregnant just so I can have one!” Does any politician really feel that if they could just make abortions popular that the world would be a better place?

I think common sense would dictate an easy NO answer to that question.

So, where does this assumption that anyone actually supports abortions come from? I can't truly give a researched answer. But, let me offer these observations, void of too much detail for brevity's sake. First, there may not be a more divisive issue in politics. For whatever reason, one side claims to be justified on moral grounds. And, there isn't much more that is firm and unbendable than someone who claims to have the ultimate morality. I'm a Christian myself, so I feel safe saying this. If you are a Christian, you probably feel pretty firm that you are right about what you believe. No one is going to tell you otherwise. And, if you have the truth, that means anyone who doesn't believe what you do, doesn't have the truth.

Even this characteristic of firm belief is interesting, though. As modern American Christians, our firm beliefs in certain moral absolutes often drive us away from intelligent, thoughtful conversations on those very matters. On the other hand, in their day Jesus and Paul were more than happy to engage in a spirited debate on purported enemy territory in order to mutually arrive at a good and true conclusion (which was always the truth that Jesus or Paul held true). Paul, in particular, made a habit of having debates with polytheistic Greeks and Romans on their terms. Sometimes these debates ended in floggings or arrest, and other times they ended in a mass of converts to “the Way.” Why don't we engage thoughtfully in these conversations today? Why does the mere mention of the abortion topic illicit level 4 defenses going into effect? If we are so sure that we are right, why not have an intelligent conversation? For that matter, why do we have to be right anyway? Jesus and Paul didn't go around beating into everyone else's head that they were right. They went about preaching the truth, discerning the truth, and discussing the truth because their interest was in the hearts of men being reconciled to God, not with the ego's of men acknowledging their folly. I digress.

As with many of the hot button issues, abortion is often used as a fear tactic by opposing sides. Republicans drive billboard trucks around city streets with pictures of bloody, broken, aborted fetuses on the side and tell you that this is what you get if you elect a Democrat president. Democrats tell you that if you elect a Republican that you should never get pregnant. If the pregnancy goes south, and your life is at risk from continuing it, that you won't have any choice. You'll have to just die and your baby will be put up for adoption. You have no rights to your own body.

Here's a reality check. Democrats don't just want to kill babies, and Republicans don't just want to let you die and take your rights of choice away. Who ever came up with such preposterous ideas anyway? Here's a snippet of perspectives on abortion from the current presidential candidates:

“I’d love to see a point where Roe vs. Wade is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade, which would then force women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.”

“And if we can acknowledge that much, then we can certainly agree on the fact that we should be doing everything we can to avoid unwanted pregnancies that might even lead somebody to consider having an abortion.”

These are two quotes that offer positions on abortion, one from each of the current presidential candidates. I think you'd probably be surprised whose quote is whose. The first one belongs to John McCain; the second to Barack Obama. Regardless, nowhere in either of those comments do I hear any support for abortion anywhere. In fact, the sentiment from both candidates seems to be one of wishing for a world where we didn't even have to argue about abortion because no one was having one.

Here's some more reality about the abortion issue. First, it's not really about who supports abortion and who doesn't. It's a difference in the definition of what constitutes life, and which life is more important, that is more often the true issue with abortion. And, regardless of what your moral position is on abortion, this isn't an easy one to sort out. Consider this confession from Barack Obama:

“I think it's very hard to know what that means, when life begins. Is it when a cell separates? Is it when the soul stirs? So I don't presume to know the answer to that question. What I know is that there is something extraordinarily powerful about potential life and that that has a moral weight to it that we take into consideration when we're having these debates.”

Let's not forget

Something interesting seems to happen quite a bit when the abortion debate begins to rage. The actual people, the real faces that we are arguing over begin to fade into the background. We aren't arguing about them, but about who's right, and who's wrong. The reality is, if we are going to argue at all, we should be arguing over them. They are the real face of this issue. Obama isn't the face of the issue, McCain isn't the actual person we are talking about. The unwed mothers, the teenager who was raped, and the woman with no husband and no health care are the real faces. And, when we even try to talk realistically about these actual people and their actual situations, our political rhetoric doesn't seem to cut it anymore.

Abortion is not some simple issue, some clear cut line between right and wrong. It may be something that none of us want to see, but it's by no means an easy decision. The issue is messy, it's emotional, and it's painful. Even those who claim to firmly support the pro-life movement have a hard time with the physical and emotional reality of the abortion issue. When asked by Alan Keyes, in a debate during the 2000 election Republican primary, about a hypothetical situation where his daughter got pregnant and was considering an abortion, John McCain said that the decision would be up to his daughter but that they would have a family conference. When the abortion issue hits close to home, it's suddenly not an easy decision.

In no way shape or form am I attempting to justify abortion. I am as against it as the next Christian. Instead, my hope is that we can realize a few things this election year before we all haul off and start jeopardizing our friendships by slinging biased and baseless accusations about one another 's political candidate of choice, and maybe bring a reduction to the seemingly endless flow of false and inflammatory information flying all of the Internet, particularly amongst Christian folks. That said, let me make a few personal statements.

Some personal thoughts

First, no one supports abortion. No one wants to see babies killed, at least not anyone who doesn't belong behind bars. No one is out in society planning a way for us to have more abortions. Politicians and average citizens alike, Christians and non Christians alike would sooner have a society where abortions never happened. Our approaches may largely differ, but neither of us want to see babies killed.

Next, abortion is by no means the only issue in an election. Neither is it the most important one, or of the primary moral importance over every other issue that we could address. In fact, at the most base level, no Christian person should be able to separate the issue of abortion from the issue of capital punishment. Both arguments flow out of a difference in understanding of the sanctity of life, and proponents on both sides have their justifications for their position. Why don't we spend at least as much time talking about how we kill people who have committed crimes?

Further, there are a myriad of other issues that are equally important to talk about, and ones that Jesus had much more to say about. Consider poverty for instance, or equality, justice, and how we spend our money. If Jesus wasn't merely making suggestions with what he traveled the countryside teaching, then how our government spends our money, how we treat the poor among us, and whether everyone living here is treated with the same respect are all equally moral issues that need to be addressed, lived out, and fought for by Christians.

Very little “progress” on abortion has been made in the last few decades since Roe v. Wade. Every election cycle, someone brings up the abortion issue, which becomes a firestorm of positioning and accusation. However, rarely any real change comes from the promises of the election debates. Politically speaking, choosing a side on abortion is suicide. A politician is generally going to alienate 50% of the population over an issue they aren't so sure about themselves.

Moreover, there isn't a candidate for president in this election who has a consistently pro-life platform or voting record. Obama voted as “present” on numerous abortion legislation votes in Illinois. McCain failed to vote on pro-life legislation that he supposedly co-sponsored, and failed to vote on a piece of congressional legislation stating that Congress agreed with the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the scare tactics, the pictures of dead fetuses, the screaming slurs between pro-life and pro-choice supporters, the emails concluding with a not prayerfully submitted “God help us if this guy gets elected” don't help anything at all. They don't get to the bottom of the issue. They don't solve any problems. They don't create space for courteous and intelligent conversation. People on opposite sides of the issue can scream at each other all they want, until they are blue in the face, and all it serves to do is more staunchly polarize the other side.

That is not our call as Christians. Instead, we are to love people, even our enemies, to seek the good of mankind, to offer hope and good news, to introduce people to Jesus' love, not to cast judgment for him. So here is a thought. Let's drop the ridiculous accusations and name calling of past election cycles that Christian people get so easily wrapped up in, and let's seek some real solutions. As the pastor at our church said last Sunday about a completely unrelated issue, “Stop having church, and learn to do good!”

I'm not necessarily against abortion legislation. But, I also don't think it would be that effective. We wouldn't tell an alcoholic to “just stop drinking” as a solution to his problem. And making drinking illegal would help him either. That is because drinking isn't the problem, but instead an indication of a problem. Whatever that alcoholic is running from that drives him into the bottle is the problem. And if we merely take away the poor man's outlet, we'll never solve his problem. Instead of fighting over which candidate is more pro-life and therefore somehow the preferable Christian candidate, or calling someone's salvation into question over their understanding of one single moral issue amidst thousands, how about if we really become the church and do something constructive about abortion? What if we looked at some of the contributing factors and started working on those?

I heard a pastor tell a story one time that I am about to butcher, but the profundity is not lost on me despite my fading recollection of the intimate details. He told a story of a group of missionaries that were visiting a village of native people in a forest somewhere, maybe in South America. They were learning the culture and making friends with the native people. One day, they heard women screaming from down at the river where they washed their clothes. When they went down to see what was going on, the women were frantic because there were bodies floating down the river. The bodies were those of some of the village children. The women screamed for help, trying to recover the children and save whichever ones they could. Many men rushed into the river to help, but a few began running up the shore. “Where are you going?” the women asked. “We need help saving these children!” The men replied, “We are going upriver to see who is throwing them in, and to stop them before they throw in anymore!”

Maybe, we could try to see what is contributing to abortions, and go up shore to see how to stop it, instead of making enemies of our brothers and sisters over how to save those who are already floating in the river.

One of "Those" Days (in a good way!)

So today has been "one of those days"... but in the good category, not the other!

Just taking a moment - albeit a quick one - to Thank God first, and family for all the blessings we are in the midst of right now! Two beautiful girls - one with so much intelligence, a spirit of fearlessness and adventure, and cute to boot! God quite literally has placed a constant song in her heart and she has no problem sharing those songs with us all day long as she goes about her business (and by business I mean play!) The other little one, sweet as can be and so much the cuddle bug! Starting to smile, and she even let out a baby-sized laugh this morning! A husband who is heading back to school - with much intelligence all his own, but intelligence he has never indulged in quite this way! Stepping out and challengeing himself, trusting God and being obedient to what he feels God asking him to do as the head of this home (let alone just as an individual!) Add to that financial provision directly from God's hand (THANK YOU to the person/people who have blessed us immensely with their generous hearts... you know who you are and your love and support cannot possibly carry a pricetag!) We have a home, my husband has a steady job, we have food on our shelves. And the icing on the cake for me personally today (at the risk of sounding trite!) ...I got four and a half consecutive hours of sleep last night (thank you God AND Sadie) which is more than I have had in over four months! And then got to wake up this morning to what is an AMAZINGLY gorgeous fall day... sun is shining and a slight chill to the breeze that is blowing. I cannot help but to find my heart in wonder and amazement as I allow myself to savor watching my children play today, in the sun-drenched, green grass in our yard while I sip slowly on my third (fourth?... okay fifth) cup of coffee of the day!

Yep, guess its just "one of those days"...

Love, Kimberly Joy

Step One: Decide, Step Two: Take action...

It's time, finally... I think.  I've dreaded most aspects of my job everyday for the last 12 years.  Most days there are only a few things that get me up and off to work:  family, money, benefits, and retirement. 

Before I met Kimberly, i missed a lot of work.  Literally, i probably took almost a day a week off.  Looking back, it's surprising i was able to keep my job.  Still, after Kimberly and I got engaged, my attendance at work picked up quite a bit, and even moreso after we got married.  Since we've had Sophia, I almost never miss work, even when I am sick, or sore, or whatever.  It's not that i don't love being at home with my family, but that an innate sense of responsibility grows in a man with each step from marriage on.  At least, that's what I think. 

But, I hate going to work most days.  It's not terrible.  It's a very well paying job.  I got in with merely a high school diploma.  It's afforded us a move to Minnesota, food and clothing for 2 adults and 2 kids, 2 cars, and a townhome.  It's got some of the best medical benefits available, and good retirement.  It's pretty secure, too, so i don't have to worry too much as the job market fluctuates.  So, why would i be considering leaving? 

I've got no logical answer for this question, except this:  It's not my heart's desire.  It sounds stupid to some degree.  Who cares if your heart is in it, right?  The money is good.  But, as someone who's been doing this for 12 years, i can tell you with conviction that doing something you love goes much further than the money you make doing it. 

I've pondered a career change, returning to school, doing something i WANT to do for a long time.  The the ponderances usually result in the same thing.  I think of all the reasons why I can't do it, or why it doesn't make logical or financial sense.  Then, I decide to keep plugging away doing what I do. 

A lot of things have converged on me as of late.  This would be a mile long post if i detailed them all.  The short story is that I've felt led to choose to make some changes... NOW. The daily burden of doing work that doesn't float my boat has had it's effects felt in the rest of my personal and social life for too long. 

Step One:  Decide what to do.  I've had 3 things rolling around in my head and heart for years.  No matter the myriad of extraneous ideas i come up with, i always relegate myself back to these 3 things:  Computer Science, Meteorology, and Seminary.  For whatever reason, Seminary is at the bottom of that list.  I love Jesus and all, don't get me wrong.  It's just something i can't get to consistently right now in my heart.  On the other hand Meteorology and Computer Science are daily hobbies (read:  EVERY day).  Which to choose?????

If you know me, you know that this needing to decide has been cause for me to shrink back and continue in my daily mundane work far too many times.  I can't make a decision, and I get afraid to make the wrong one, so i just choose to forget about it... for a little while anyway.  Well, it was time to make a decision once and for all.  My first immediate gut response was to choose Computer Science.  So, without telling Kimberly I decided to look into things (I didn't want to get her excited if i was going to shirk the decision again).  I settled on the Minnesota School of Business.  I am going to finish an Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology, and then go from there. 

In retrospect, it's a sensical decision from a logistics perspective.  If i decide i want to do Meteorology later, I'm still in good shape.  All the good programs want a background in Computer Science, as most of todays forecasts are computer model generated.  If i decide to carry on with IT, I can get a bachelor's degree, and i would tentatively focus on Internet Security ( I want to hack hackers!!!). 

Kimberly is jazzed, not just that i decided i wanted to go back to school, but that i've begun to carry out Step Two:  Take action.  I met with an Admissions rep. on Tuesday.  Kimberly and I prayed and discussed on Tuesday night.  Both of us feeling a strong conviction to proceed, I applied to the private business university on Wednesday, filled out my Financial Aid packet from the government, and began studying for the assesment test.   I have appointments for financial aid and assesment testing next Tuesday, after the long weekend. 

So, the ball is rolling.  I am excited, and so is Kimberly.  But, it's scary too.  There are so many variables that are left to be figured out in the years to come.  All we can do is trust God to guide us as we do the hard work of obeying and trusting.  I guess it's advernture time again!!!  Now, on to Step Three:  Hope.  I always seem to have the hardest time with this one...

Family Life

Hello All!Its the mama bear here for an addendum - if you will - to Jim's previously posted "sleep deprived" family life update from yesterday!  ;-) All-in-all, we really cannot complain.  We have two VERY beautiful girls in our little family!  Albeit one of the beautiful girls has more energy than a solar flare and the other beautiful little one has no sleep schedule to speak of... we'll let you guess who is who!  Fall is in the air literally just within the past two days!  There is this sudden transition you feel where the mornings and evennings feel very cool compared to the "dog days of summer".  School starts in two weeks. Oodles of school supplies line the aisles of our favorite stores!  The corn fields are ready for harvest (just about) and THAT is always a trademark sure to remind you that fall is on your doorstep!  At least, in the midwest it is!   This fall for us brings some obvious changes (a new baby).  But it also brings some other changes: Sophia starts preschool the first week of September (no, I cannot believe that myself!)  Jimbo is actually taking that next step for school himself and is amidst the registration process (WAY TO GO BABE!  I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!) Kimberly is learning to love being a mom all over again... and though she has many days where she feels "antsy" for more... she is learning that this time with little ones under her watch and care is a very precious time that goes all too quickly and then is gone before you know it!  Being a parent - mom OR dad - is truly a high and lofty life calling.  A mission like no other... and deserving of the best we can offer.  In the mean time, I have had MANY requests that we get some more photos of Miss Sadie Joy up on our blog... so here ya go!  ENJOY!  Love - Kjoy

Up to Speed

Its been a whirlwind last 4 weeks since i blogged up a storm after Sadie's birth.  It was a fun time, blessed, and calm.  The hospital staff couldn't have been better, and Sadie was healthy and happy.  Sophia took incredibly well to being a big sister (phew!), and we headed home with little complication. 

Some things have changed in the last month, and some hasn't.  Here is a short synopsis to bring everyone up to speed:

Sadie had a great first couple of nights home, with a couple of 3-4 hour sleeping stints during the night.  Kimberly and I were excstatic.  Could it be that we were going to have an easy child after so much difficulty with Sophia?  Sorry Charlie, not a chance.  God has seen fit to bless us with another fussy child.  But, the upside is that she isn't quite as bad as Sophia was.  After 3 different formulas, breastmilk from the tap and from the bottle, and a prescription for baby Prilosec, i think we are reserved to the fact that the only thing that will ease the fussiness will be time. So be it. 

 

Sophia is STILL a really great big sister!  She has, for the most part, become one of the most well behaved, respectful, and thoughtful children i know.  Is it possible we did something right?  She finished her first year of gymnastics class this last week, complete with their own Olympic style medal ceremony and podium.  And, she got a free little kid bike from her auntie Julie, who picked it up off the street from someone who was going to throw it away.  Thank God for secondhand stuff, huh?  She is, as always, eager to learn to ride it and doing a good job of it.  

 

  

Kimberly and Sophia are increasingly making forays out of the house as they get used to having a new member of the family to corral.  This week, they went with our neighbor from across the driveway, Auntie Lisa (as she's been deemed by Sophia), to the White Bear Lake farmers market.  They had a blast!  

 

As for me, I'm getting along.  Everyone here is sleep deprived, and we haven't been to church in a month.  But, we're adjusting.  We are going to church as a family for the first time tonight.  It's a new church we haven't been to before that is 5 minutes from our house.  Try that one on for size!  We haven't been to a church closer to home than 30 minutes in the last 3 years.  Other than that, I'm meeting with some admissions people at the Minnesota School of Business this week to look at going back to school to finish my Associates degree, for starters.  I'm looking at Computer Science. 

Lastly, life in Minnesota is moving forward.  Thursday was the opening of the State Fair.  It's a very big deal out here, and I happen to love it (read:  love eating my way through it).  In years past, it's been in the 90's and humid and stormy for the fair, but this year fall is already rearing its head.  Today it is 75 and breezy.  It was very cool this morning.  I love it.  This might be my favorite time of year, tied only with Winter, Spring, and Summer. 

Blessings!

Why is that #1: What is wrong with this picture?

So I've had a lot of questions rolling around my mind lately that I'd like to explore, like why you see the brakes of a car almost constantly, and not the spokes, when you are driving on the freeway. Why isn't it the other way around? I'm compiling a list like that, but that list starts out with 3 or 4 questions about gas, and it's price.

So I started looking today. Questions aside, i made a couple of observations, that while not surprising because we've all suspected it, are still startling and disgusting, really. Take a look at the chart above and notice a few things:

1. The last time oil was at or about $120 like it is now, was in April-May of this year. At the time, gas was selling here in the Twin Cities for an average of $3.45, not the average of $3.60 like it is now. 15 cents higher for gas when oil is the same price? What is the problem here?

2. Comparing the charts is troubling. You'll notice that the red line (oil prices) rises AND falls quite rapidly. There are quick spikes, and quick falls. On the other hand, look at the blue line (gas prices). Notice that the spikes upward are very quick, corresponding with the spike in the oil price. But, the drop in gas prices is much, much more gradual.

For instance, look at the period 12/24/07- 01/31/08.
On 12/24/07, oil was at about $92.50 and gas was at about $2.80. Notice that the price of oil spikes up to about $99 over the next week. Gas prices rise accordingly, to about$3.00-$3.05.

Right about 1/11/08, oil drops back down to about $92. But, the graph shows that gas came down much slower. On 1/11/08, when oil was back at $92, gas was still selling for around $2.95. That's 15 cents higher than it had been selling 3 weeks earlier at the same oil price.

Analyzing the chart quickly shows very quick spikes in the price of gas that accompany spikes in oil prices, but very gradual and slow decreases in the price of gas.

What is going on here?

As the skeptical consumer I am, I can only assume 3 things.

1. This gap in the dropping price of gas is where oil companies make the most money. Think about it. When gas prices go up $.20 over night, what do you do? If you are like me, you wait as long as possible to fill up to see if prices will come down, or you keep you eye open for that gas station that is $.05 cheaper than everyone else. And when you find that station, how do you feel? Like you found a deal, probably. For those who are holding out for the prices to drop, the oil companies keep the prices higher as long as possible so that you will have to fill up at least once at the higher price. If everyone stopped filling up for a couple days every time the price of gas went up, causing the demand for supply to go down, bringing the price of oil back down, the oil companies wouldn't make ridiculous profit on the higher price, because everyone would be able to wait a couple of days for the prices to come back down. This way, they make huge profits for weeks to come after a spike in the price of oil.

2. The "2 steps forward, 1 step back" principal. Kimberly and I talk about this a lot with our own finances. We pay off a big chunk of debt, then something breaks and we have to buy something we weren't planning on. Our solace is that while we've taken a step backward with the unexpected expenses, we are still taking positive steps toward getting out of debt.

This principle plays well for the oil companies on the flip side as well. Every time oil prices go up, the price of gas goes right up with it. But, if gas came right back down with the price of oil (like it should), then oil company profits would never change. They'd be up with the price of oil, and down with the price of oil. By staggering the drop in gas prices, they take 2 steps forward and one step back with their profits.

How? Look at what I already mentioned. When oil prices go up, so do gas prices. But when they go down, gas takes longer to fall, such that, as shown above, gas actually sells for $.10 to $.20 more than it did the last time oil was at that price.

There's money to be made there, but it's a two-fer because we are programmed to expect gas to go up with the price of oil. So, if in theory, oil companies raised the price of gas, let's say, $.20 for every $5 increase in oil, they'd be making an extra $.30 the next time oil went up another 5 dollars. They would raise the price of gas $.20. But, the price of gas is still selling for $.15 higher than it should be because the prices are coming down much slower. And the next time oil drops down to the original price, the gas price only drops $.05. This means that they are now making $.30 more than they should be if gas were responding directly to oil ($.15 from the oil cycle, and $.15 from the second one). You can see the ladder effect here. The oil companies make an escalating profit margin with each oil price cycle.

Most consumers are none the wiser because we are programmed at this point to expect gas to go up with oil, and oil is so volatile, none of us have the energy to keep up with the ups and downs. Besides, by the time gas prices come down, we've forgotten what they were before they went up.

3. The psychological factor. Obviously, there has been some psychological manipulation in every factor thus far, but this one is the most obvious: Every time prices come down, we feel a sense of relief. I've heard people talking this week about how exciting it is that gas is down to $3.50. Really? While that is nice, it's not nearly enough. It's already way overpriced. When Kimberly and I moved to the Twin Cities in July of '05, gas here was $1.95. And, it had been hovering around the $1.50 mark for the 2 previous years. Remember that? But, by bringing down the price, the oil companies give consumers a false sense of relief while they continue to take ever larger amounts of their money.

How's that for a positive spin on things?