Here's what they could do about the high cost of gas......

Well, you are offensive.

And I don't particularly like my SUV (it isn't even close to what I wanted), but I need a 6/7 passenger vehicle. When I'm done paying for any new car I bought this year I'll be 53. I've already owned 2 minivans already and have NO desire to drive my third when I'm 53 years old.

Until the car makers can give us what we WANT, we have to drive what we can.

And a mint '74 Estate Wagon won't get any better mileage and it doesn't come with a warranty, so that option is off the table.

 

Its all Bull S***! they are sticking it to us every chance they get and fabricating stories to make it sound like we dont care about the gas prices.!!
where do they get these polls that say it wont be until gas hit 4.50 a gallon that we will be bothered?? then you read that no one is curtailing their driving or complaining about prices yet!
everyone I know is doing everything within their means to use less gas, drive less etc.
the damn oil companies dont only have the politicians in their pocket! they have the media in their pocket also.
they fabricate whatever story they want to make it look like WE are the cause of the high prices
this gas price subject makes my blood boil!!!!
it should be illegal for oil companies (any company for that mater) to lobby our goverment for anything !!!
make the politicians pay their own way and gain favor by their own merit instead of being bought by big business at our expense!! Im sick of it all!!!

 

canada has sufficient crude that we donot need to purchase crude on the world market. we need refineries but it takes 10+ years to pass all the environmental studies & red tape. fortunately, shell oil will be constucting a new refinery in sarnia soon.
the canadian & american governments have an agreement the canada will not sell crude in our domestic market for less that we sell to the americans. in my opinion, we need to scrap that agreement. $1.12 /litre this am in windsor or $5.04 /imperial gallon.

 

Many good and correct ideas here.
When are we going to get off our butts and do something about it.
We put these people in office!

We must get back to the Republic this country was founded to be to preserve our way of life or we will slide either into anarchy or tryanny.

We whine and complain and say we can do nothing? I beg to differ.


The following is from our own declaration of independence:

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them (we the people) under absolute Despotism, it is their (we the people) right, it is their (we the people) duty, to throw off such Government and to provide new Guards (leaders in gorernment) for their (we the people) future security."



We have to start referendums to "THROW THE BUMS OUT".

How many of our leaders do you think we would have to remove before they said we'd better do what our constituents want? I'd wager it would not take long for them to come around to doing what is right.

Mikey

 

how about reverse collusion :idea2:

For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two
biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are
not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices.
If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow
suit.


D.

 

In my opinion here's how to lower as prices:
1. Stabilize the Middle East and Iraq (that means completing the War, Despite what all the dumb liberals say)
2. Provide tax incentives for new refineries
3. Don't impose "Gas Guzzler" tax. That's stupid this is a free country and if we want to drive a gas guzzler and can pay for the extra gas we can.
4. Hydrogen enters the economy as competition. Hydrogen is an extremely safe fuel that it actually safer than gasoline. If the tank failed the hydrogen diffuses into the atmosphere instead of a dangerous puddle on the ground. Ethanol is good start. But we need need to raise compression ratios for that:3gears:

 

Mikey, I'm so with you on these points, but there is a large group of people who say otherwise. (many of the baby boomers) the US is full of fat dumb and happy people who don't like change. Thats what makes this so difficult to do.

 

Oil is like diamonds-Not particularly rare, but with a supply chain that is tightly controlled and "policed" by too many folks that have an interest or stake in the success of the oil companies. Business will not look out for us consumers, it will do as business is designed to do--make more profits for its stockholders.

Plus we have bought so much stuff made in foreign countries at a rock bottom price that has caused much money to flood into their economies.(China for instance) Now these countries wish to expand and develop which causes demand to go up for steel and other resources like energy.

I don't see an end to this one until the oil companies have competition.

bummer for us.

 

It's not what "they can do" It's what we can do but aren't.

The costs to operate that Estate Wagon would be far less than a newer car with warranties and better MPG.

Vote Libertarian. It's what the founders of this country would do.

You know what their parents, the WW2 generation would have already done?
Drive less!
It pisses me off when I hear on the news that polls show that even at $3.50 a gallon people aren't going to change their habits!
Heck, the wife and myself made adjustment a couple years ago because of the cost of gas.

People like to compare the cost of gas to say a gallon of milk, or bottled water.
The difference is I don't buy 20 gallons of milk or water at one time, every week!

I agree things could be better in that department, but do you really think things would be any different with a Democrat in office?
When was the last time the Democrats did anything for the middle class?
They talk a good game, but have no interest in following through.
The Democrats in the MN Legislature all talked about how they were for the middle class.
Once in office, they spent most of this last legislative session trying to raise the gas tax by 10 cents! And most any other tax they could think of.

We need to start driving as little as possible.

Stay home this weekend!


:af:

 

Re: It's not what "they can do" It's what we can do but aren't.

Thats right dale, repub or dem...........just different sides of the same coin!!!

Keith

 

I dont buy from them!! but the sad part is allot of people that buy from the little mom amd pop station and think they are not buying from the big guys dont realize who is supplying the mom and pop stations.

 

Re: It's not what "they can do" It's what we can do but aren't.

everyone I know is driving less I dont knwo where they get those Poll numbers.!! the Oil compainies are behind it ! telling the media what to say!

 

It's not just the price of gas, but the huge profits the oil companies are posting that makes me think it is the oil companies colluding.

If the reasons behind the high costs were really refinery issues, wouldn't the oil companies profits remain somewhat level to previous years?
They say they are just passing the increased costs of production on to the consumer.
The money for these huge profits is coming from somewhere.

:idea2:

 

One of the problems is that about 10-15 yrs ago when everyone started buying SUV's, the GOV didn't change the mileage requirements of the manufacturers because they were "Trucks" not family oriented vehicles.

If the Gov. would have stepped up to the plate and seen that the trend was going to continue and pressure the Mfg's to improve the mileage think of how many billions of gallons wouldn't be polluting our air right now

....as for the big oil Co's reaping in quarter after quarter of record profits ?? The Board of Director's of each should be put in jail

 

It is not all big oil's fault. If you sold widgets for $.25 and sold all you could make you would raise prices to $.35. If you sold all you could make at $.35 you would raise the price to $.50. When you sold all you could make at $.50 you would raise it again and keep raising the price as long as you could that is a free market society. Now I don't believe everyone is like that, I know I would not gouge the public but we have become a greedy society as a whole.
Investors and CEO's want all they can get and we are dumb enough to let them. We had an "oil embargo" in 1974 that showed big oil that they could get away with it. We have not looked for an alternate and self sufficient fuel for 33 years. Who's fault is that?

To quote another post "FAT, DUMB AND HAPPY", that is until we are all speaking spanish or arabic.

Mikey

 

I would agree. And add to the list getting rid of the ridiculous mandates of having the excessive number of gas blends.
Until there are alternative fuels available across the board we have gasoline and that is a fact of life. If we want cheaper gas than we build more refineries and drill up North. If people aren't willing to do that than they can't complain about where we are at now.

 

Boy, do I ever wish we could have unadulterated gas again!

This Boutique fuel map is from 2004.

I'm sure a current map would be far more colorful.

 

Hmmmm interesting comments on the subject of gas prices. I have just had several conversations with family members and co workers on this issue.

This has also been discussed on this board several times in the past.

We live in the USA and its economy is based on capitalism. Price of products are determined by competition and supply and demand. No competition in any venue leads to charging what the market (us people) will pay. This is where we are at in a petroleum based economy as is the rest of the world. To cahnge that we need an alternative. That has not happened because we the people are dumb and just too happy to let the goverment clowns not to act in a responsible manner for our society. No nuke power, no new refineries for 25 years and no investment in mass transportation. That in itself would have been a starting point back in the first embargo of '73. Imagine what 44 years of responsible public policy would have done for us.
Thus no alternative exists today. That is because we the people did not force the issue.

Regarding the wind fall profit tax that has been tossed around the country numerous times when a particular price is considered "too high" in my opinion is wacky. Who determines what is excessive? The goverment bureaucrats, politicians or we the people? How and whom arbitrates such discourse?

If I made widgets and found out that at a certain level of "profit" my taxes would be appropriated by the "goverment" I would not exceed that income level. Thus no reveneue for the hungry DC monster.

How about if the "people" demanded that Federal and State goverment remove the tax on gasoline? In some states that would amount to .70 per gallon.

Something I never hear dicussed when talking about big oil is profit and profit margin. Big difference in what they mean. If the statistics I have encountered are correct then the major oil companies make about .07 gallon.
The Feds make 6 times that per gallon taxing a product they had no interaction in manufacturing.

So Mobil Exxon made 39 billion in profits last year. How many gallons of petrol did they sell at .07 gallon profit to arrive at that figure?

We have been paying more for a gallon of milk then gasoline for the last twenty years but I have never seen an incendiary headline or news report on that? Why would we accept paying more for milk than for gasoline?

As an American citizen and therefore a capitalist by birth I say no to wind fall profits or gaz guzzler taxes. If we do not like the price of gas do not purchase it. Pure and simple.

Here is a crazy thought for the V8 brethern..straighten out our "progressive" taxation switch and bait policies by reducing spending and allowing "we the people" to keep more of what we earn.

PS

I dislike the high fuel oil, gasoline and propane prices as much as anyone else. But unlike our esteemed elected "leaders" my understanding of these issues is rooted in reality. Not rhetoric designed to alarm the general population.

Flame away partners!

George

 

I don't think we need to be too complicated on explaining the situation, Bush is allowing all these profits because it is pay back to the oil industry which had a big part in helping him get elected. They can make all the excuses they want but to me it is very easy to see through the *@#$
He is a lame duck so he has very little worries.


Too bad the average person couldn't afford to go without gas for a whole month and prove a point, I wish I owned a company that made a product that everyone couldn't live without and be allowed to put a price on it so I could get record profits and not have the government do a thing. Reminds me of the insurance companies too. I'm all for a boycott!! :rant:

Steve

 

I'm not really allowed to comment on our current CINC, or my feelings about his policies.

Altenative fuels. Public transportation. Organized carpooling.

I personally feel that human nature is greed-based- the reason big oil won't drop prices is because they don't have to. The reason our government won't make them is because big oil supports (pays-off) the individuals that can make that change.

If I owned a grocery store, and someone was paying me (on the side) $100,000 a year to keep the price of milk at $4.00 a gallon, when I could sell it at $3.00 a gallon and still make money, what am I going to do? Probably sell it at $4!! More profit plus the payoff. Greed.

No one you elect will fix this. Everyone can be bought, its just how much it takes to buy them. A lot of people would like to say that 'if I was President I would' blahblahblah... isn't going to happen. The President is only one of many (hundreds) of people in this chain. Greed, my friends, pure greed.

So, until our country is public transportation based (Japan), and companies develop alternative fuels (non-dino stuff), and we, as a nation come together and use these transportation and fuel alternatives religiously (not gonna happen)- only then, will you see relief in your bank account.

My name is Bryan, and I approve this message.