I hope gas prices go up

I don't want to pay more to fill up my car any more than the next guy but I do wonder how high prices will have to go before we see some major changes take place, be it by the government or general public.

If there is a real fuel/energy crises in the not-too-distant future and if rising gas prices is the "warning siren" to those who can affect change, then I say let it be heard. Hopefully, there will be time to prepare and have answers to the problem before EVERYONE suffers greatly.

In just about every situation in which things get worse for all, the poor suffer the most, that is nothing new and would not be unique to gas prices going up.
I would like this world to be heaven on earth and have no suffering at all but that is not reality and wishing it will not make it happen.

 

Well no.. others in my families don't have hybrids, yet.

 

Anyone have any idea why gas prices have suddenly plunged? A couple weeks ago we were paying $2.29/gal, and in one day dropped to $2.09 and the next $1.99 where it has remained.

This could be regional or have prices dropped nationwide? I'm not complaining.

Andy

 

Andy:

because it's a giant Ponzi Scheme designed to suck the life - almost - out of the average consumer. The Sheeple panic for awhile, then the price goes down - but still higher than the old setpoint - and the Sheeple breathe a collective sigh of relief.

A little over 2 years ago folks around here were screaming they'd stop driving if gasoline went higher than 70 cents a litre. Last summer it went up to $1.29 a litre, now it's around 86 cents a litre. The SUV and pickup owners cried for awhile, now they think gas is "cheap" again.

Oh, at work today we were watching CNN and Dubya mentioned Mid East oil again. Who does he think he's foolin? Though I bet if our new PM tries to get out of NAFTA, Dubya will carpet bomb Edmonton in retaliation.

jay

 

I know the price of oil recently dropped this week to below $58/bbl. But I've also found fluctuating prices at the gas pump can sometimes have nothing to do with oil prices, so who really knows why prices have dropped recently. :huh: I know they won't stay there for too long though. As soon as the summer months approach, gas prices will rise again like they do every year at that time.

I've been keeping track of gas prices at 2 local stations (Huntington Beach, Orange Cty, CA) over the last month and a half.

On Jan 3 we were at a low of $1.99 (Arco)/$2.05 (Chevron). Prices slowly crept up to a high of $2.49 (Arco)/$2.57 (Chevron) on Jan 28. Since then, prices leveled off at $2.37 (Arco)/$2.45 (Chevron) and have been hovering right around there with $.02 fluctuations in both directions over the last few weeks since then.

 

Ouch.. When I first started driving... early 70s... 33 cents a gallon.. I know there will be someone who can even beat that~!

I too must admit I sheepishly wish for higher prices... because most of miles are company reimbursed and as prices go up, so does the mileage/IRS rate This makes more of my car payment reimbursed!!

 

Sure... but we ALL suffer when gas is cheap and abundant, and is burned like it grows on trees. The suffering doesn't just come from the wallet. Some folks like to breath and drink clean water too! And even others would like to have a foreign policy based on something OTHER than energy. Expensive gas may "hurt" the poor, but cheap gas hurts all of us.

 

I agree.... But I fear what the Govt would do with the extra tax dollars..

 

I want gas prices to rise until almost all (>95%) of high school seniors take the yellow school bus to school. Only then will the proper pecking order be restored to high school busses across the country! When the student parking lots at high schools are empty then the gas price will be at the proper level!

 

ahh. so high schoolers are an indicator species, huh? :lol: :lol:

 

Let's put this into the proper perspective. Do you NOT fear what is happening to your oil dollars that are shipped out of this country currently? Regardless of what OUR country does with the money, I dare say it'll be better than what the oil-producing countries are doing with it.

 

Yes. I'm willing to pay $6.00 a gallon.That will probably slow global warming. I think $10 a gallon will fix global warming.

 

Yes, but taking extra dollars above and beyond what is already going towards gas/oil, then giving the Govt control of it (I don't care whether it Federal or State - NY has an abysmal record on spending too), that money is siphoned out of the economy.. I DO worry what would become of it. It could become the "Lottery money goes to Education" scenario... if it is earmarked for alternative energy research or incentives. That money taken out of the consumer.public's hand could have a anchor dragging effect on the economy. AND, that would also be a regressive tax. The upper incomes might just have to retire a year or two later, while the working class would have serious individual/family budget impacts... not to mention the poor, esp. the working poor.

Now, you could build some tax incentives like the earned income tax credit, but I can just see the extra confusing paperwork to get those benefits!

All that being said, we need to do something. Maybe consumer based incentive funded by increases in taxes that tier the incentive, like income tax is tiered, to help the lower incomes... though I have a hard time seeing a non-beaucratic way of telling who needs the credit.

 

I say add a gas tax. Use the tax to subsidize and promote solar energy usage and the development of EV plug in(lithium battery)/hybrid cars. Technology to make using solar energy to power our vehicles is here. We just need to have it scaled to affordability. If we as taxpayers can subsidize the purchase of unnecessary SUV/Hummers by allowing small business owners(including doctors and lawyers and other non labor intensive people) deduct 25k and depreciate the difference, then we can take steps to subsidize our path to more renewables. Baby steps.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(240sxer @ Apr 24 2006, 11:13 PM) [snapback]244666[/snapback]</div>

What cracks me up is that they keep raising the ceiling on where the price has to be before it changes people's gas guzzling behavior. Back when it was 1.50 they said 2.00 then when it got to 2.00 they said 3.00. Now that it's 3.00 they're saying 4.00 This morning, I passed by the desk of a coworker who drives a pickup truck and has always said that the price of gas doesn't bother him and I said 'hello' and he said 'morning'. I said that I noticed he didn't say "good morning" and he snapped "What's good about it!?" :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Catskillguy @ Feb 19 2006, 08:28 PM) [snapback]212782[/snapback]</div>

I still can't get too worked up about worrying over what happens to the money that stays in our country - when compared to the hundreds of billions we spend on oil that LEAVES our country's economy. Gotta fix the big problem first, then worry about all that pesky money staying IN our economy.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(240sxer @ Feb 6 2006, 10:25 AM) [snapback]204544[/snapback]</div>

Think about why prices are going up. Is this something you want to continue, or actually see happen?

 

Argue back with them. I don't take sh** anymore from anyone... and anybody who disses my hybrid is going to get a mouthful.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(240sxer @ Feb 6 2006, 01:25 PM) [snapback]204544[/snapback]</div>