[Richard Kimball]

As a reality check, compared to inflation, gas hasn't gone up that much. Taxes have increased, but a 1960 dime has approximately $2.64 worth of silver in it. At 14¢ a gallon, it would come out to about $3.30 a gallon. I remember working for 75¢ an hour, although that was in 1969 and I was doing unskilled work.

In 1960, the average national salary was around $4,000. Today, the average salary is around $41,000. In terms of purchasing power and wages, gas is up slightly, but not as much as we tend to think.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Ordinarily during 1954-55 regular gas was around $0.19 9/10 to $0.21 9/10 if my memory serves me correctly. The $0.13 price quoted was during a “gas war.” I worked in a restaurant next door to a standard station and made $1.00/hour as a bus boy.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

According to the inflation calculator at the Federal Reserve Website for Minneapolis, $0.20 in 1954 prices comes out to $1.64 in 2011 prices. We are getting socked for gas.