Gas shock echoes across USA

In all sorts of ways, in every corner of the USA, the incredible run-up in gas prices is tearing into everyday life. Since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, gas prices in much of the country have soared past $3 a gallon. Six gas stations in Atlanta hit $3.999 Thursday. A few regions saw shortages and gas lines
On a more profound level, the secondary effects are starting to take hold. In Phillips, Wis., police officers walk beats instead of patrolling in cars to save gas. In Arkansas, attendance at a county fair dropped, the organizer believes, because people didn’t want to drive there.

School districts are holding emergency meetings about keeping within budgets. Businesses find themselves in a bind as trucking companies pass along rocketing costs of shipping. And many consumers say gas costs are cutting swaths out of their household budgets.

“If it goes up to $4 a gallon, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” says Robin Biesterveld, 38, a medical transcriptionist in San Jose, Calif. Thanks to gas prices, she and her husband have recently cut back on extras such as dining out and dry cleaning.

USA Today