Gas Prices
 

I have a question; why isn't our government doing something to help ease the excessive high cost of gas? Hell in Washington state our government did something, they added a $0.10 cents per gallon tax on gas... way to go Democrats! Woo Whoo, that really helped to ease the pain a bit. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif

The Federal Government is acting like there is no problem. Its business as usual in Washington as the rich get richer and the poor get taxed to death and bare the brunt burdon of these record high gas prices without so much as an winke of acknowledgement from the fat *** bruicrats in Washington DC.

I wish we could hold an election this year and fire the whole lot of them, yes including Bush. This is unforgiveable, the pinch is on the lower class, those of us who make less than $25,000 a year. Hell I made more in 1987 working for $3.35 an hour 40 hours a week than I have in the last two years combined! They say wages are up, well so is the cost of living with the notible exception that the cost of living has exceeded wage increases ten fold!

Hell all you have to do is look at the cost of a home compared to just five years ago..... O M F G! Add on an additional 20k for new terriifs, levies, and taxes along with builder greed and you get a one room house with no garage going for $123,000! It only cost $12,500 to build six years ago!

How is it that our own Government can go on ignoring the simple fact that people cannot aford to continue paying for high gas prices without some sort of relief? Cut the gas tax both federally as well as at the state level. Put a law in place to prevent price gouging and Oil company price fixing fraud. Release some of the strategic reserves, and fund research into alternative fuels more aggressively.

Hell if they can make synthetic oils, why can't they make synthetic gas? I know about bio-deseal, and now that everyone else does, the price of waste oil form places like burger joints has gone up over 1000% making bio-deseal less cost effective.

The thing is, even though the average price per gallon of regular is $2.50 a gallon now, expected to top $3.00 by the end of the month, people are still driving in record numbers as if there is no problem. That sends a message to the leaders of our government that there is no problem and thus they can continue to ignor the issue domestically.

Sure a barrel of oil now costs $65.00, and is expected to reach $80.00 by the end of the month, but does that mean we need to see this cost of $80.00 a barrel passed onto us right now?

There was a mathmatician, forgot his name, and he talked about the bell curve for oil consumption verses production and availablity. He stated that by the end of the decade, we will be in a serious oil poor state as the price of crude climbs and the availablity of it plumits. He seems to be on target with his predicitions.

He went on to say that if you had 10 people stranded on an island with enough resources to feed each of them for 10 days, how long would it take for one of them to figure out that if he bumped off the other 9, he would have enough resources to last him a 100 days?

Not to sound like a doom sayer, but I sincerely doubt prices will fall, even if they do, they will not fall by much. What we have to look forward to is continued record costs for fuel, and by extension, increased costs spread across the entire board of life from food thru electricity. Our wages will not beable to keep up as more and more high paying jobs are exported over seas and more and more Americans have to take on two or even three jobs just to meet the basic bills of life.

Hell I can see a day when some pimple faced 20 year old kid tells a four year college graduate that he is not qualified enough to flip burgers at McDonalds because they require a six year degree for that job. The market being flooded with out of work people all applying for the minimum wage jobs because there are no other jobs available.

And to add salt to the wound, gas prices by then could be as high as $4.50 a gallon if the Democrats are aloud to keep passing gas taxes at the state level.

Re: Gas Prices
 

Just a quick comment on this part: people aren't looking around enough, either. -Every- gas station around here is understaffed, and while it isn't a great job it isn't minimum wage either..

Re: Gas Prices
 

Good point, part time jobs do help pay the bills even if they suck up what little free time one has. Working two jobs can actually be rewarding in more way than one if scheduled right.

Re: Gas Prices
 

Mmmmmmhhhh


1 gallon = 3.79 liter


Price per gallon(US) = 2.5(average)Dollar
Price per liter(Italy) = 1.5(average benzin)Euro
1.4(average diesel)Euro


1 US dollar = 0.8342 Euro


Pure math is still by your side! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/biggrin.gif

Re: Gas Prices
 

And your prices are still mostly self-inflicted. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif

Re: Gas Prices
 

"When you want people to stop using something, just tax the hell out of it." - Unknown Democrate Senator.

Re: Gas Prices
 

Well who should pay the extra cost of the black stuff? Most oil firms regard petrol as that annoying stuff that comes with the usefull stuff in oil. You look at say BP or Exxon and all their money comes from stuff that isn't petrol, the margins are paper thin.

Shell was seriously considering selling their entire petrol station operation only a year or so ago, the only reason they didn't was they got distracted by losing 25% of their oil reserves http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

So they aren't going to make a lose on petrol, so the consumer pays it. As for releasing the strategic reserve, don't be an idiot. I hate to say it AT, but its true. Countries keep reserves of petrol for alot of good reasons, none of which are to keep people from paying a bit more for petrol. If US manufactures produced cars that did miles per gallon, not gallons per mile that would solve alot of the problem.

So to get to the final point, perhaps putting fuel duty up might encourage US car makers to use existing technology in their cars to improve fuel efficency. It can't be a bad thing can it?

Re: Gas Prices
 

US Auto makers know they can make cars that can get better gas mileage, but they are in bed with the oil companies and keep gas mileage artifically lower. There are after market things you can do that improve mileage, but nothing that compares to what the manufacture can do.

And the greatest lie ever told is the lie that convinces people that evil does not exist. Oil companies love to perpetuate the myth that they are loosing money in order to hide the fact that they ar RAKING IT IN and laughing all the way to the bank. I remember a simular discussion about energy crisis a few years back and what do you know, it was all just an Eron scam to make money.

Re: Gas Prices
 

I believe the name of the man who discussed Hubbards Peak and dwindling oil reserves was Professor David Goodstein. If it was he who I saw then he made an alarming connection between increased population and dwindling resources. He also noted that increased population resulted in less freedoms and less government representation. Many states who have seen a huge increase in population still have the same number of senators that they had fifty years ago. Doing the math on this is simple, say in 1950 you had 2 Senators for a state with a population of 1 million. Today you have 2 Senators for the same state but with a population of 20 million.

He explained how Hubbards peak worked, and the bell curves for gas consumption and production. It was just about four years ago that I saw the show so forgive me if I have the name wrong. But I am pretty sure it was he who was the key note speaker. He authored the book "Out Of Gas."

Re: Gas Prices
 

Thought this might be of interest:

http://lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/