Why Do Higher Gas Prices Anger You?

Quote:

For all you Greenies out there...European countries do not pay two to three times more than we do for gas so that they can promote conservation. They do so because the require a huge influx of tax dollars to pay for their Euro-Socialist programs.

Really? Proof of this would be....?

Finn d'Abuzz wrote:

Coming into the thread without reading prior postings:


Bottled water costs more per gallon than gas.

Gas is pretty cheap...it's the taxes politicians tag on to it that makes it expensive.

Heavy taxes on gasoline proves that #$@&'n politicians would tax sex if they could figure out a way to track it.

We must have gas and therefore governmental parasites tax it.

Nicotine addicts must have cigarettes and therefore governmental parasites tax it.

Alcoholics must have booze and therefore governmental parasites tax it.

It is a wonder that there are not heavy taxes on diapers, milk, and bread.

For all you Greenies out there...European countries do not pay two to three times more than we do for gas so that they can promote conservation. They do so because the require a huge influx of tax dollars to pay for their Euro-Socialist programs.

Strip the taxes from gas and we would all be paying less than $1.00 per gallon.

Really? Oil above $66.00 per barrel. 42 gallons per barrel. A barrel refined completely to gasoline and transported half way around the world, and it comes to less than $1.00 per barrel. A gallon Rat, a gallon.Lemme see, that comes to - well, a pretty good deal.

I mean, you've written some idiotic sh*t before, Finn, but this takes the cake.

Quote:

Bottled water costs more per gallon than gas.

Really? I bought a gallon of water at the store the other week, WITH CONTAINER, for less than one dollar - .99.

I bought 5 GALLONS, providing my own container (water-cooler jug), for $1.50. That puts the average price of a gallon of water, without container, at .25.

And you're telling me that bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline? That gasoline really costs less than .25 a gallon, and that the rest is in taxes? Really?

Do you read what you write before you post?

Quote:

For all you Greenies out there...European countries do not pay two to three times more than we do for gas so that they can promote conservation. They do so because the require a huge influx of tax dollars to pay for their Euro-Socialist programs.

Really? Proof of this would be....?

Sheesh.

Cycloptichorn

Well, yeah, Cyclo. You didn't think Finn meant just any generic bottled water, did you?

Where ever the taxes go in Europe, they do discourage consumption. This is good. They also tend to stay within the country collecting them. I can see advantages to this.

We should pray the powers that be don't decide to help us by applying price controls to the gasoline problem.

Amen!

Last time that happened in the early '70"s it forced a shortage of gas for all and that odd even number (last digit on the car's license plate) rationing system and the resultant lines at the gas stations.

Gas is high simply because it is in relative short supply. It started, as usual, in the summer months when demand goes up (making it relatively short in supply). Katrina's path forced the closing of not only manned and unmanned Gulf (of Mexico) oil rigs, but those refineries in the area that had been taken off line because of the storm. Presently, the timeline for their restarting is questionable. Further, there has been storm damage to a number of pipelines that supply gasoline refined in the Gulf area to the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states. These are all valid reasons for the increase in gas prices and there is no evidence of price gouging by the big oil concerns. Experts see gas prices stabilizing at lower levels eventually, but only after the summer ends and the damage has been repaired. But then, someone will have to pay for those repairs also. Additionally, future effects on energy prices are unknown given China's burgeoning economy and its energy requirements.

I am not sure how much we can blame the present administration for the current state of gas prices.

Because you are viewing the issue rationally.

Bush has approved the tapping of the U.S. SPR (Strategic Petroleum Reserves) and, contrary to the hopes of some; the Bush administration bears little responsibility for either Katrina's inception or path of destruction. However, for the future, the administration's questionable new energy bill is of little help because its results won't be seen until the future and are questionable as to whether they will work at all. These events do add to the administration's case for opening up the ANWR (Artic National Wildlife Refuge) to oil exploration and extraction. Many have called for stricter fuel economy standards by including SUV's and light trucks in the calculations. Despite the auto industry's protestations that this is impossible without bankrupting them (remember how seat belts and air bags were to increase vehicle cost beyond belief?), there is legitimate evidence that technological fixes can work some magic here.

We live in a time where millions of dollars is seen as chump change. Millions of dollars have been spent of alternative fuel sources and yet there still is no viable alternative to petroleum. It is impossible to convince certain people that Oil Companies are not burying alternative technologies, but the proof that this is the case is that China is pursuing oil. I suppose some may believe that Oil Companies control even China, but this would be an absurd contention.

Europe is always brought into the discussion and used as an example of why we in America should raise gas prices but Thomas has given us good reasons as to why this argument does not fly. Given those legitimate and legal causes for the high price of gasoline, complaining about them is like complaining about the high prices of Range Rovers or Humvees: if you don't want to pay the price don't buy it. When it comes to gas you must use less by planning errands better, using synthetic oils, keeping tires inflated properly, or using more fuel efficient vehicles (this does not necessitate a smaller vehicle). Further, incentives to the auto industry to produce more fuel efficient vehicles by fiat can only do so much. The bottom line is what the consumer wants, given a fair price. If the public wants large vehicles and doesn't mind paying $60, $70, or $100 per fill-up who am I to tell them what to do with their money?

Things might be changing. Sales of the larger vehicles have been down since the beginning of this summer. But then, why not a ford F150 that, on average, gets 30 mpg and, when needed, the pulling power for a 7K trailer load? Diesel has come a long way?-why not a bit further?

In the mid '70s, cars with high mpg became popular. Eventually the cost of gas had no impact on the sort of vehicles selling in the US. Why? Because Americans are gluttonous pigs who will destroy themselves for whatever urges result in the purchase of a Humvee? No, because gas prices, relatively speaking, became cheap.

Current costs may result in a return to the high mpg car mania, but so what? Cars that get 50 mpg will only extend our reliance upon gas for a relatively short period of time. So we extend the oil supplies for an additional 10 or 20 years? Big deal!

The oil industry is not going away until oil goes away. 10 years ago so-called experts were telling us that oil would run out by 1990. It didn't. Does anyone really know when oil will run out? When it does, at least one or two multi-billion dollar oil companies will have found a way to make money off of the alternative(s), but in the mean time, why would they give up on oil?

One more thing, I do not think Americans should feel guilty because we use 25% of the world's energy, no matter what the ratio of population to fuel use. This is always dredged up to try and make us feel guilty--I don't buy it. We have the highest ratio of GDP per capita. We are the most productive industrial society in history. It is well known that developed nations such as ours use 1/3rd the amount of energy that developing nations (like China) do to produce one dollar of GDP. Americans have acquired their happiness (be that a big ass gas guzzling SUV or Freedom itself) the old fashioned way -they earned it.

I agree, but then I don't buy the notion of from each according to his abilities; to each according to his needs.

If we deserve guilt, it is only to the extent that we may take steps to deprive the rest of the world of energy.

JM

Gas went down here by $.40 a gallon yesterday :-)

Now we're down to $129.9 a liter.

It's a start :-D

Finn , once again your eye color signals that you are full of it. If youd check API, they list the gasoline taxes by state.
Fed Gas and excize taxes are straight 18.4 cents per gal

highest state tax is Hawaii at 35.1 cents per gallon
lowest is Alaska at 8 cents per gallon.


As for bottled water, the bottle is worth more than the water therein. The largest US volume sales of bottled water is Disani (bottled and branded by Coke). It is water gotten from the Philadelphia public water system and has been microfiltered and then fortified with salts. Its ****, but, like any other bottled water , its all the same crap meant only to fool the masses.
Bottled water has no cost recovery structure because its "whatever the market bears" I notice that Apollanaris sells for waay more in Calif than it does here in MAine. (People in Maine cannot understand why anyone would buy a bottle of water when most people have a spring in their back 40).
Gas and water have no cost comparison with the single exception that both are products that the purveyors use to gouge the gullible consumer.
Do we notice that oil companies are recording hewmongous NET profits this last year? Is that because of a storm or some bullshit about "International competition" ? No, its merely selling the rubes whatever they can get away with , and its all under the benevolent eyes of an oil industry friendly US govt.
You watch, the "spot" market jumped to ungodly levels at the chance to set high gas prices and nat gas, ostensibly because of the hurricane. Now the market has eased below August prices and just hold your breath till the prices roll back. I think I heard that Exxon Mobil had 4 Billion in net quarterly PROFITS.