Sorry, you can take your left euro guilt trip, anti corp. nonsense somewhere else. I can imagine your thinking if you learn everything from CNN. Guess what, there are a ton of people that work in the oil industry, myslef included. There are times when the industry is healthy and times when it is far from it. Execs in any company have a lot of responsibilities and are being paid for it. This is not a crime. If you think the only reason gas prices go up, is to pad millionaires pockets, you are brainwashed by the likes of CNN. Oil is a commodity that is bought, sold, and traded. Supply and demand affect it's cost, just like any other commodity. I don't know what back room deals you are the expert of, but this is just how business works. If you are looking for a social govt, look somewhere else.

No one wants the govt. telling us how to live. It's easy for those people to set policies and demand change, but guess who has to pay for it. We do - honest working folks, of course. Few people can and are willing to spend a massive amount of money for a high-tech, small fuel efficient car when gas is cheap. Gas is expensive now but it's still fairly cheap when you compare it to average wages. We are just spoiled by years of very cheap gas and the freedom to drive anywhere.

 

I was saying that we need to stop complaining about the gas. It is something we need in out life. The next thing i was saying is that i'm positive we all spend money on things that are not NEEDED. My clothes comment was just me expressing one thing that i splurge on and could be used towards gas if i really wanted to.

Next high gas prices will be good. Maybe it will force more people to car pool and be wiser about where you are driving to and from and how often.

 

OK JawJaw. I don't doubt you are a hard worker. I don't get my information from CNN. Maybe ESPN, but not CNN. If the oil execs make a profit that is what it was 5 years ago plus normal increases then I'm fine with it. BUT, if they are making significantly more, then it isn't OK.
If you don't think the government is paid to delay, limit or in some way hinder the production and use of vehicles that use something besides gas you are sadly mistaken. It is similar to people wanting weed legalized. If a president did that he would need more security. You might make something easier and smarter for the environment and the common man but you will pay for taking money out of the the big wigs' pockets.
You do have a point about electric cars being priced higher. I think I read somewhere that you wouldn't see a benefit to owning a hybrid until you've had it for 5 years or something like that. They raise the price to the point of it not making a difference. I think they will raise the price right now too so people will pay more just so they can think they are saving on gas.
You don't know what information I have but you sure are making some bold statements about it. I will just say for everything you think you know and every supposedly crazy thing you dismiss there are many more similar things going on each day. Don't let the person who pays your check fool you into thinking every thing is right with the world.

 

I would say that I consider myself one of the younger people on this forum, and gas prices just don't force people to carpool, it cripples the whole economy. If it costs more to transport good, the price of food goes up (not just clothes). If it costs more for food or other goods, the cost of labor goes up. If the cost of labor goes up, companies have less extra cash. It is simple supply / demand ideas. If everything costs more then people will be less likely to spend money. If people stop buying goods, then companies produce less, and then have to layoff people. Look at the airline economy, every .01 dollars gas goes up I think the airlines lose MILLIONS. How many airports and employees do airlines support. Also the car manufacturers, how many people do they employee? Oil is too much involved in the economy in all these factors to just get rid of it. However I do think we should have viable alternatives now, what research has been done in the past 10yrs? CNN = garbage, FOX = garbage, do your own research and listen to those networks with a grain of salt. But on another note, as jawjaw said you earn what you do, if you are an executive of a software company and people start pirating your software and it lowers you potential for salary you would be upset also. If you do a job you deserve what you work for, is it fair there are trust fund babies who've never worked a day in their lives and still make more working for their parents than many of us ever could, but hey you know what makes it better, going home for a spin in the G, how many people bought one for the thrill of the road :-P

/end rant

 

$3.20 for 91 in Orange County

 

tomegun - I have no idea what you are trying to say in your last post. All I detect is a hint of class warfare which is a socialist's calling card. It bugs me when people attack someone just because they earn a big paycheck. Yet, these people never turned down a pay raise in their life. All oil execs. are crooked? Certainly there are some wicked things going on but it's not limited to the oil industry. You don't have to be an CEO to be greedy. I also detect that you think it's the govt. job to regulate the automotive industry. If I am wrong, I apologize.

My whole point was that it's not the govt. or some oil execs. that are jacking up the cost of gas and denying oil alternatives. How many people would pay $6 a gallon for some alternative fuel if regular gas is only $3? How many people would buy a small fuel cell car for $40k where is only one place to fill up in town? If it costs $40 billion to implement an alternative fuel technology, who is going to pay for it? The govt. with our tax dollars? If it came down to a vote, how many people would want to spend that kind of money on getting cheaper gas than investing in the education system? GM, Ford, and other car manufactures are out there to sell cars. If there is a way to sell a car and make money, they will do it. The same goes for any company. If there is a way to make an alternative fuel and make money, someone will do it. These are my points. If I say anymore, I'm just going to repeat myself or get political.

 

3.59 for premium in chicago

 

$3.29 - $3.59 here. Cost me $46.00 for 14 gal of the good stuff.

But, like everyone else said, we'll pay it, hell we'll still pay it if gas doubles from here. However, the economy will only fall back into recession, if the consumer is asked to pay ~$4.00/gal and heat your house by paying double what you did last year. Unless your wealthy most Americans cannot afford all the energy costs and keep the economy going but buying "stuff".

 

jawjaw I agree that making the alternative fuel will be a place to make money for someone, since you get patent etc. Think about cars, someone develops something cool and inovative and its expensive for a few yrs - next thing you know everyone has them. The American economy is driven by innovation, the gasoline engine has barely been changed since its inception, I forget my thermo classes, but what 20% to energy, 80% heat? Thats pretty crappy efficiency, something needs to be revamped here. All I'm saying is lets get over this "hybrid" stuff and get into real engineering and coming up with solutions that are profitable and reasonable. If the alternative fuel for 6 / gal will instead give you 40 mpg in our car, its equivalent to paying 3 / gal. It's all perspective.

Hey political is fun I dislike both parties so I have no qualms there :-)

 

Jawjaw, doesn't the push for 43 states to investigate price gouging show something isn't right?
Nobody will turn down a raise, or more money, but sometimes there should be a limit.

 

lets bring back .80 / gal and muscle cars, it will help everyone get to help speed up the end of oil :-P

 

Just found this interesting read:
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050914/oil_prices.html?.v=16

Maybe I am just misunderstanding what I read in that news item, but it appears that supplies of crude, *in stock*, are higher than a year ago, not to mention the fact that demand appears to be falling, be it marginally.

Does that jive with gas prices? And I'm not talking about Katrina-influenced prices, but pre-katrina prices. All I've heard for the past 5 years is "global demand" is growing, while the ability to supply that demand remains the same. Gas prices, in 'Bama at least, have more than *doubled* in the past 5 years, the past two seeing the greatest increases. Has demand grown proportionately to pump-prices? I highly doubt it. And this news item points out that although crude supplies have increased by roughly 11%, the refined supplies have decreased by 7%. The problem is that I can't determine if that's a katrina-effect or not.

Anyway, if you read this thread(and many others like it), everyone has his own opinion on the factors of pump prices. It's the growing demand versus the constant supply. It's the refining capacity. It's the government taxes. It's the modern day robber-baron oil company execs.

While I'm sure each is a factor to some degree, I'm beginning to think they are mostly of moderate impact. I honestly believe that barrel prices, and pump prices, are being determined by artificial market conditions. Anybody remember the tech "boom" in the late nineties? There was a lot of artificial wealth generated in that time(not all artificial, by any means). What was the cause? I'm no expert, but in broad terms I believe it was caused by mob mentality. I think that same mentality is at play now.