OT: Gas Prices
 

A simple little poll to see what you think.

Please ONLY U.S. Members only.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Bah! US members only...

Gas prices are hurting everyone, not just Americans!

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

I haven't voted anywhere, but..... Are the oil companies ripping us off? A wholehearted YES. YES they DO.

Just think - when did you last hear about an oil refinery being built? The global oil companies are deliberately keeping oil production and refining low, to keep the price high. In the last few decades there have been no oil refineries that started production, only those who have stopped producing; remember, after Katrina, the oil companies warning us about how their loss of a few refineries would hit oil prices because of the lessened capacity? If anything, Katrina benefited the oil companies; they could now sell less oil for more ca$h, making a better profit than when those refineries were still running. The loss of a few refineries hurting the oil companies? Bah! It was only beneficial to them!

Oil companies are ripping us off, and have been doing so for decades.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Right now, because of the mid term elections, I wanted to keep the poll a U.S. member only.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Just for reference, gas currently costs about $6.00 per gallon where I live.

What is your complaint about US gas prices exactly?

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Don't get me wrong, I hate the high gas prices as much as the next guy and Hawaii is (or was last week) the state with the highest gas prices.

But consider this: check out the prices of other liquids you use in every day life and convert to price per gallon and you might be surprised. Also consider what it takes to make one gallon of that liquid.

milk
juice
liquid soap
soda
sports drink
and the one that makes me laugh: bottled water.

Gasoline couldn't cost less per gallon than bottled water, could it???? Water is free!!! and perfectly fine out of any tap. Go figure.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Ok, I voted:
1) Maybe. While true that there has been zero increased refining capacity since... I think around 1970... it is also true that the cost of a barrel of crude oil is hovering close to $80 right now; for comparison, I remember that precisely 5 years ago, the same barrel of crude oil cost between $15 and $20. Only reason I remember this is that there are some small oil producers in the town my parents live in, and to operate the small wells, $20 was considered the break-even point. Also, rather than assume a vast conspiracy to make all of us pay more by reducing capacity of refineries, consider that it costs a lot to build and open a refinery; nobody will want it close to where they live and/or work; environmental regulations are so strict for new industrial buildings that it is very difficult to make new refineries; and, all the oil companies know that sometime in the near future, there will be so little oil left, which will be hard to get at, and will cost so much, that it does not justify the investment in more refineries.

2) Other. I don't own a car at school, so it does no impact me directly. But, price of gas is strongly correlated to price of transport, so I indirectly feel the costs via that.

3) Maybe. Democrats would probably propose to mandate via law a minimum MPG for (road) vehicles, to be phased in over a period of X years; Republicans would probably propose more tax cuts. I don't think either will sway the middle 60% of the US, since they know that neither proposal stands any chance of passing at this point.

4) $2.50-$3.00. Gas prices 5 years ago: $1.00/gallon, crude prices 5 years ago: $20/barrel. Gas prices now: $2.75/gallon (in Los Angeles), crude prices now: $71. If you scale it up, gas prices should actually be higher than $3, but part of the cost is overhead, so about in the $2.50-$3.00 range is right.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Yet the head of Exxon just retired with a multi-million dollar severance package.

Read it here .

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Not to mention oil companies are generating THE highest profit margins in human history right now. Not some, most, or highest in recent years. THE HIGHEST.


I remember when gas was 0.75 cents a gallon and I'm not even 30. Now I'm paying 4 times that so my car and be something more than an expensive driveway ornament.

Part of this is inflation, the other part, a much larger part, is greed. The problem is the corrupt government in many national captials are slaves to big oil. I'd like to see a couple of politicians find their you know what and stand up to them.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

And how much of that is taxes?

Also, we have states bigger than your entire *country*. Things are a liiiitle bit more spread out here, which leads to longer drives.

I'm moving cross country later this year, and the resulting drive is 1000 miles. You driving that far would probably take you all the way to Portugal, going through several other countries..