The Mount Morris Township Beacon & Bridge gas station had traffic backed up nearly a half mile to I-475 today as it rolled back prices to $1.84 per gallon for the first 150 motorists.
The gas station announced early today that it would host a gas rollback event for the Americans for Prosperity-Michigan’s “Obama’s Failing Agenda” bus tour. The group said that the $1.84 per gallon price reflects the cost of gas in 2008, before President Barack Obama took office.
Hundreds of cars lined up to get a piece of the savings, but
the group had to turn away as many people as got the discounted gas. Motorists came from as far away as Washtenaw County to get relief from state gas prices that are hovering around $4 per gallon.
“This really presents an opportunity to get cheaper gas than we’ve been getting for the past couple of years,” said Darius Langston, who drove from Ypsilanti. “I came here with my mom, who brought her car, and my dad, who brought his truck. We’ll be saving $90 by filling up all of our cars today.”
Scott Hagerstrom, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Michigan, said that the event was held today to show people that there is a way to fight back against the gas prices and against politician’s unwillingness to provide financial relief for citizens.
“We really need to remind people about where we were just a few short years ago,” Hagerstrom said. “We’re really about limited government and economic liberty. We have the resources in this country to be energy independent and if we drill those resources it’ll mean great paying jobs for Americans and it will also increase the supply (of oil) and lower the price.”
Ryan Garza | MLive.com
Rebekah Johnson talks to a motorist about Americans for
Prosperity-Michigan'€™s Obama'€™s Failing Agenda' bus tour on Monday at
the Beacon & Bridge gas station in Mt. Morris Township during a gas
rollback event. The event had traffic backed up nearly a half mile to
I-475 today as it rolled back prices to $1.84 per gallon where the group
said reflects the cost of gas in 2008, before President Barack Obama
took office.
With more than 2,250 gallons sold at the discounted rate, customers saved $4,500.
Chris Levels, a Flint resident, said that he remembers of another time that a group did a similar gas rollback.
“I knew it would be this kind of turnout,” Levels said of the hundreds of vehicles in the Beacon & Bridge parking lot. “I went to one a few years back where they rolled it back to like $1.75. The event has no political impact to me. When you have a 24-gallon gas tank like I do, you don’t want to pay $4 a gallon.”
Despite the political agenda of the event, a lot of motorists said they came out only for the savings. Santita Drummer, also of Flint, was the first person in line, just after 11 a.m. She said that the group told her about some of its political policies, some of which she agreed with and some of which she did not, but that didn’t deter her from getting the savings.
“It’s all about the opportunity to save,” said Drummer. “I coupon and cut corners where I can. I didn’t know they were pushing a political agenda until I got here, but although I don’t agree with their agenda, I’m still interested in saving money. I talked to one of their representatives and he had some good things to say, but I don’t agree with their overall agenda and this savings won’t make me believe in their agenda.”
Mount Morris resident Monty Jackson said that he was glad he had the chance to make it out for the savings.
“I thought the event was over, but a friend of mine called me and said it was still going on,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity. I don’t remember when the last time gas was only $1.84.”
Gas station attendants and supervisors declined to comment on the event, saying that they learned of the event only this morning. The supervisor said that the owner was out of town and that he couldn’t comment on the promotion, but he did say that the gas station was not at all affiliated with Americans for Prosperity.
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