Gas Prices where you live?

[packinpatland]

Averaging about $3.34 for regular in the Portland, OR Metro area.

Looks like both coasts are getting whacked.

[hurleyfan]

Averaging about $3.34 for regular in the Portland, OR Metro area.

Looks like both coasts are getting whacked.

Looks ike John Q Public is getting srewed!

I hate the fact it's costing us over 3 dollars a gallon for gas when the fvcking arabs are building ski centers in the fvcking desert, they are building "palm tree" shaped islands in the ocean, the fvcking Venezuelan's are sitting on their "I'm not the problem" political stance, and the greatest country in the world is being held hostage to these frecking sell out to big business companies!!

UGH

[retailguy]

Averaging about $3.34 for regular in the Portland, OR Metro area.

Looks like both coasts are getting whacked.

Looks ike John Q Public is getting srewed!

I hate the fact it's costing us over 3 dollars a gallon for gas when the fvcking arabs are building ski centers in the fvcking desert, they are building "palm tree" shaped islands in the ocean, the fvcking Venezuelan's are sitting on their "I'm not the problem" political stance, and the greatest country in the world is being held hostage to these frecking sell out to big business companies!!

UGH

Good night... THATS NOT THE PROBLEM.

The problem is refining capacity, and laws (especially in this country) that prevent drilling. There's all kinds of oil off the coast of Santa Barbara California, but the damn environmentalists won't let anyone drill for it. Remember ALASKA? Can't drill there either because of the fricking CARIBOU. There has not been a new refinery built in this country in almost 30 years of any significant size.


Then, you're SHOCKED we're dependent on foreign sources of crude? C'mon. John Q. Public is too STUPID to get screwed. He thinks, on the one hand, that drilling off the coast and in the caribou land is not wise, then bitches because the only places to get crude is from overseas... Sounds pretty hypocritical to me... John Q. is holding HIMSELF hostage.

I guarantee you that at $60. per bbl. of crude some entrepenuer would bust his ass getting the crude out of the ground off California or out of Alaska.

Supply & Demand as a concept works... If you have more crude, what happens to the PRICE? If you refine more oil into gasoline and have a stockpile, what happens to the PRICE? This shit ain't tough...


Don't you realize that this is all part of the evironmentalist plan? Using oil is EVIL. Pay up, John Q. No one else will...

[BallHawk]

they are building "palm tree" shaped islands in the ocean

Not only that, they are building another group of islands to spell out a famous Islamic Poem.

Well, America, that's what happens when you rely on a non-renewable fuel source. Eventually, you get bit in the ass.

[retailguy]

Well, America, that's what happens when you rely on a non-renewable fuel source. Eventually, you get bit in the ass.

Got bad news for you bud.... You're one of US now... (Pun intended)


We are our own worst enemy. The "energy" crisis is largely self inflicted. If we just realized we don't have to DRILL ONE barrel of oil. We just have to pass a LAW that we CAN. Prices would drop overnight... most likely.

We just have to encourage the oil companies to build a few refineries and the supply problem subsides just a bit...

Or, we just have to be willing to give up our cars, and ride the buses and the trains, which is where us "little people" belong.

'Course being from the UK, you'd agree with that point, wouldn't you?

[BallHawk]

The UK is doing it the right way. To park a normal car it's 10 pounds, to park an SUV it's 20 pounds. You hardly see SUVs in England because the country has successfully managed to stop them from becoming popular in the first place. Obviously, the size of the UK is minuscule to the size of the US, but the public transportation in the US is not where it needs to be.

Also, Americans should try doing a form of transportation called walking. It's quite amazing, really. It doesn't cost anything and it doesn't destroy the environment! Also, it helps you lose weight (Which, being the fattest country in the world, wouldn't hurt, a bit, y'know.)

And building more oil refineries is just adding to the problem. I am by no means an environmentalist, but we can't just dig more into the reserves and the environment to save us each time the prices spike. Eventually, the oil will run out, and when it does, this country will not be prepared to face the harsh reality. We are an oil nation, we live and die on oil, and the way it is looking now, we are going to die on it.

[retailguy]

The UK is doing it the right way. To park a normal car it's 10 pounds, to park an SUV it's 20 pounds. You hardly see SUVs in England because the country has successfully managed to stop them from becoming popular in the first place. Obviously, the size of the UK is minuscule to the size of the US, but the public transportation in the US is not where it needs to be.

Also, Americans should try doing a form of transportation called walking. It's quite amazing, really. It doesn't cost anything and it doesn't destroy the environment! Also, it helps you lose weight (Which, being the fattest country in the world, wouldn't hurt, a bit, y'know.)

And building more oil refineries is just adding to the problem. I am by no means an environmentalist, but we can't just dig more into the reserves and the environment to save us each time the prices spike. Eventually, the oil will run out, and when it does, this country will not be prepared to face the harsh reality. We are an oil nation, we live and die on oil, and the way it is looking now, we are going to die on it.

It has been proven that there are literally hundreds of years of oil remaining. That's really not the issue. There will be alternatives to oil. They are in development.

You are forgetting one thing about England. While it is a free society, it is not based on freedom. There is no equivalent "bill of rights". The English society will "tolerate" intrusions to freedom that this country will not

The solutions need to be different.

Alternative energy needs to lead it. What that means is that Americans either need to tolerate 3 to 4 dollar gasoline, OR, they need to vote for politicians and laws that allow refineries to be built and oil reserves to be mined.

End of the line, they need to quit "bitching" about solutions they are "TOLD" without investigating them. That's currently what is going on.

I know this Ballhawk, you'll have to pry my cold dead fingers off the biggest damn SUV I can find... I will NEVER utilize mass transit, because I value my freedom. I'm willing to pay whatever it takes to do that. I'm also willing to invest in alternative energies....

[Scott Campbell]

I know this Ballhawk, you'll have to pry my cold dead fingers off the biggest damn SUV I can find...

I drive a big truck that gets lousy mileage, because I wan't to get my share of the gas before we run out.

[retailguy]

I know this Ballhawk, you'll have to pry my cold dead fingers off the biggest damn SUV I can find...

I drive a big truck that gets lousy mileage, because I wan't to get my share of the gas before we run out.

:P We can always count on you Scott.

[GrnBay007]

$2.99 I think. Really who cares...it's one of those things u purchase because u need. Of course my car gets good gas mileage. :P

[Merlin]

Retail has hit the nail on the head in regards to gas. I have do have some additions.

1) Oil is a commodity which means it is freely traded and it's price affects what you pay at the pump

2) Because our government does not let the oil companies operate like a free market business, the prices are somewhat fixed by the government. This means that it is illegal for "price wars" to happen in a lot of states.

3) Wisconsin has a minimum markup law for gas. This was designed to keep the little guy in business but has screwed the consumer.

4) There has not been a new oil refinery built since 1976. Oil companies no longer want to deal with the environmentalists because this is always a lengthy and costly legal battle and by the time they win, 10 years have been wasted.

5) Wisconsin has a minimum gas tax increase each year. I believe it's 2 something percent. Governor Doyle vetoed legislation in 2005 by our elected officials that would have put this tax increase on hold until the market settled down.

6) There are over 15 different types of gasoline being produced. When refineries have to change to summer blends (when the oxygenated fuels are required by law to go into effect in those regions), the refineries just do not have the capacity to keep up with all of the different fuel types.

7) Ethanol, corn based, although a good idea, drives up the prices on corn which is already subsidized by the federal government. Meaning that we are paying twice for it, once through taxes and once when you buy it (and again pay a tax on it). Mandating 10% ethanol like Wisconsin does is one of those 15 or so types of gas. The Milwaukee area has it's own special summer blend as well.

There are two solutions I see to this.

1) Produce 2 or 3 types of gas and that's it. No more boutique blends.
2) Allow oil companies to drill for new oil, build refineries and operate as a true free market business.

Either of those will drive the price of gas down by a lot.

And the average American is stupid enough to buy the "oil company record profit" crap even though the government(s) make 3-4 times that amount.

[Freak Out]

My entire adult life has been intertwined with global oil prices and there are many reasons why prices rise and fall. Politics/instability (war falls in that category) is today’s problem, but there are many other things that cause prices to rise and fall. Our ability to refine oil into gasoline and other products and supposed lack of exploration is not why unleaded is $3.00 a gallon. Wake the fuck up people.

There are MANY documents from MANY sources that track crude prices and explain why it is where it’s at. Here is just one.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/AOMC/Overview.html

[Merlin]

My entire adult life has been intertwined with global oil prices and there are many reasons why prices rise and fall. Politics/instability (war falls in that category) is today’s problem, but there are many other things that cause prices to rise and fall. Our ability to refine oil into gasoline and other products and supposed lack of exploration is not why unleaded is $3.00 a gallon. Wake the fuck up people.

There are MANY documents from MANY sources that track crude prices and explain why it is where it’s at. Here is just one.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/AOMC/Overview.html

Politics plays a role because the enviro-wackos (moveon.org, etc.) have the Democrats in their pockets, thus, no refineries are built, no oil exploration, etc. Also, a lot of the big name politicians ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE have investments in oil so of course their votes are going to be for putting money in their pocket. The price of oil, not gasoline, is driven by OPEC. They decide when to increase or decrease production, not the US Government. Other countries consumption plays a role, China for example.

For you to use partially the same argument and then say it isn't production or exploration is contradictory. Which is it? Oh that's right, WE need to "wake the fuck up". According to your own argument, you both support and detract from everyone else's argument. I think you need to wake the fuck up.

[Freak Out]

My entire adult life has been intertwined with global oil prices and there are many reasons why prices rise and fall. Politics/instability (war falls in that category) is today’s problem, but there are many other things that cause prices to rise and fall. Our ability to refine oil into gasoline and other products and supposed lack of exploration is not why unleaded is $3.00 a gallon. Wake the fuck up people.

There are MANY documents from MANY sources that track crude prices and explain why it is where it’s at. Here is just one.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/AOMC/Overview.html

Politics plays a role because the enviro-wackos (moveon.org, etc.) have the Democrats in their pockets, thus, no refineries are built, no oil exploration, etc. Also, a lot of the big name politicians ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISLE have investments in oil so of course their votes are going to be for putting money in their pocket. The price of oil, not gasoline, is driven by OPEC. They decide when to increase or decrease production, not the US Government. Other countries consumption plays a role, China for example.

For you to use partially the same argument and then say it isn't production or exploration is contradictory. Which is it? Oh that's right, WE need to "wake the fuck up". According to your own argument, you both support and detract from everyone else's argument. I think you need to wake the fuck up.

You give the enviro-wackos to much credit, they and their "political puppets" have been unable to stop any meaningful exploration or production, and that includes ANWR (just another reserve with easy access) and OPEC is no where near as powerful as it used to be.

[Brando19]

It's $2.95 here in southern WV.