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Gas prices too high?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by rposton, Mar 22, 2006.

?
  1. Yes, the US Government should cause the price of gas to go higher, either through more gas taxes, or

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  2. No, the price if gas is too high, the US Goverment should cause the price of gas to stop through low

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  3. The US Government should stay out of it, and let free market determine the price of gas.

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  4. I don't care.

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  1. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    i'm not saying double it or anything. Just a few more pennies ont he dollar that would go into highway funds. not highway patrol either. actual repairs.

    recently they re did the highway by us. In san jose we have our newer highways.. like 85.. it's all concrete and it's lower than general ground level. In order to "repair and resurface" it.. they take huge griders and take off a quarter inch... simple enough seeing there is about 3 feet there. ;) they should do this everywhere.. i see climate being a problem though.
     
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Now, how could I argue against horses? :D

    I think self-propelled has a lot of promise. Combined with working closer to home, living closer to work, and some creative rezoning, we could do a lot with very little.

    My favourite is still the bicycle. Clean, quiet, and comparatively quick around town. The batteries can last about 100 years, if you're very good to them, and plugging in on a regular basis is highly recommended. :p
     
  3. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Yeah, maybe... but brushing them down can be a bonding experience, and, like petting a cat or a dog, may be able to lower your blood pressure.
     
  4. bsd43

    bsd43 Member

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    They didn't grind to repair Hwy 85, they did it for noise reduction. http://www.saratoga.ca.us/hwy_85.htm

    And there isn't a 3 feet of slab of concrete on CA freeways. It's more like 12 inches.
     
  5. rposton

    rposton Member

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    Currently, the votes for the government causing the gas to be higher priced, is winning. Some of you say that is to provide money for other energy souces. I also think that some of you want that to encourage those with gas guzzling vehicles to not drive them so much, or to get something that uses less gas.

    After the hurricanes over LA, when gas in this area was between 3 and 6 dollars a gallon, I did notice a drop in moterhomes and pickup trucks pulling pleasure boats on trailers. However, the commercial 1 ton trucks, still ran down the Interstate at 80+ mph, and many but not all cars, followed. Anyway, point is, I don't think that when gas got so expensive that there was that much drop in fuel consumption. There were a bunch of angry people on the nightly news. Also, in TN, it was reported that Lottery sales were down, attributed to the increase of the price of gas cutting into people's personal discretionary funds.
     
  6. Spunky

    Spunky New Member

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    Just a thought...

    What if all costs of the war in Iraq and the peace processes in the Middle East were paid for by federal taxes at the pump?

    Would it then be "un-American" to conserve on gas use, e.g., drive a Prius or other hybrid?

    Maybe we could then balance the budget?

    Hmm. <_<
     
  7. hycamguy07

    hycamguy07 New Member

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    If gas prices rise to 7-10 a gallon It will be time to start living like the omish.... horse & buggy for transoptation wood & candles for cooking and light... The simple life cant be that bad...

    I was talking to another officer who stated that they cant put more than 50miles on thier cruisers per shift, so they spend alot of time sitting in strip malls and neighborhoods.. I dont know if thats true or if he was pulling my leg..
     
  8. rposton

    rposton Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Mar 30 2006, 12:49 PM) [snapback]232428[/snapback]</div>


    Many of the Amish have businesses that require diesal fuel to run. (444hp Cummins engine runs a large hydraulic pump, which runs a whole bunch of hydraulic motors for all the planers and saws and whatever, in the barn that was converted into a furniture making shop.



    I have heard that about some police too. I think what happens is a district will buy bulk fuel, but if managed badly, then the officers have to park those big cruisers. Point is, if you hear about it in one county, don't assume that the next county has the same restriction.
     
  9. Mikki6

    Mikki6 New Member

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    I remember waiting in line in the 70's, every other day (even & odd license plate thing- did the same with water during the drought). Gas needs to hit $5 a gallon! Why? So we will be forced to produce and buy fuel efficient vehicles, alternative fuels (90 % of Brazil's cars use ethanol), widespread RELIABLE public transportation.
    The less we rely on Middle East oil, the faster we can get the bajeebers out of there, stop funding terrorism against the West, and let them sell their oil at home! We can grow corn and switchgrass, they can't.
     
  10. j24816

    j24816 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(malorn @ Mar 23 2006, 06:30 PM) [snapback]229298[/snapback]</div>
    I hope you are right. You don't think any of the factors leading to high prices today have any chance of occuring?
     
  11. highroute

    highroute New Member

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    In the US we pay the lowest prices for gasoline in the world. (The only exceptions of note are countries with economies that are highly controlled by their governments, especially in oil-producing countries; in effect these governments subsidize gasoline, often in order to keep themselves in power.) The reason we pay so little is that we pay so little tax on gasoline relative to residents of other countries.

    So what's the "right" level of tax on gasoline? Not being an expert on such matters, I'll defer to the UK news weekly The Economist, which concluded in a survey some time ago that US taxes on gasoline were too low to pay for what economists call the "externalities" -- the costs of a product that the free market does not price correctly. (The proverbial "tragedy of the commons" is the result of not putting a price on externalities.)

    One big problem with increasing taxes on gasoline is that the poor pay a disproportionate amount of their incomes for necessities like gasoline, making such a tax "regressive". I think the best way around this is some sort of credit that is revenue-neutral across the economy. If the average household will pay an extra $200 per year in gasoline taxes, then give every household $200 to spend as it wishes. The average household comes out even, but the cash received is not tied to gasoline consumption so does not cancel out the effect of the tax, and gasoline conservation is rewarded.