http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/e...as-prices_x.htm I've been seeing more Hummer's on the road the last month or so - I guess that trend will start slowing again...
I had been looking for a forward looking forecast, nice to finaly see something on it. The idea that gas will jump back up seemed very realistic given the way prices have been lately. I am glad I put money down on a Prius and not another SUV. B) Thanks for the article
I am right now reading "Charging Ahead" by Joe Sherman (1998) about Solectria and electric vehicles. I'm only 75 pages into it or so. But I just finished a chapter about the push in CA and other states for ZEVs, the Clean Air Act of 1990, and alternative fuels such as biofuels which could be grown and distilled here in the United States. Of course, history has shown that none of that has yet to come to fruition. I truly believe that on a personal and societal scale, we reap what we sew. There will be more SUV burnings, less SUV purchases, and a greater outcry to the manufacturers for more efficient vehicles. Soon to follow will be the Big 3's outcry that they are losing money due to fallilng SUV sales, a new tax on hybrids to make up for falling gas taxe revenues, and another war to solidify another region's constant oil supply. I'm sure I'm missing something in there. But the point is, as a nation we have been sewing and sewing. The piper is patient and he will collect. Next year just may be the year of reaping.
Until gas hits $5.00 a gallon, and is on par with pricing in Europe and many other parts of the world, I will not consider gas expensive. Even $4.00 is reasonable to me. In Norway, gas will cost you over $5.00 per gallon. But then again, a Big Mac, fries and Coke will run over $10.00. We have it easy here in the states. Even at $4.00 I'd still drive my SUVs just as I do now. At $4.50, I'd drive more conservatively, and at $5.00 I'd cut back on driving them.
Depends on the wages in Europe too. Also, isn't most of their healthcare and stuff included in your job position?
Places like Norway and England are not that large. Public transportation is a real and viable solution there. Yes they have socilalized healthcare and other benefits that their tax dollars pay for, however, just about all of the government services are terrible. Anyone with money has private insurance. The unemployment rates are higher and there is more poverty in those countries which translates that $5.00 a gallon for them is much more difficult to afford there than here. I would take long term gasoline predictions and the magic cut off points with a grain of salt. People for years have been predicting and usually always wrong. I had industry experts tell me gas would never drop below $2.00 again a few months ago, yet, it was $1.86 a couple weeks ago.
But then again, a Big Mac, fries and Coke will run over $10.00. Come to Fortuna, CA. You can get that meal AND two gallons of gas for $10.00!
You understand the higher prices there are due to higher tax structure, and is therefore a choice those countries make, don't you? Canada, a net-exporter of oil, has higher gas prices than the country they export most of their oil to. We can all have higher gas prices right now if we want to. The IRS accepts donations, so any of us can keep track of all the gas we buy, and send the IRS a donation for the difference between $5 a gallon and the $2.31 or so we're paying right now.
Yes, I know these things. I'm from Norway, so I'm very famililar with the tax system and life in general there. Also, it is the government choosing, not the people. Just like here you can choose to pay federal income tax or not. I'm sure if you asked most Europeans, they would be happy to pay less for gas. It is true that things are much different over there compared to here. To get a driver's license over there is actually an ordeal, not the joke it is here. It truly is a privelege, not a right. Anyway, the point is that gasoline in this country is cheaper then water. I see a big problem with that, and it's not becuase of the high price of water! Gasoline prices have not followed the same price trends that all other comsumer goods have. If it had, gas would be something like $4.75 right now. People who complain about high gas prices don't know just how good they have it.
I agree that gas prices are cheap at $2.30 compared to what has happened to everything else in the last 10 years. We tried the small fuel efficient Prius and although we saved on amount of fuel used, I much prefer our minivan that replaced it and my Avalanche. If gas goes to $5 , so be it. Maybe I'll run the motorcycle more then, but I won't go back to a small car. In a few years if somenoe comes with a full sized Hybred SUV, I might try one. Doug
I agree. Even at $5.00 a gallon (or more) we would still use our big SUV for many things that the Prius just couldn't handle. Yes, we would probably drive the Prius more and the SUV less, but it would still probably be driven daily.
Yea.. I can't let go of my jeep.. then I won't have any way to pull my boat and go serious off roading..... well not too serious! :lol: but the prius will be under my butt 99.9% of the time!
In all democracies, the people formulate the tax laws by voting for representatives that pass those laws. So in Norway, as well as in America, you get the tax laws you want (even if you don't want them). The answer is simple, you vote in representatives dedicated to lower taxes. You are right about the relative price of gas; if it had kept pace with the CPI over the years from 1976 to now, it would be much higher.
Perhaps I shouldn't complain, because I should be happy I can buy all the gas I can afford to pay for, but I wanted it to be cheaper. I was hoping my annual 500 gallons of gas would cost me under $1000. Now I have to hope it's under $1500...
