Gas prices

xswinnyx · 05-16-2006, 11:03 AM

I just have a little question about this. If oil is trading at a spacific price per barrel, then it's that price, not different here and there, right?

If that is the case, why do the national prices from lowest to highest, differ by almost $2.00. Just here in my town, they differ by six cents per gallon.

Yes, the big oil companies, and the government are making a lot of $ on this, but doesn't this prove that the middle man is sticking us also?
And isn't that what Bush's little "investigation" is supposed to uncover?
It seems obvious to me.

All opinions are appreciated, educated or otherwise!

kmfarm · 05-16-2006, 06:07 PM

I too am upset about gas prices, but let me say this.

Maybe it's our own fault. The folks running the petroleum companies are simply cashing in on our lifestyles. Think about it. What's the most popular type of vehicle on the road right now? SUV's. Gas guzzling tire chewing monsters. There is almost no one out there that needs these vehicles. But there being bought up as fast as they can be produced. Now, people running the numbers at the gas companies are calculating how much extra money can be made from a public who apparantly doesn't care about fuel cost if they buy vehicles getting 12 MPG.

Of couse I know that not everyone doesn't care about fuel costs, but from the perspective of the gas companies, on the whole, we're a wastefull society that can afford the gas hikes.

Should the government step in? That makes me nervous. I can't think of too many things that work better or cheaper after the government gets involved.

Solution? Public pressure of course. Expose the greedy gasmen for what they are, publicly. That also means don't accept the "press release" statements offered by the local and national lazy news groups that spoon feed us what the big guys want us to here. It's not about hurricanes, middle east tension, short supply, lack of refinery capacity or any other lame excuse that we're given. It's about the money. As long as these guys think we're stupid, they'll treat us like it.

Mark

xswinnyx · 05-16-2006, 06:30 PM

I agree

Crys · 05-16-2006, 06:40 PM

Oil and gas aren't the same thing. Gas prices vary because 1) the oil companies sell the gas at different prices at different times (and different prices from company to company), and b) the price of gas is set by the station owners, who have to mark-up the gas to the point where they aren't losing money on it, which is going to be a different amount from one station to the next.

Also, the oil price you hear about in the news isn't really an absolute price paid across the board at that second by every company anywhere. It's the future's price of it; it's traded like a stock. It's indicative of general price, yes, but that's all.

xswinnyx · 05-16-2006, 06:59 PM

Thanks for the info. Crys.
Though I could have done without the belittling statement that gas and oil are not the same thing, I was hoping someone would pop up to explain the details that way. Thanks!

Rob1981 · 05-17-2006, 08:10 AM

Gas companies/gas stations know they can raise prices and people will pay. People are too reliant on cars and driving.

If people would walk more, ride bikes (regular bike, I'm not talking motorcycle), or even carpool more... then gas prices wouldn't be a huge issue. There is also public transportation to use, which is a great deal.

If people would do these things more, it would save lots of money, plus lessen traffic in many areas.

Crys · 05-17-2006, 10:49 AM

I'm sorry you thought it was belittling. Your post made it sound like you thought it was the same thing.

oneinthewoods · 05-17-2006, 07:49 PM

I would like to try and take a bus to save the economy the expense of running my SUV. First, send me a bus that comes wayyy out here in the woods, yet it must be here at 500 a.m., so I can get my son to day care where he gets on the school bus, then on to another town by 600 a.m. so I can get my daughter to school so she can sit and do her homework before school begins. Then this bus must get me to my job in yet another town nearby, by 700 a.m.. I can go on with the trip home, but as ya get it,,,gonna cost me alot to take public transportation and perhaps a week of waiting at a bus stop just to get halfway to where I am going. Give me a horse, honey, and I will learn to make it work...forget the public transportation. I need more privacy than that, besides, they don't go fast enough for me. My SUV gets good milage considering it gets me through corn fields and makes my kids laugh when we need a joy ride now and then. Oh yes, it IS the big shots playing the sqwak box stock market. Our money gets sucked up by the big rich boys. No, I don't see it getting back to the good old days. Yet, I have found a huge salvation in this. Instead of running around town like we did not so long ago; we stay home alot more now and find things to do like they did a hundred years ago. Yeah, I do wish I had a smaller car for work-days, but til then I am gonna count my blessings. When you find a solution to the greed, let me know and I will be there to rally along by your side.

xswinnyx · 05-18-2006, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crys

I'm sorry you thought it was belittling. Your post made it sound like you thought it was the same thing.

Yes, your right it did, I guess I thought commen sense would take over on that one, sorry.

Crys · 05-18-2006, 03:49 PM

Considering the misconceptions I've come up against before (like people calling the Sun a "planet" or thinking water is an element or who can't understand why their computer won't work when their power is out), common sense tells me to ALWAYS take what people say at face value. I'm not a mind reader; I can only go based on what's there.

Also, the media tends to push that concept, that gas and oil are essentially the same, even though they're only the same in the way that plastic and oil are the same. A lot of people DO think they are the same thing. I've said exactly the same thing I posted above to so many people over the last year or so that I haven't bothered counting them.

talleyJudy · 05-19-2006, 06:37 AM

And the fact that the US House voted to continue our off-shore drilling ban is surely going to add to our dependence on foreign sources.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...05-18-20-32-34

So as far as petroleium prices are concerned, as long as we (US) refuse to develop our own domestic supply, we will be at the 'mercy' of foreign sources .

We are told it is global supply and demand. Ok, then why does the US House and Senate insist on not adding to the 'supply'?

Our government also bows to the enviornmentalists demand for switching electrical power supply plants from coal to natural gas; thus raising competition for that natural gas with the home owner. We have over 200 years worth of coal for electrical power right here and the technology exists to burn it cleanly.

It is going to be tough to watch Castro and China pull all that cude out of the Gulf of Mexico just 45 miles off Key West. And I don't hear Harry Belefonte or the 'green/commies' bitching about Castro endangering the pristine enviornment.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/08/Wo...l_near_K.shtml

8O :evil:

Crys · 05-19-2006, 09:17 AM

I agree that the answer is to get away from oil dependency.

However, "clean" coal is only clean in the sense that washing your dishes in mud makes them "cleaner" than washing them in a barrel of tar. "Clean" is really a misnomer. It might better be called "less filthy".

However, alternative energy is going to require environmental sacrifices regardless of what we go with. Wind turbines harm birds, dams harm the surrounding ecosystem, coal destroys our air and water and pushes us closer to becoming New Venus, nuclear power generates waste that we cannot safely deal with (not to mention the chances of another Chernobyl), oil is much like coal in its damage, and solar power, though a good supplement, is not efficient enough to be our primary source of power generation. It's a matter of weighing damage vs. benefit. Coal, oil and nuclear power all create more damage than benefit but people can't see beyond their next three minutes of power use (and the oil companies want it to stay that way). If they could, we wouldn't be having this discussion because we'd employ a completely diverse system of power generation where shortfalls in one area (ie, as oil runs out) would be picked up seamlessly with "alternative" energy sources, without price hikes.

As for people complaining about Castro... you're very wrong. The problem is that we're not Cubans and have no say in their govt. Heck, even the Cubans have very little say in their govt. and would probably be executed for saying some of the things that we've said about them. You may think all of us who don't want the world destroyed for other people's greed are "commies" (an an insult, as though believing in any political ideology other than your own, even obviously impractical ones, is a bad thing) but you're just flat out wrong.

treeman · 05-22-2006, 10:39 PM

There should be only two groups of people upset at high gas prices. 1.) the people who drive very fuel efficient cars because they are doing their part. They don't need to stroke their ego by driving a large truck/suv when they really have no purpose for it but to make themselves look/feel good. 2.) FARMERS Everything else is useless in the world unless you have food on your plate. The TV, your car, your job--everything! Remember when farmers were the only ones who drove trucks(before they became COOL).
I am an ex-farmer whose car gets 30 mpg but I won't complain about the price of gas. It truly is in your power to lower your gas costs.
I would bet if they sold gas at a price relative to your MPG(i.e $1.00/gal for 40+mpg upward to $5.00/gal for 10 mpg vehicles) the world would look at their life and lifestyle a little different.

Moosebreath · 05-23-2006, 08:54 PM

gas prices have dipped abit in the last few days. I think the reason is, people have quit buying so much. So if we all cut way back as much as possible, the oil companies will start to lose money. Also, if you quit drinking and smoking, eat wheat bread and take vitamins, it dosent matter, casuse youre still gonna die!

xswinnyx · 05-24-2006, 09:10 PM

:idea: I'm thinking that the price of gas is not really an issue. It's the fact that those that have money, make money. I think that if we were to use alternate fuel sources, they would be high priced in no time too. You can use used vegetable oil in diesel engines, and restaurants throw it away. But if the demand for it goes up, it will be just like the liquid gold we are pouring into our cars now. If everyone started riding a bike, you soon would not be able to find a bike for less then $500. :x

Another question...

If fossil fuels take thousands of years to produce, theoretically, there would still be a constant replenishing of them. If we suck up oil now, that was plants and animals thousands of years ago, then the plants and animals that died a year later, would be oil a year later, wouldn't it? :?:

andy · 05-25-2006, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xswinnyx

:idea: I'm thinking that the price of gas is not really an issue. It's the fact that those that have money, make money. I think that if we were to use alternate fuel sources, they would be high priced in no time too. You can use used vegetable oil in diesel engines, and restaurants throw it away. But if the demand for it goes up, it will be just like the liquid gold we are pouring into our cars now. If everyone started riding a bike, you soon would not be able to find a bike for less then $500. :x

Well the difference is that you're turning the waste from one product into something useful in its own right. I dont really agree with your point about bikes either. Sure, there would probably be high end bikes, since you'd want something that could hold up to the abuse of your daily commute. You wouldn't want your chain breaking or wheels falling off on the freeway. There would still be a market for the type you get from kmart though. The marketplace would still be competitive, so manufacturers would still need to keep prices low since the barrier to entry into the bicycle market (oh, if my econ professor could read this) is pretty low compared to the barrier to entry into the oil or car business.

Quote:

Another question...

If fossil fuels take thousands of years to produce, theoretically, there would still be a constant replenishing of them. If we suck up oil now, that was plants and animals thousands of years ago, then the plants and animals that died a year later, would be oil a year later, wouldn't it? :?:

Yeah, but you have to take into acount how long the fossil fuels took to produce compared to how quickly we are using them up. It took billions of years to create our current supply and we're now worrying about running out after what, 150 years? People weren't driving cars during most of human history. I guess if you're planning on being around long enough for the next batch to be ready, then it's not a big deal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by treeman

There should be only two groups of people upset at high gas prices. 1.) the people who drive very fuel efficient cars because they are doing their part. They don't need to stroke their ego by driving a large truck/suv when they really have no purpose for it but to make themselves look/feel good. 2.) FARMERS Everything else is useless in the world unless you have food on your plate. The TV, your car, your job--everything! Remember when farmers were the only ones who drove trucks(before they became COOL).
I am an ex-farmer whose car gets 30 mpg but I won't complain about the price of gas. It truly is in your power to lower your gas costs.
I would bet if they sold gas at a price relative to your MPG(i.e $1.00/gal for 40+mpg upward to $5.00/gal for 10 mpg vehicles) the world would look at their life and lifestyle a little different.

My car gets about 27 hwy and I'm pretty upset about gas prices. Between work and school I have to drive a lot. I can't afford one of the trendy new fuel efficient cars, especially when gas uses up a large part of my disposable income.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crys

nuclear power generates waste that we cannot safely deal with (not to mention the chances of another Chernobyl),

I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with your depection of nuclear power. The advances in breeder reactor technology are lowering the waste generated by the plants. The chances of a Chernobyl type accident happening in the US are practically, if not, zero. The Chernobyl plant was one was a very antiquated one, even at that time, and was known to be unsafe. Not to mention all the human error and denial involved. I'll PM you a link to a very interesting thread I read about it. You'll probably gag when you see the url, but oh well