Gas prices

ryanjoachim

I keep seeing all these things about how it's Obama's fault that gas is as high as it is...

What was the price of gas when Bush started? And what was it when he ended?
Same for Obama.

This is an honest question.

Serendipity

Glad I got the Versa. Less than $40 to fill the tank! Woo hoo!

mhardy6647

Serendipity wrote: »

Glad I got the Versa. Less than $40 to fill the tank! Woo hoo!

Yeah, I feel pretty self-righteous every time I fill up the Fiesta, too. Let us know how your longish-term gas mileage is on it when it's all broken in and stuff :-)


Given the rate of inflation in the US since, say, 1970 - gasoline is still cheap.

Tour2ma

Google will set you free...
http://www.randomuseless.info/gasprice/gasprice.html

WilliamM2

Serendipity wrote: »

Glad I got the Versa. Less than $40 to fill the tank! Woo hoo!

I have the same size tank on my Protege. (13 gals.). It's not how much it cost to fill it, but how far it will go that matters. Sadly I only get about 25mpg, luckily I drive it less than 100 miles a week.

ryanjoachim

So it peaked to it's highest ever right after Bush left and as Obama was starting, which can't be contributed to Obama since he wouldn't have actually had time to screw anything up yet.

Interesting.

tonyb

Gas prices were roughly the same from when Bush took office 'till he left. Yes, they fluctuated as gas prices always do but they skyrocketed right before the crash of the markets then nose dived with everything else.

Also keep in mind Obama himself wants higher gas prices, the energy secretary wants prices to match Europes, and just a few days ago told congress he isn't looking to bring gas prices down. Sounds like nobody down there gives two craps about you.

Refineries and regulations are key here.

EndersShadow

tonyb wrote: »

Gas prices were roughly the same from when Bush took office 'till he left. Yes, they fluctuated as gas prices always do but they skyrocketed right before the crash of the markets then nose dived with everything else.

Also keep in mind Obama himself wants higher gas prices, the energy secretary wants prices to match Europes, and just a few days ago told congress he isn't looking to bring gas prices down. Sounds like nobody down there gives two craps about you.

Refineries and regulations are key here.

I believe the "thought" is the higher the gas prices are, the less we drive, the more alternatives (solar, battery, etc) look. I totally disagree with this thought.

I believe those alternatives do play a part in lowering reliance on foreign oil, but think opening up our own shores and approving things like the keystone oil pipeline will work much faster to lower prices on gas.

Guess we all know which person I wont be voting for this upcoming election

Serendipity

Funny how when I was looking at cars, two Chevrolet dealerships had a ton of unsold Suburban's and some used Hummer H2s for a great price.

But walk into a Honda dealership and you can't even get a Fit for much under list price.

heiney9

We have a glut of domestic oil right now because demand is down. We are exporting more oil than ever the short term issue right now is lack of refineries to refine our own oil. A side effect of lower demand here in the US has been to close some refineries that were almost idle or grossly outdated.

H9

FTGV

Our prices north of the border have increased 10-20 cents a liter in recent weeks but we can't blame Shiek Obama.

Serendipity

Some gas stations around here are already charging $4.99 a gallon for regular. And that's the cash price.

mhardy6647

Tour2ma wrote: »

Google will set you free...
http://www.randomuseless.info/gasprice/gasprice.html

That is freakin' dandy! So - we see a little real increase in price (inflation adjusted) since about 2002. Probably correlates with the emergence of the big emerging markets (The "BRIC" countries, primarily "I" and "C"), I'd reckon. The slope since 2002 corrected for inflation looks about constant (linear increase) except that little discontinuity associated by the great recession :-P

As to google setting us free - I suspect google's real game plan is to enslave us; but that's a topic for another thread :-)

tonyb

Yeah, some are outdated for sure, but regulations won't make it plausable or cost efficient to update them, so they close. Opening a new one too has so many hoops to jump threw and millions in costs to cover newer regulations, nobody see's it as a good investment. Not to mention the fight from the environmental wack jobs. Even Canada has to send their oil here to get refined and shipped back north which is why they pay up the nose too.

It's a vicious cycle, one side is agenda driven, the other profit driven. Two opposites working against each other with you footing the bill. The oil companies are in no hurry to open more refineries to sell their product cheaper, they know you need them. Government is in no hurry to let them either for obvious reasons. But they both know, we need gas/oil. Despite the dribble comming out of washington, they make a pretty penny on gas taxes.

I've said it before, government won't do with less. If oil went away tomarrow, you'd see a boat load of taxes come into alternative energies, pretty much putting your wallet right back where you started with fossil fuels.

nooshinjohn

Government largely getting out of the way would accelerate oil production, but also developement of alternatives as well. There have been solar and wind farms shot down because ov endangered species as well. I know in Indiana there is more wind power available than can be delivered to the grid because permits cannot be granted, for environmental reasons, to build the relay and substations to connect them.

We the people are our own worst enemy when we fail to hold our leaders accountable. We created this mess by sleeping on the job.

rebuy

tonyb wrote: »

Gas prices were roughly the same from when Bush took office 'till he left. Yes, they fluctuated as gas prices always do but they skyrocketed right before the crash of the markets then nose dived with everything else.

Also keep in mind Obama himself wants higher gas prices, the energy secretary wants prices to match Europes, and just a few days ago told congress he isn't looking to bring gas prices down. Sounds like nobody down there gives two craps about you.

Refineries and regulations are key here.

Absolutely right about Obama and energy cost. He also told us to expect electricity prices to "skyrocket" and power plants have already shut down due to DOE regulations. It's coming to you soon.

I gotta get me some food stamps now.

tonyb

It's bad enough trying to get 500+ clowns to agree on anything yet alone a majority of 300 million. When a common sense solution is put into gear, some group or activist Judge steps in to put the brakes on. Pretty hard to move forward under such hostile conditions. Thus nothing gets done, and costs skyrocket for you and me.

Looking for a nice sandbar to rent in the south pacific....can't seem to find one with cable tv though.

Incidently....thanks to my lovely state and the much touted new electric grid, my bill went up 60-80 bucks a month....yeah you heard that, a month. Me and the wife, thats it in a 2700 sq ft. house and my electric bill is now260-280 a month.

Ok, thanks for bringing up elecricity because now I'm pissed off. On top of that added costs, they doubled tolls here, thats an added 40 bucks a month for the wife alone. Water rates went up, almost double, car insurance added another 150 bucks for the hell of it. License and tag fees went up, gas is up, health insurance just said cough up 300 bucks more a month. Don't even get me started on grocery bills. Add all that crap up.....and wages are shrinking. Yet the moron in charge stands there and tells me what a great job he did saving me 40 bucks from payroll taxes while ruining social security/medicare to boot.

Said not to elect a chicagoan....but nooo, nobody listened.

michael1947

Yeah, I don't know about yous guys in Illinois. Things seem out of hand with cost. The train is EXPENSIVE, your gas is expensive and even a drive on your roads averages me 10 cents per mile...Indiana boarder up to Madison is $18.00 in tolls round trip (non-Ipass) and my Hybrid uses about $9.00 in gas for the same trip. As a retired guy Illinois would put me out of business...probably have to listen to Bose.

tonyb

Speaking of retired....the wife and I were just talking about that. We couldn't afford to stay in our house retired. We would have to move. Know what my real estate taxes are ? Get this.....7200.00. By the time I retire it will be well over 10 g's.

schwarcw

As we experience the highest gas prices in history, the President and the Secretary of the DOE want to raise taxes so you pay even more for gasoline? HELLO America! Is anybody home?

michael1947

Obama has less to do with the cost of gas than the majority of the members of this forum. As a group we likely use more electricity than the average person with all of our amplifiers and sub-woofers and on a computer all of the time. My electric bill is sitting in front of me, $84.61 for me and the dog and I'm thinking it way high, was 10 percent less this time last year, must be my new XPA-5 and HCA2200 sitting there making the meter spin.

If anyone here is driving a pick-up or SUV then you should bow out of this gas price conversation as supply and demand are the key factors in the price. My hybrid needs gas about every 3 weeks and sometimes it will take 11 gallons. A 3 ton SUV will use that amount in 3 days. Let's not get any further into this.

Mr. Sharpe

I'll be buying a Yaris soon. 38 in town 47 in the road. 11 gallon tank.

BlueFox

Just do a Google search on the subject. There is little a President can do, other than start a war in the mideast, to rapidly influence gas prices. Are you just trolling to spin up the usual suspects? :rolleyes:

tonyb

michael1947 wrote: »

Obama has less to do with the cost of gas than the majority of the members of this forum. As a group we likely use more electricity than the average person with all of our amplifiers and sub-woofers and on a computer all of the time. My electric bill is sitting in front of me, $84.61 for me and the dog and I'm thinking it way high, was 10 percent less this time last year, must be my new XPA-5 and HCA2200 sitting there making the meter spin.

If anyone here is driving a pick-up or SUV then you should bow out of this gas price conversation as supply and demand are the key factors in the price. My hybrid needs gas about every 3 weeks and sometimes it will take 11 gallons. A 3 ton SUV will use that amount in 3 days. Let's not get any further into this.

Supply and demand are key.....we have demand, and we have supply.....soooo?

Buying a gas sipper isn't going to bring the price down. The only thing you are saying by buying a gas sipper is that you accept the high prices because you think you can't do anything about it.

A 3 ton Suv ?? Those sheets of plywood will fit nicely in a Yaris or other small hybrid. How about those bushes, fencing, swingset for the kids, bathroom cabinets, doors, rolls of carpet,windows, and so on. Stuff a homeowner needs. Unless you could afford to pay someone to do it all for you, but then I suspect if you could, then the price of gas would be meaningless to you anyway. Lets not forget what the price of gas does to the trucking industry and everything you pay for on the store shelves, air travel, construction costs....which alot comes out of taxpayer dollars. Gas prices aren't just about you yourself saving a few bucks.

Airplay355

You just said supply and demand are key. Buying gas sippers reduces demand, increasing supply and decreasing prices. If you want to drive around in a huge SUV you should hope for more people to buy gas sippers so gas prices fall.

Not trying to chose a side...I drive a WRX and get 24mpg. Now that gas is more expensive I'll be taking the bus to work and riding my bike when the weather is nicer.

Mr. Sharpe

I drive a Protege5 and it gets about 24-25 in town. Gas could cost $20 a gallon and wouldn't change how people drive at all. when it was $3.99 down here, didn't matter one bit. people still drove 70 around the bypass thing where the limit is 50. people still drove 50 through town in a 35. but the same people still complain about the price of gas, that will never change.

nooshinjohn

Airplay355 wrote: »

You just said supply and demand are key. Buying gas sippers reduces demand, increasing supply and decreasing prices. If you want to drive around in a huge SUV you should hope for more people to buy gas sippers so gas prices fall.

Not trying to chose a side...I drive a WRX and get 24mpg. Now that gas is more expensive I'll be taking the bus to work and riding my bike when the weather is nicer.

In the case of what is happening now, I think it is entirely possible that pricing is being used to control the buying habits of the general public. We have been played like a fu@#ing Stradivarius by the left, the right and mega-coprporations for over 100 years. Thanks Ed Bernais and Woodrow Wilson, for the high art of mass-manipulation through propaganda.

Geobels taught us that if lie is big enough and you can get a bunch of quacks from the scientific community to back you up, you can pass off the biggest lies in the universe and people will believe it. That's exactly what global warming/climate change is, and the prices at the pump are just a way to get us to believe it.

Willow

I pay about $50 a week in gas for our Rav. Sometime more sometimes less. I don't like the hike in prices but what I hate is that they blame it on something all the time in the Middle East. We have some much raw gas in Canada that we could be very happy for a long time. Our problem is not enough refineries, so we ship crud oil out pay to do so, pay to have it come back and then pay profits and lots of taxes. The other thing I find odd is in the past couple years, they are able to forecast the price of gas the next day...WTF? thats like setting it ahead of time..... I wish there was a way we could buy gas in bulk when it is on "sale", just where to store it.

smglbrth

This is hilarious. All anyone really has to know is that everything goes up in price but your paycheck, most times. Think you just got that raise? How much more are you paying for insurance now compared to last year?

I don't like gas prices any higher than anyone else but..., all I remember is that when gas went up even 10 cents in the Bush years everyone was screaming he was an oil loving/in bed with the middle east, yada, yada. Now, when gas goes up 10 cents, a day, you don't hear squat. Well, maybe you do, "there's nothing we can do about it". Now we have a president who claims he is into renewable energy, which is fine but the results in prices are the same, or worse, especially lately. Anyone remember Al Gores home and how "in" efficient it was? Oh yes, my friends, they're all crooks no matter how you look at it...

shawn474

I own a pick up truck gas guzzler (2005 Nissan Titan) and a gas "sipper" comparatively (1998 Honda Acoord). I live 45 miles each way from my job. Why? I chose to raise my kids in the country versus the city where schools are better, we could afford some land, closer to family, etc. Its a decision my wife and I conciously made. I drive my truck to work at least twice a month just so it doesn't sit for months at a time. I never once complained about gas prices and probably never will. It won'tchange my driving habits, what vehicles I own or how far I choose to live from my job. IF it ever gets cost prohibitive to own one of my vehicles, I will look into other alternatives. There are groups of people who feel as though it is their right (not saying people here) to chastise those of us who pollute the atmosphere with our dirty and inefficient trucks and SUV's, while driving their hybrid Prius or Fit.

"If anyone here is driving a pick-up or SUV then you should bow out of this gas price conversation as supply and demand are the key factors in the price. My hybrid needs gas about every 3 weeks and sometimes it will take 11 gallons. A 3 ton SUV will use that amount in 3 days. Let's not get any further into this."

These are the statements that chap my A$$. Whyt exactly should I bow out of the conversation. Because you think you're right and it can't be argued. Who cares if your hybrid needs gas every 3 weeks. How much did that hybrid cost? When I was looking at new cars, the price of hybrids was insane. Is that hybrid going to tow my camper? Is it going to be able to help me with the remodeling of my home? Is it going to get me to the mountains to ski with my family? Let's not get any further into the discussion except to say to each his own. Theproblem with gas prices has LITTLE to do with how many trucks and SUV's are on the road. If everyone drove a hybrid, the cost of gas would go down, but the cost of the hybrids would skyrocket. Your logic is skewed.

And, btw, if you think gas prices are the only thing that is going up, look again. Check out your medical insurance premiums, property taxes, sales tax, income tax, etc. It is all going up. I would choose to ask for justification in those things before I start screaming about an increase in gas prices.

shawn474

BTW, lest their be any confusion "There are groups of people who feel as though it is their right (not saying people here) to chastise those of us who pollute the atmosphere with our dirty and inefficient trucks and SUV's, while driving their hybrid Prius or Fit" was a tongue in cheek statement.