Why are people complaining about gas prices?

I prefer bourbon.

I enjoy alcohol in most of its forms; beer, wine, scotch, tequila, rum, ....on and on....

People want to spend less on gas, but aren't willing to do the simpliest things to do so, i.e. SLOW DOWN. Get rid of your larger vehicle and get a smaller one.

You know what irritates me c.i.? When it's a holiday, like Memorial Day, and the news has to announce that all these people have decided not to go somewhere over that weekend because of gas prices being up at that time.

Come on. Gas prices go up 20 cents on that weekend, and the extra $$ is going to make you stay home? Even if you drove 800 miles with a gas guzzler of 20mpg you'd be paying a grand total of an extra 8 bucks. Even if gas went up a dollar, you'd only spend an extra $40.
If you in a situation where $8 will make or break your going away, you've got bigger problems then I can address here.

Good observation! People's perception about issues can be misinterpreted because of how the media covers it.

In my case, I drive an average of 5,000 miles a year. I don't worry about gas prices, because I'm not required to fill up my tank every week. Even if gas prices go higher, and I pay for premium, I'll never spend more than about $1,500/year. As a percentage of my personal income, that's not even worth contemplating as budget buster.

Another FACT: the keystone xl pipeline will not lower gas prices; not today or after it's completed in 2014 if approved by the feds. There are many reasons why this is so; a) international oil prices dictates what we pay for gas, not one source, b) Iran's threat to close the gulf of hormuz increases prices, (cut in supply) c) the higher demand in China where supply is limited, and d) if the xl pipeline produces cheaper gas, it'll be sold to foreign countries at a profit, and not at home. The cost of constructing the xl pipeline will add cost to the gasoline (it doesn't come free, and who's going to pay for it?).

What about all the jet fuel you go through?

Hey, I'm only one passenger!

Besides, I get frequent flyer miles that I can use in the future.

"Get rid of your larger vehicle and get a smaller one."

I can't do that, I make my meager living with my pick-up truck.

gasoline is my biggest expense every month. when it goes up, my food budget shrinks a little more.

"If you in a situation where $8 will make or break your going away, you've got bigger problems then I can address here."

Indeed I do...

Sorry to hear that, Rockhead. Many Americans are suffering from higher gas prices, and it has become a political football in the US, because the GOP is blaming Obama (all are lies).

Oil production since Obama took office has been increasing, so blaming Obama is a lie. Gas prices has to do with world supply and demand, not one source or producer. Besides that, Americans pay one of the lowest gas prices in this world, and have been for many decades. Even in Turkey where I visited recently, they pay over $9/gallon, and their per capita income was $12,300 in 2010.

America is designed for lots of driving. They tore up the streetcar tracks to keep us on the road. If you can't drive you can't work, for the most part. There are few bicycle paths and sidewalks in most places I have been. I could ride a bike to work, but am afraid I will be run over. Meaning we are coerced to use lots of gas. That's why the higher prices hurt.

I'm not talking about someone who needs a certain size vehicle to make their living rocky.

But look around, not that many people need an SUV, even if it's a smaller one. Yes, even if you have a kid, or more than one kid.

It's like some kind of sacred cow that if you have a child, you "deserve" what is basically a large truck, because otherwise how would you ever get them to soccer practice.

That seems to be the big thing, soccer practice. As soon as someone says their kid has to go to soccer practice, all common sense goes out the window.
Wow, they have to transport a small human...a ball....um, some clothes and shoes the kid is hopefully already wearing....uh....a bottle of spring water....a baggie of trail mix.

Wait, they don't need a ball, don't the team people have one?

Don't even get me started on dance class.

Yet, every day during morning commute, theirs literally hundreds of large vehicles transporting 1 person and their travel mug of coffee....a laptop bag, all sucking gas by driving too fast.

I don't drink so I'm not complaining.

It comes down to 2 words: need vs. want.

We want wine, but we need gas.

I find the argument that production has increased under Obama to be lies. Production might have increased but it wasn't due to Obama's policies. With the amount of time it takes to do an enviromental impact study, get approval, build the rigs and then support infrastructure is much longer then 3 years. It is the same effect as Bill Clinton and the internet. He didn't build it but was able to take advantage of the timing and what it did to the economy.

Oil production did increase under Obama; he didn't hamper oil production, and increased legislation to help energy companies.

He did not 'hamper' oil production, but encouraged it. As for the keystone xl pipeline, all he said was he wanted to study it before approving it, and he recently did. Nothing wrong with that! Also, the keystone xl pipeline will not reduce prices for Americans. No one source can affect oil prices. It's about total supply and demand. That's Econ 101.

You listen to FOX News and the GOP candidates too much! They mostly lie.

Here's one of the best answers on the internet on oil production.

Your honestly going to say that in 3 years oil companies were able to submit applications for drilling approval, have impact studies completed, have the rigs and oil transport system for the rigs built and functional?

With the way the Obama admin shut down the offshore drilling I doubt any of the oil currently being produced was originally approved by the Obama admin. The Keystone Pipeline permit was submitted back in 2008 and they still don't have approval. Obama and the left have done nothing but stand in the way of oil production.

"With the way the Obama admin shut down the offshore drilling"

you mean because of that little misunderstanding that BP had out in the gulf.

A knee jerk reaction to a single spill. Shut down ALL deep water drilling.

the single biggest spill in American history.

how long before the gulf is back to healthy?

"Why are people complaining about gas prices?"

As was eluded to, because the media wants us to. Imagine if they went on about the price of starbucks...


They're just picking a fight for us with a classic political red herring

From all the news reports that I hear, most of the spill is cleaned up and most fishing and vacation places have been working at full speed for almost a year.

Biggest spill in US history is true, but so is the fact that Obama and my former Senator had a knee jerk reaction to it and stopped all deep drilling.

No, they've had those approval/licenses/permits for many decades.