OT: Gas Prices

[Will]

Spectarofdeath said:
It's $3.20 (a gallon) here, I got gas last monday it was 2.85, by thursday it was 3.20. The experts are saying $4.00 by mid summer. I bet we'll hit $4 by memorial day and $5 before the end of the year. This is getting outrageous. It's pretty bad when it costs you almost half a hours work (if not more) just to pay for the gas to get there.

I live close to San Francisco. It hit $3.20/gal a month ago. The station down the street is at $3.60/gal. In the city itself I've seen $3.85/gal.

No doubt in my mind that the average price around here will hit $4/gal by the end of May.

[GuyOfDoom]

Note that despite the "harsh" circumstances forcing the gas price increase Oil companies are making record profits.

[Fyron]

Who'd have thought that supply and demand actually applied in the real world...

[GuyOfDoom]

As always your insight is "helpful." The overall point with gas prices being the social trap that's been created to force people to need it. Unless you think for some reason we haven't been able to come up with anything better for 100 years.

[aegisx]

From the gas company side:

http://www.conocophillips.com/newsro...il_profits.htm

Looking for an opposing link right now...

This one is ok: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5367090

Still haven't found a good site that opposes the oil viewpoint with good data.

[aegisx]

It is a tough situation. They tried to tax the oil companies more in the past (1980) and it had the effect of decreasing domestic production and increasing foreign dependence, which isn't what we want.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/1168.html

An alternative energy source is preferable and they are at least starting to look at things like Ethanol. Now Ethanol is not the best solution but progress will not be made overnight.

[GuyOfDoom]

The problem with the oil company "support" article is that they fail to take into account that their "modest" price increases and maintainence factors into just about every other category of expense they claim is higher because of transportation costs.

As for foreign dependance, one of the biggest problems America has is thinking it can produce everything and fully support itself. No economy can do that, we only want to think we can with oil because we've pissed off all the major suppliers of oil.

[Renegade 13]

Here in Canada, we haven't been below $1 (CDN) per liter for a long time now (approximately equal to $4/gal). We produce a hell of a lot of oil domestically...too bad producing oil domestically has nothing to do with price, since NAFTA screws us over, as usual.

[Atrocities]

In my state we have the 6th highest gas tax and currently are paying $3.50 a gal for regular. We have three refineries and get our oil directly from Alaska. So I ask you, why the hell is the cost of gas so bloody damned expensive here? Simple, price gouging. The State AGO and many legislators are looking into it. Of course the oil company's, much like the tobacco companies and the energy companies, deny any wrong doing, but we all know better.

[aegisx]

It is not as simple as gouging.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/05/katrinagasprices.shtm
http://www.illinois.gov/gasprices/pgVspv.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...042701693.html