What is the cost of driving from Easley to Greenville?

It is a question I posed last week on our websites in a fun little section set up for polls. In the polling section we try to get you to interact some and think.

Other recent questions have included: How many days will local schools close for snow? That one came the week of sudden cool weather when the air filled with the smell of winter.

Another had to do with the reader’s experience with someone who had suffered domestic violence. That one came at the beginning of October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month as we were kicking off a series of stories on the problem and solutions in Pickens and Anderson counties.

The poll on our websites track some numbers so we know how many readers view it and how many total numbers participate by answering in some way. At some point we will tally all the responses and provide those to readers but the real reason for the poll is to get readers to participate and think.

We are not professional pollsters, and considering the reputation of political pollsters, I’m not sure I’d want to be thought of that way.

We want to engage you in thought.

So, what is the cost of driving from Easley to Greenville?

The question is one that has occurred to many since the cost of gasoline has risen to nearly $3.50 per gallon on a regular basis. The poll, being a multiple choice option, suggests answers ranging from $5.98 to $35.36 for the question of the cost of driving to Greenville.

The correct answer is really up to the reader. The suggested solutions are all correct – depending on who you trust and whose analysis you want to consider.

If you go with the lowest number suggested as the answer then the calculation is based strictly on the cost of gasoline. The calculations range upward from there based on including various other associated costs proposed by engineering types who study these things for a living.

On the upper end of the scale – the $35.36 amount – includes gasoline, a tire and automobile wear and tear, insurance and taxes.

Another thing we want to suggest is that regardless of which answer you choose, you are spending more than you would to stay in Easley. So if you are driving to Greenville’s West End for dinner Saturday night – a fun thing – you might want to add another $15 to $35 to the cost of that $100 meal for you and your spouse.

Or you could stay in Easley and have a fun time supporting your neighbors at Starving Artist Cafe, Serendipity, Fatz, Capris, Ruby Tuesday, Outback or any number of fun, local spots.

Just a thought.

Check with the websites each week for a thought-provoking question. This week’s has us consider how long we have been without electricity, inviting us to consider the pain being suffered by our brothers and sisters in New Jersey and New York this week.