Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

[Jistic]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

All I know if the gas for my Infiniti was $4.20 a gallon this week for 93 octane, and I filled up for the last time. I sold the dam thing. I just can't do it.

PART of the problem is us, the consumer. All I can do is my part. And we're now a one car family. Is it inconvenient? Yep, but hell my grand parents didn't even own a car, and my parents didn't own a new car until their 50's.

Now me and the wife carpool in our family Toyota, and I laugh when I see people rolling in their new Hummer's. Hey it can't be that bad if people are still buying 'em.

Then again we also live in a world now where people are payint $150 a month to watch TV. $100 a month to talk on the phone, and here in Cook county $7 to smoke a pack of cigarettes. Most people go out to lunch every day, dinner many times a week as well. It's just where we are right now. Sometimes you just have to tighten the belt. I can't affect OPEC, but I can make some personal changes.

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Yes ma'am, I am.

OOOHHH, you called me a girl. What a zinger. Well played.

Welcome to ignore list.

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

All I know if the gas for my Infiniti was $4.20 a gallon this week for 93 octane, and I filled up for the last time. I sold the dam thing. I just can't do it.

PART of the problem is us, the consumer. All I can do is my part. And we're now a one car family. Is it inconvenient? Yep, but hell my grand parents didn't even own a car, and my parents didn't own a new car until their 50's.

Now me and the wife carpool in our family Toyota, and I laugh when I see people rolling in their new Hummer's. Hey it can't be that bad if people are still buying 'em.

Then again we also live in a world now where people are payint $150 a month to watch TV. $100 a month to talk on the phone, and here in Cook county $7 to smoke a pack of cigarettes. Most people go out to lunch every day, dinner many times a week as well. It's just where we are right now. Sometimes you just have to tighten the belt. I can't affect OPEC, but I can make some personal changes.

There is no doubt the largest part of the problem is us the consumer and our spending habits.

I am just as guilty, I own a pair of cars that require 92 octane gas and get 20 MPG at best. I spend $125 a month on DirecTV, and over $200 a month when I am getting Sunday Ticket added on. I probably spend between 20 and 30 dollars a day going out to lunch.

I complain about it, but a lot of it is my own fault. That there is no doubt.

[Jistic]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

There is no doubt the largest part of the problem is us the consumer and our spending habits.

I am just as guilty, I own a pair of cars that require 92 octane gas and get 20 MPG at best. I spend $125 a month on DirecTV, and over $200 a month when I am getting Sunday Ticket added on. I probably spend between 20 and 30 dollars a day going out to lunch.

I complain about it, but a lot of it is my own fault. That there is no doubt.

Yep me too. Some times it kills me when people are going out to lunch or they bring something back that smells SOOOOO good...and I'm eating a ham and swiss!

My car got MAYBE 15MPG. But it's someone else's problem. Now, if my and my wife end of getting divorced because of carpooling, then it's a bad business decision. :wink:

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Yep me too. Some times it kills me when people are going out to lunch or they bring something back that smells SOOOOO good...and I'm eating a ham and swiss!

My car got MAYBE 15MPG. But it's someone else's problem. Now, if my and my wife end of getting divorced because of carpooling, then it's a bad business decision. :wink:

Yup a divorce would be much more costly than a few tanks of gas.

In all fairness some of our gas problems are mitigated by the fact my wife commutes 5 miles to work, and I work from home between 3 and 4 days a week. So we may fill the cars up with gas every week and a half to two weeks, on average.

[Hammerhunker]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

I recently saw a list of the taxes we pay now that we didn't pay 50 years ago. Back when one parent worked and one parent could stay home and take care of the family. The day both parents went to work is the day a lot went wrong in our country. We have to pay for what you mentioned early...and I am as guilty as anyone. I have a friend that has downsized and simplified his family's life, and he is as happy as can be. I envy his courage, but I am not ready to give up my directv or internet or cell phone or PS3 or Xbox 360 etc, etc, etc.

I also read an article on MSN this morning about what if gas were 10 bucks a gallon. I think that is the chicken little view but Europe and Asia has been paying that kind of price for gas for years and they have adjusted. Maybe our country needs big dose humble pie and force us to simplify a little more. It would suck, but we would survive.

[bkfount]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Let's not act like the oil companies have the consumer's best interest at heart. Let's not act like they aren't price gouging. I find it awfully funny all of the refineries go down for maintenance when demand is at it's peak.

While a lot of it is our own fault for so much reliance on oil and specifically foreign oil, let's not paint the domestic oil companies in a different light. It's no accident they are recording record profits while prices are skyrocketing. Let's not act like they aren't manipulating the market. Let's not act like the energy/oil lobby isn't keeping us from developing and expanding on reneweble energy technologies.

Yes global economics, and things such as supply and demand are definitely factors, but the oil companies are certainly to blame, and are certainly capitalizing on the current conditions, and they are certainly way, way too powerful from a political perspective.

People act like the oil companies don't care that gas prices are so high. They do all the work, pay all the rising costs of extracting and refining oil, while the government take a nice chunk of change. Then they get labeled as gouging pigs who roll around in our billions.

Why would oil companies willingly want people to consider buying less gas, or even begging the government and private companies for alternative fuels and better cars? The big oil companies are benefiting from it, but they are also being hurt by it.

This is the world economy and a couple other factors driving up oil. Weak dollar, OPEC, chinese demand, etc. If we passed the legislation to allow drilling in ANWR gas prices would drop the next day. We would not even have to build a rig up there. Once OPEC realized they had raised it high enough to piss us off, they would lower the price.

[Cataschism]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Frugality is a philosophy all people should adopt.

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Why would oil companies willingly want people to consider buying less gas, or even begging the government and private companies for alternative fuels and better cars? The big oil companies are benefiting from it, but they are also being hurt by it.

Because they know we won't change. Let's be honest, they're price fixing, you know it, I know it, they know it.

Remember when it comes to alternative fuels, what lobby has been so quick to make it difficult? Which companies keep buying up the new technologies then letting them die?

Please, let's not act like the oil companies are the victims here or are somehow looking out for the consumers best interest.

[bkfount]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

I also read an article on MSN this morning about what if gas were 10 bucks a gallon. I think that is the chicken little view but Europe and Asia has been paying that kind of price for gas for years and they have adjusted. Maybe our country needs big dose humble pie and force us to simplify a little more. It would suck, but we would survive.

the price Europe pays for oil isn't natural. Their governments put heavy taxes on it to encourage people to use public transportation. They have better infrastructures for that then we do. In our country, it's normal for people to drive 40 minutes to work and back each day. Add to that people living in suburbs with two working parents, and we use a lot of oil just in our style of living. It's not even really that people are wasting it.

[Double Eights]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

It's borderline political. At least in the way OS takes it.

Now quoting Ron Paul, imo is sort of like quoting The Onion, but I digress.

If you want to believe the nation's services wouldn't suffer if we repealed income tax. Feel free. I find that as difficult to believe as SJ saying he's never benefited from people paying taxes simply because he went to private school.

You've just proven that you have very little knowledge (practically none) about economics, nor Ron Paul.

The income tax does not go towards American infrastructure, the nation's services, nor any government groups (Congress, Federal agencies, etc..). The income tax goes towards the debt we owe to the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve prints money and loans it to the United States with interest. The American people then pay income tax in order to pay back the debt created from the interest charged by the Federal Reserve.

But, hey, who knows...if bkrich says it's untrue...it's untrue.



Edit: What the hell does the income tax (or any other forms of taxation) have to do with rising gas prices?

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

You've just proven that you have very little knowledge (practically none) about economics, nor Ron Paul.

The income tax does not go towards American infrastructure, the nation's services, nor any government groups (Congress, Federal agencies, etc..). The income tax goes towards the debt we owe to the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve prints money and loans it to the United States with interest. The American people then pay income tax in order to pay back the debt created from the interest charged by the Federal Reserve.

But, hey, who knows...if bkrich says it's untrue...it's untrue.



Edit: What the hell does the income tax (or any other forms of taxation) have to do with rising gas prices?

Yes yes, you must be right.. I am sure you are an economics expert as well as a Ron Paul expert as well as an expert on whatever else.

Taxes came up, because SuperJames blamed rising gas prices on taxation and the government, while totally exonerating oil comanies of any blame.

Back to ignore for you as well.

[bkfount]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Because they know we won't change. Let's be honest, they're price fixing, you know it, I know it, they know it.

Remember when it comes to alternative fuels, what lobby has been so quick to make it difficult? Which companies keep buying up the new technologies then letting them die?

Please, let's not act like the oil companies are the victims here or are somehow looking out for the consumers best interest.

no offense, but this is so irrational, it's sad. Yes, oil companies make money off oil, as most companies are in business to make money. However to assume they gather in a dark room and plot to fix prices is wrong.

Big oil companies in our country aren't a cartel, or even a monopoly. They aren't fixing prices, as all it would take is one company to step out and offer lower prices for them to be exposed. Also, with all the growing antipathy towards oil companies, it would have come out in the news or somewhere from one oil exec or employee talking and starting an investigation.

This is why I said high oil prices also hurt the oil companies. People are growing hatred for the prices, and they bear all the anger. People think oil companies drive up to a guy's garage and buy up his invention for cars to run on mere thoughts. They aren't fixing prices, the prices are mostly set by global demand and OPEC supply. In addition, the US dollar is decreased in value, and the US government throws on a tax that only makes the prices higher.

People won't change their fuel habits, because we as Americans in general can afford to pay even $5 a gallon. W'd just have to pull back on other spending. People that can't afford to pay gas prices will make individual changes as it affects them. Let the market settle it.

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

no offense, but this is so irrational, it's sad. Yes, oil companies make money off oil, as most companies are in business to make money. However to assume they gather in a dark room and plot to fix prices is wrong.

Big oil companies in our country aren't a cartel, or even a monopoly. They aren't fixing prices, as all it would take is one company to step out and offer lower prices for them to be exposed. Also, with all the growing antipathy towards oil companies, it would have come out in the news or somewhere from one oil exec or employee talking and starting an investigation.

This is why I said high oil prices also hurt the oil companies. People are growing hatred for the prices, and they bear all the anger. People think oil companies drive up to a guy's garage and buy up his invention for cars to run on mere thoughts. They aren't fixing prices, the prices are mostly set by global demand and OPEC supply. In addition, the US dollar is decreased in value, and the US government throws on a tax that only makes the prices higher.

People won't change their fuel habits, because we as Americans in general can afford to pay even $5 a gallon. W'd just have to pull back on other spending. People that can't afford to pay gas prices will make individual changes as it affects them. Let the market settle it.

You make valid points. But there's no doubt in my mind, price fixing, price gouging and market manipulation is going on. And the prices aren't hurting oil companies that badly. They continue to make record profits, they continue to use their powerful lobby to ****** development of alternate fuels, and they continue to buy newer technology only to kill that technology, in order to keep the demand for oil where it is. A large part of it is our fault for being the way we are. Is their collusion? There's no doubt in my mind there's collusion, and we are the ones who are paying for it.

I am sorry, but the oil companies are the victim notion is pure nonsense.

No one has ever answered this question, why do the majority of the refineries go down for maintenance during peak demand times of the year? If oil companies are at the mercy of the government, why don't they use that powerful lobby of theirs to get the government to loosen restrictions and lower gas prices?

It's easy to say let the market decide, but it's not a truly free market when it comes to petroleum. Being on the side of the political spectrum that I am, I have always been against government interference in business and trade. But in this case, I truly believe it's needed. However with their political power the oil companies will never have to worry about it.

[PVarck31]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

This thread is going south fast. Lets keep it clean and non-political or it gets closed.